The International Motor Racing Research Center is partnering in October with the International Motor Sports History Section of the Society of Automotive Historians for an academic symposium on road racing.

The inaugural Jean S. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History will be Saturday, October 17, at the Racing Research Center, 610 S. Decatur St., Watkins Glen, at 1 p.m. The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce is a sponsor.

This academic forum offers graduate students, professors and historians an opportunity to present on any subject reflecting the rich cultural history of road racing. The public is invited to attend, and pre-registration is not required.

Joe Freeman, car collector and owner of Racemaker Press, which specializes in books about vintage racing, will give the keynote address. Freeman is a past president of the Society of Automotive Historians.

Presentations will cover the topics of the 1928 Italian Grand Prix, the evolution of sports car racing in Southern Ontario post-World War II and sports car racing in the Canadian Atlantic Region.

Pat Yonge, a professor in the University of Houston English Department and an expert on women in racing, will be the symposium moderator. Yonge is a member of the SAH International Motor Sports History Section.

“This is the first step in what we anticipate to be both an exciting partnership as well as a means to develop and support scholarship in the too-often neglected field of international automotive competition. I am really delighted to see this finally happening,” Don Capps, chairman of the SAH International Motor Sports History Section, said.

The symposium, which organizers plan to be an annual event, is named in honor of Jean S. Argetsinger, who was present with her husband, Cameron, when he revived road racing in America after World War II and later brought the United States Grand Prix for a successful 20-year run at Watkins Glen. She was one of the founders of the Racing Research Center.

“The Center is not a museum, nor is it an entertainment facility. The Center collects, preserves and distributes automobile racing information, which makes for a fascinating history,” said Argetsinger, who is a member of the Center’s Governing Council. “The IMRRC welcomes the presence of these scholars of the sport.”

The NASCAR XFINITY Series will race at Pocono Raceway for the first time in series history during the 2016 season.

Track officials made the announcement when announcing their 2016 NASCAR dates. Pocono will host its two traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends in 2016. The first will be the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 race weekend from June 3–5, which will feature the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the inaugural 250-mile NASCAR XFINITY Series race and the ARCA Racing Series.

The Pennsylvania 400 race weekend will be held July 29–31 and feature the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series.

The NASCAR XFINITY Series race is scheduled for June 4. This race will be the first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held at the 2.5-mile, triangular-shaped track and the first time NASCAR’s second-tier series has raced in Pennsylvania since 2004 (Nazareth Speedway).

“We are thrilled to bring the NASCAR XFINITY Series to Pocono Raceway,” said Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President/CEO. “The fans have been asking for this to happen for several years and we are excited to share the good news with them today. Additionally, we look forward to working with everyone at Comcast, who are headquartered 90 miles south of us in Philadelphia, for next summer’s inaugural race.”

“From day one we’ve been focused on enhancing the way fans experience NASCAR and highlighting the competition and youth in the XFINITY Series,” said Matt Lederer, director of Sports Brand Marketing for Comcast. “The addition of an event at Pocono Raceway in our home state of Pennsylvania will help carry the momentum built in the first year of our partnership into 2016.”

Robert Bosch LLC, a worldwide supplier of automotive parts to vehicle manufacturers and the independent aftermarket, has announced that it has signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with Universal Technical Institute (UTI) to provide automotive parts, equipment and training support at all UTI campuses nationwide. In addition, Bosch has extended its commitment to provide tuition assistance and a part-time employment program to students at the Lisle, Illinois, campus through the UTI Foundation.

“We’re excited to expand our continuing relationship with Bosch Automotive Aftermarket North America to integrate their high-quality products and advanced training aids into our labs across the country,” said Dennis Hendrix, vice president of industry alliances at Universal Technical Institute. “This partnership will enhance our efforts to train students using the latest products, materials, tools and technologies and equip them with the skills employers are looking for. Our partnership with Bosch will assist our graduates in building successful careers in the growing transportation industry.

Parts Program  
The agreement includes a special program that provides discounts and rebates making it easier for instructors at UTI campus locations to obtain quality Bosch products for instruction and demonstration purposes. Additionally, each campus will have the opportunity to qualify for an annual credit of $1000 based on total product shipped.

Training Support
To help ensure an ample field of qualified technicians for the decades ahead, Bosch actively supports technical training and the institutions and programs that are equipping the next generation of automotive and diesel technicians.

Through this agreement with UTI, the company will offer periodic Lunch and Learn sessions at UTI campuses. Bosch associates will present sessions to educate UTI students & and faculty on the latest industry technology innovations and products.

Bosch will also host one-day Bosch Xperience mobile training stops at UTI campuses. The Bosch Xperience puts a group of six participants in a virtual workshop where they work through a series of real-world vehicle problem scenarios. Competing against each other, the group will go through the entire repair process—identifying faults, selecting parts and completing the repair—gaining new knowledge all along the way.

“The whole aftermarket community has a responsibility to assist in training and equipping the next generation of automotive and diesel technicians,” said Odd Joergenrud, regional president North America, Robert Bosch LLC, Automotive Aftermarket. “Bosch is aligned with the mission of the UTI organization and is very pleased to have this opportunity to show our support to both UTI and the automotive aftermarket.”

Bosch will also work with UTI corporate to provide training materials, posters, educational graphics and other items to be displayed at each facility.

