Texas Motor Speedway will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2016 by continuing to hold the distinction as the only motorsports venue that has hosted all three top-tier NASCAR Series and the Verizon IndyCar Series since its inception.

The 2016 schedule will feature two races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series to go along with the only stop in Texas for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The Duck Commander 500 NASCAR doubleheader in April and AAA Texas 500 NASCAR tripleheader in November will sandwich the traditional INDYCAR/NASCAR doubleheader in June.

The season will open April 7–9 with the Duck Commander 500 weekend featuring the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series. The weekend is highlighted by qualifying for the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series as well as the XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Friday, April 8, and the first Saturday night race of the Sprint Cup season with the Duck Commander 500 on April 9.

The Firestone 600 enjoys its 20th anniversary as an INDYCAR/NASCAR combination event dating to Texas Motor Speedway’s inaugural year in 1997 when it returns June 9–11. The weekend features qualifying day for the Verizon IndyCar Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday, June 10, that will be followed that evening by the running of the Camping World Truck Series Rattlesnake 400. The Firestone 600, the weekend’s marquee event known as “America’s Original Nighttime IndyCar Race,” will run on Saturday, June 11.

The Texas Motor Speedway racing season concludes November 3–6 with a NASCAR tripleheader that includes a pivotal Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in the Eliminator Round of the playoff-style format. The AAA Texas 500, set for Sunday, Nov. 6, will be the middle event of the three-race segment (Martinsville and Phoenix are the other races) that will determine the four drivers of the eight remaining in championship contention that will earn the right to vie for the Sprint Cup Series crown at the season finale in Homestead, Fla.

The race weekend also features Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series qualifying followed by the Camping World Truck Series Longhorn 350 race on Friday, Nov. 4., and XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge qualifying and race on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Sports Car Club of America announced that the IMS road course will be the site of the 2017 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with race days September 29–October 1.

The event is unprecedented for both the Club and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, pitting the amateur National Championship event on the 14 turn, 2.439-mile road course that hosts the Verizon IndyCar Series' Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

"Many Indianapolis 500 veterans have their racing roots in SCCA competition, so hosting the SCCA national championships at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a natural fit," IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. "The Runoffs will provide drivers who have dreamed of competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway an opportunity to do so and will hopefully motivate some participants to continue on the path to compete in the Indianapolis 500 someday. It is going to be a tremendous event showcasing the talent and passion that makes SCCA racing so exciting."

Indianapolis history and SCCA history are intrinsically linked. Countless SCCA graduates have competed in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," with Mark Donohue and Bobby Rahal earning both a Runoffs title and an Indy 500 win in their careers. Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice also competed in the Runoffs; current competitor Graham Rahal is the youngest Runoffs champion, and still has a chance to add his name to the Borg-Warner Trophy.

"In 2013, we announced that the Runoffs would go on an annual rotation, moving around the country with the goal of hitting bucket list tracks," Eric Prill, SCCA Vice President/COO said. "We've done that, having gone from Road America to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to Daytona International Speedway, and will be at Mid-Ohio in 2016. But the visit to Indianapolis in 2017, a track that no other SafeRacer Club Racer will have a chance to compete on prior to the Runoffs, is truly unique and a dream come true for many of our racers."

"As a racer, I know that the American dream of being a racecar driver starts with the Indianapolis 500," Lisa Noble, SCCA President & CEO and Formula Vee racer, said. "IMS is an integral part of our history as we are a part of theirs. Many of the Speedway's crew, workers, drivers and Indy 500 winners have their roots in the SCCA. Drivers such as Bobby and Graham Rahal, Jimmy Vasser, Mark Donohue, Buddy Rice, Michael Andretti and Lyn St. James are just a few that raced in the SCCA Runoffs before reaching the Indy 500.

"I'm very moved by this significant moment in SCCA history as I am by the Speedway every time I enter the gate. Each of our Champions will have an incredibly special honor—to be crowned on the most hallowed ground in American motorsports. Racers will tell stories for decades about this first Runoffs at Indy. It will become legendary, and I cannot wait for our members to experience that in 2017."

The SCCA National Championship Runoffs has crowned Club Racing National Champions in a winner-take-all, single race format since 1964. Through 27 separate races over three days, the 2015 edition recently crowned champions in 27 classes in the pinnacle event of amateur racing.

NASCAR announced the base NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rules package to be used during the 2016 season. The package was delivered to teams after an extensive collaborative process between NASCAR and industry stakeholders.
 
The base package will include a 3.5-inch spoiler, a 0.25-inch front leading splitter edge and a 33-inch wide radiator pan. These components will provide lower downforce on the cars, and Goodyear will develop tires to complement them. Earlier this season, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway featured a similar aero package.
 
“NASCAR has worked tirelessly with our teams, drivers, manufacturers and Goodyear to develop a rules package that provides fans with the best racing possible,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The success of the races at Kentucky and Darlington in similar trim proved extremely valuable in accelerating rules development for 2016. Now, as teams have even more time to prepare and a strong baseline of data, we anticipate the racing to be even better.”
 
Characteristics of the lower downforce rules package includes more off-throttle time for drivers and decreasing corner speeds. This generates more passing zones over the entire track, and allows for multiple tire combinations to be levered.
 
In addition to the base package, each track will continue to feature specific rules, including tire combinations and drive train configurations, to create the best racing for each track length, layout and surface. Rear gear ratios will be adjusted to maintain a maximum engine speed of 9,000 RPM and a 1.38 third gear ratio will be used at all tracks smaller than 1.25 miles. The digital dashboard, which was optional for teams during the second half of this season, will be mandatory in all vehicles.
 
“Our team at the NASCAR R&D Center is constantly looking at the racing, and evaluating ways to continue to improve it,” O’Donnell said. “Using science and technology and qualitative data compiled from world-class engineers throughout the industry as our guideposts, we will always look to make the racing better for our fans.”
 
Several safety updates have been instituted, including a double NACA duct where a right-hand side window is used, a fire suppression system activation cable routed to the dash or right-hand side leg board and a seat belt restraint system that meets SFI 16.6 specification.

On June 3, Perris Auto Speedway promoter Don Kazarian announced that the 20th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals Presented by All Coast Construction would carry an event record purse of more than $120,000.

That record did not stand for long as this week Kazarian announced that more money has been added to the already whopping swag.

The jump in the purse is $10,000 dollars and it brings the total to a new record $130,510.  The extra money will be added to the paychecks of the drivers finishing second and third.

“Mike Grosswendt from All Coast Construction called me on Monday morning and said that he wanted to add more money to the purse,” Kazarian said. “He is adding an extra $5000 for second place and an extra $5000 for third in the Saturday night main event. That means the driver who finishes second on Saturday will now take home $15,000 and the third place driver will pocket $10,000. Previously second place was to pay $10,000 and third place was going to get $5000. With the additions and the winner getting $25,000, a total of $50,000 will be paid for the first three spots. Mike’s addition to the purse is great news not only for the drivers, but for the fans as well!

“Mike has a very successful construction business and he had been working on a massive project that has taken up most of his time for the last year,” Kazarian said with a nod. “However, he just finished that project and he is now going full throttle to help make the Oval Nationals bigger and better than ever. In addition to upping the prize money for second and third, he has some other ideas for this year’s Oval Nationals that we are announcing in the upcoming week.  He has more passion than anyone I know for sprint car racing and he is a massive asset to the sport and Perris Auto Speedway.”

Grosswendt decided to add the extra dough to the purse at the urging of a good friend.

“I got the idea from Jon Stanbrough,” Grosswendt said. “We are friends and go out to dinner when he is out here to race. I like to talk to him and listen to what he has to say.  He has been after me to get the prize money up for second and third. I am taking his advice and we are going to do that this year.”

The Senna Hall of Fame Collection, a unique compilation of race-worn items used by Ayrton Senna, will be on exhibit at Circuit of the Americas’ Downtown Paddock located at 304 E. Cesar Chavez Street during U.S. Grand Prix weekend.

Forming part of one of the largest private collections in the world, known as the Hall of Fame Collection, the one-of-a-kind exhibit of Ayrton Senna memorabilia will showcase items from each era of the legendary driver’s celebrated, almost mythical, career including his first Formula One test at Williams in 1983 and F-1 drive with Toleman in 1984. The collection will also include items from his years at Lotus (1985-’87), his most successful period at McLaren (1988-’93) as well as his final few races with Williams in 1994.

The collection has been meticulously gathered over a period of 20 years by private collectors Howard Jacobs and Darren Jack who partnered to form “The Hall of Fame Collection.” Today, it stands as one of the world’s largest collections of helmets, driving suits, gloves, steering wheels, and various Formula 1 car parts. It also celebrates the careers of other motorsport greats but the Senna HOF Collection sits right at the top.

Jack, who grew up in England, first attended a Formula One Grand Prix at Imola, when he was just four years old, which coincided with Senna’s first F-1 season with the Toleman team. The moment started a lifelong appreciation for the three-time Formula One World Champion and has resulted in this celebration of the late, great Brazilian’s life in motorsports. Carefully researched and documented by Jack and his team, each item tells its own distinctive story and provides a unique insight into one of the most enigmatic sportsmen of all time.

Speaking ahead of the Austin unveiling of the collection, Jack said: “Like so many people, I have had a huge appreciation for Ayrton Senna for most of my life. As one of the few sportsmen to truly transcend his sport, his enduring impact on the popular imagination remains as strong as ever and in some way I hope to contribute to his legacy via this collection. I am truly grateful to Circuit of The Americas for helping to make this possible during such an important week for them. By opening up this display to the public for the very first time, we will hopefully introduce a new audience to this true icon of motorsports and continue to shine a light on his timeless achievements.”

The Senna HOF Collection includes:

– Race-used steering wheels from some of Senna’s greatest F-1 cars

– Rear-wing endplates from almost every F-1 car driven by Senna

– Complete front and rear wings from his most famous F-1 cars

– Senna’s World Championship Winning Gloves from the 1990 Season

– Senna’s 1988 World Championship Winning McLaren Suit

– Signed Williams F-1 1994 helmet

– Senna’s 1994 personal Williams driving boots

– Personal F-1 jackets worn by Senna

PRW Industries Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance engine components for hotrods and race cars, welcomes David Ramirez as its new General Manager.

Ramirez has over 30 years of experience in wholesale distribution and the sales of Sporting Goods and Automotive Aftermarket accessories. Most recently, as Operations Manager at Spectre Performance, he managed all aspects of Distribution, Quality Control, Graphics, as well as Inside Sales & Marketing. After the buyout by K&N, Ramirez went to Edelbrock Corporation as their International Products Manager, where he introduced new items geared toward the national retail chains. He also introduced the Pro Charge Clean strip filter design.

After leaving Edelbrock, Ramirez became the Director of Sales & Marketing for Specialty Products Company where he was responsible for increasing sales and introducing new products. He worked to bring their BTR line of Off Road racing wheels back to the forefront of the Trophy Truck and Buggy racing industry.

Before leaving Specialty Products David helped to design the first ever D.O.T. approved BTR wheel. 

In his spare time, Ramirez is a family man, married to his wife Karen for 33 years and has two sons and several grandchildren. He enjoys spending time outdoors and plans to finish restoring his 1930 Model A Ford.

Mazda has announced the 23 finalists for in the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout, which offers a $100,000 scholarship package to the winning driver.

Launched in 2006 as the Club Racer shootout, the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout has annually promoted one talented club racer into the professional ranks. The $100,000 scholarship package supports a drive in the 2016 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup. For 2016, this will be in the all-new Global MX-5 Cup car, which officially went on sale on October 1.

The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed. These skills include speed, consistency, race craft, technical feedback and off-track business, marketing and PR skills.

“Our annual shootout has become a signature event for Mazda Motorsports,” said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports. “This year, faced with dozens of worthy candidates, we worked with our key partners at the SCCA, NASA, iRacing and other industry experts to identify those racers with the greatest potential to succeed on the professional level. This promises to be our best-ever shootout, as none of the eligible racers have raced a fourth-generation MX-5. Only a handful of racers have even tested it. That will quickly change as we have more than 70 deposits from racers ready to compete with us in the 2016 MX-5 Cup.”

To advance to the next level, the 23 semi-finalists will submit a business proposal and a short video presentation from which the finalists will be selected. It is anticipated that there will be six to eight finalists. The finalists will be announced the week of October 19, and the final shootout will be at Carolina Motorsports Park, in Kershaw, S.C., on November 8–10. The racers will be tested on the track for their driving skills and in the garage for their technical understanding of the sport. This is a winner-take-all competition; there is no second place.

The semi-finalists for 2015 are as follows:

Joshua Allen – NASA PTD West Champion

Ben Anderson – NASA PTE West Champion

Michael Avansino – Formula Car Challenge Champion

Joseph Burton-Harris – SCCA Runoffs Formula Mazda

Bruno Carneiro – At Large Nominee

Mark Drennen – NASA Spec Miata Champion

Richard Eklund – iRacing Champion

Mason Filippi – NASA Teen Challenge (West Coast)

Jonathan Goring – SCCA Runoffs Spec Miata Champion

Jason Kohler – NASA PTE East Champion

Ethan Loree – NASA Teen Challenge (Rocky Mountains)

Alex Mayer – At Large Nominee

Glenn McGee – iRacing Champion

Tazio Ottis – Formula Car Challenge Champion

Hunter Pickett – Formula Car Challenge Champion

Eric Powell – At Large Nominee

Matthew Powers – NASA Race Of Champions

Matt Reynolds – At Large Nominee

Will Rodgers – At Large Nominee

Michai Stephens – At Large Nominee

Deriann Taylor – NASA Teen Challenge (Texas)

Jon Van Canegham – NASA Super Unlimited Champion (West)

Cal Vandaalen – Toyo Tires Spec Miata Championship (Canada)

CV Products, a Thomasville-based manufacturer of auto-racing parts and accessories, will eliminate 12 positions in the coming months and close its Mooresville retail store.

The cuts are part of a restructuring and an increased focus by the company on its manufacturing businesses in Thomasville.

CV has 156 full-time workers, including 140 at the manufacturing facility, said Steve Lineberger, president and CEO of CV's holding company, SV America Holdings LLC.

He said the restructuring will affect four employees in Thomasville, along with three within the company’s traveling PRS trackside business and five at the Mooresville store. The store, which sells parts to NASCAR race teams, is expected to close by early 2016.


Lineberger said the company is restructuring to focus on its growing manufacturing businesses: Xceldyne Technologies, Advanced Material Coatings LLC and SV Plastics.

“It’s really positioning ourselves for growth based on what our core competencies are, as well as where the trends and categories are going," Lineberger said. “It’s really a restructuring that will prepare us for the growth that we anticipate coming.”

Lineberger wouldn’t provide specific figures but said revenue from the manufacturing businesses is up significantly year-over-year. He added that both Xceldyne and Advanced Material Coatings continue to grow within the aviation business.

Xceldyne, which is a manufacturer of valves, valvetrains and racing components, began moving into the aviation category a few years ago. But growth within that industry will not come at the expense of the manufacturer’s motorsports business, Lineberger said.

The company will also continue to carry a line of engine-related parts, but is winding down the distribution of its chassis parts.

CV will consider offers to buy the chassis distribution business, the store and PRS.

Graham Light, NHRA’s senior vice president of racing operations, was one of 38 luminaries honored October 9 as an inaugural inductee into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

The 28 living and 10 posthumous legends who were inducted included racers, crew chiefs, mechanics, track officials, promoters, and sponsors from Victoria, B.C. to Poole’s Corners, P.E.I, who have made a lasting impact and significant difference in the development of the sport of drag racing in Canada and elsewhere.

“It is a dream come true to see great ones of our sport getting the recognition they deserve for their extraordinary achievements, contributions and efforts for the sport of drag racing,” said Bob Aubertin, director.

“The recognition of world-class Canadian drag racing legends, all under one roof, is long overdue,” said John Scotti, founder of the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame. “I am very excited about this achievement for the sport and look forward to sharing it with others who will visit the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame museum as well.”

Light, a native of Edmonton, Alta, got his start in drag racing in Competition Eliminator before moving to Top Fuel in 1971. Light was a consistent qualifier and posted a runner-up finish at the 1977 NHRA World Finals in Ontario, Calif. He finished ninth in the 1978 NHRA points standings.

From 1974 to 1982, Light owned and operated Edmonton Int’l Speedway, a world-class multi-use facility consisting of a dragstrip, a 2.5-mile road course, a 1.5-mile road course, a motocross track, and a quarter-mile oval.

Light joined NHRA in 1984 to handle business development in an area that now comprises NHRA Divisions 6 and 7. In 1986, Light took over as Division 7 director and was promoted to the position of competition director in 1987. Later that year, he was promoted to vice president for technical operations and in 1993 was elevated to his current position. He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1996.

Light, who became a member of the NHRA Board of Directors in 2004, oversees competition and operations at all 24 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races. In addition, he oversees NHRA Field Operations/Divisions and the NHRA Technical Department, supervises the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA, and serves as chairman of the NHRA Competition Committee.
He also serves as president of the FIA Drag Racing Commission and is a director for the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), the American branch of the FIA worldwide racing organization.

“It’s a great honor to be inducted into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame during its inaugural year and to be included among the legends of Canadian Drag Racing,” Light said. “All of the inductees owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to founder John Scotti for his vision in creating the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame, which will provide an appropriate venue to preserve the history of the sport well into the future.”

Other inductees who made significant impacts in the world of NHRA Drag Racing were all-star crew chief Dale Armstrong, famed Funny Car driver Gordie Bonin, longtime John Force Racing crew chief Bernie Fedderly, former U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner Terry Capp and 1970 Winternationals Super Stock winner Barrie Poole, the first Canadian driver to win an NHRA national event.

A 22-year-old economics and management student from France has followed in the footsteps of Jann Mardenborough and Lucas Ordonez by winning Nissan's GT Academy gamer-to-racer competition.

Romain Sarazin won the European NISMO GT Academy with victory in a six-lap race at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi on Monday against six rivals aboard a fleet of Nissan 370Zs. Sarazin, who was mentored by Nissan LMP1 driver Olivier Pla, came out on top at the end of a eight-day race camp in Abu Dhabi attended by 56 GT Academy finalists from 11 countries. Fourteen went through to the final day and then the best from each of seven European regions was chosen to take part in the shootout event.

Sarazin said: "I knew I had to get a good start because it's difficult to overtake; I saw the others fighting behind me, and it made it easier for me to get away. This is a huge achievement and will completely change my life."

Red Bull Racing technical boss Adrian Newey, who was an Academy judge this year, said that it was "a great shame that there can only be one winner."

Sarazin, who succeeds Gaetan Paletou as the winner of the European scheme, will now embark on Academy's driver development program and is on course for a season of international motorsport with Nissan in 2016. Paletou contested the Blancpain Endurance Series aboard a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 and is racing in the European Le Mans Series in a Ginetta-Nissan LMP3 in 2015, as well as taking part in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

There are two other Academy schemes this year, one in Asia and an international competition covering the rest of the world.

EUROPEAN NISSAN GT ACADEMY WINNERS

2008 Lucas Ordonez

2010 Jordan Tresson

2011 Jann Mardenborough

2012 Wolfgang Reip

2013 Miguel Faisca

2014 Gaetan Paletou