Tuition Assistance Through UTI Foundation
Working through the UTI Foundation, Bosch continues to provide tuition scholarships through the Bosch Automotive Student Technician Assistance Fund to current, active UTI-Lisle campus students who demonstrate great financial hardship. A total of 25 Accelerate! Tuition awards for $1,000 each will be made over the term of the agreement.

“Pedal to the Metal” Program Through UTI Foundation
Besides providing tuition assistance, Bosch funding is also supporting the UTI Foundation’s “Pedal to the Metal” program for students at the UTI-Lisle campus. Through this program, qualifying students may apply for a $500 tuition scholarship and the opportunity to participate in a three-month paid internship-type assignment at a local Bosch Car Service center, with the opportunity to earn an additional $2,000 upon successful completion of the assignment. In addition to the tuition support, students gain valuable experience in the day-to-day workings of a well-established, successful repair center. For more information, visit http://www.utifoundation.net

“As automotive manufacturers are continually challenged to improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles, new and more sophisticated vehicle systems will be developed at a much faster rate,” commented Bobby Bloom, vice president, Bosch Automotive Aftermarket NA. “This means that training of future generations of technicians is a critical factor for efficient, effective vehicle service. As the developer of many of these new systems, Bosch can be a valuable resource to young technicians as they’re preparing to enter the marketplace, arming them with the parts and equipment knowledge—as well as the diagnostic and service training—to make them a highly sought-after asset in for any repair shop.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to improving the in-venue experience for fans, Daytona International Speedway (DIS) recently began the installation of two new, larger video display boards in the infield.

The new boards, each measuring 40 feet tall by 80 feet wide, will accompany the two existing infield video screens and collectively provide 8,470 square feet of viewing for fans in the new motorsports stadium. Additionally, DIS will upgrade the video board and viewing experience in the Sprint FANZONE.

The boards, placed using 3D modeling technology, will ensure an optimal viewing experience for fans. To hold the video boards in place, DIS will create a special structure measuring 80 feet tall by 80 feet wide.

Fans in the Sprint FANZONE will now enjoy a new screen measuring 20 feet tall by 40 feet wide. Additionally, the Alert Today Florida Main Stage will be relocated to create better views of the new board as well as improve access and flow throughout the area.

“We’re constantly looking at new offerings for our devoted fan base,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. “The video boards and Sprint FANZONE upgrades, combined with the amenities related to our $400 million DAYTONA Rising project, will ensure that our fans have the best experience in motorsports.”

Construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2015, in time for the debut of the DAYTONA Rising project in January 2016.

The winners of F1600 championships in England, New Zealand and Scotland will join an expanding group of talented young drivers who be eligible to contest the Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout in 2016.

The Shootout will bring the champions of North American and international series together for the first time with a $200,000 Mazda scholarship on the line to join the first step of the ladder system, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, in 2017.

The Mazda Road to Indy is acknowledged as a premier open-wheel development ladder, providing opportunities for drivers to progress from karting through USF2000, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires to the Verizon IndyCar Series with scholarships at every level. At the recent conclusion of the 2015 Mazda Road to Indy season, over $2.3 million in scholarships and prizes was distributed among the three championships, including more than $1 million to Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot, which will enable him to contest at least three Verizon IndyCar Series events in 2016, including the historic 100th Indianapolis 500.

An initial group of series whose champions will be given an entry ticket to the Shootout was announced at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 1. These included ROTAX MAX Challenge, Skip Barber Race Series, the F2000 and F1600 Championship Series, Pacific F2000, Formula Car Challenge, SCCA Runoffs (F1600 and FC), the Team USA Scholarship, Australian Formula Ford Championship and BRSCC F1600 in England.

This announcement adds the English Cubik Formula Ford Super Series, which includes such prestigious events as the Walter Hayes Trophy; the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship, whose previous alumni include current and four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Brendon Hartley; and the Scottish Motor Racing Club’s Formula Ford 1600 Championship.

“The Mazda Road to Indy is a very well-organized ladder system which is unique in motor racing today,” said four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, who attended a function earlier this week in his native Scotland to announce this exciting initiative. “It takes away a lot of the confusion for young drivers when they are trying to chart a career path, and the fact that if you win at each stage it allows you to progress to the next level is huge. If your goal is IndyCar then the Mazda Road to Indy is the only place in a lower formula where you can learn all the skills required and drive an open-wheel car on an oval.”

“It’s exciting to learn about the partnership between the Mazda Road to Indy and NZ FF1600,” added Dixon. “Formula Ford 1600 was a large player in the form of introducing me to single-seater racing. I learned so much during those two years that helped pave the way towards my open-wheel career and developing my race-craft. The opportunity of a scholarship to USF2000 is priceless. The Mazda Road to Indy is a very valuable step towards high-level open-wheel competition—a real chance to learn from the best in the business on and off the track.”

Tony Stewart, a three-time Sprint Cup Series champion, plans to retire after the 2016 season, team and industry sources said.

Mired in one of the worst seasons of his career at 25th in the standings, Stewart will run one final season before handing over the driving duties of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 car to Clint Bowyer in 2017, sources said.

Bowyer is driving for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2015, but that team is closing operations after the season. According to a source with knowledge of Bowyer's plans, he will drive for HScott Motorsports in 2016.

Stewart won the Sprint Cup in 2002, 2005 and 2011. He missed out on the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year after posting zero wins and two top-10s leading up to the Chase.

Stewart, 45, is tied for 13th in career victories with 48.

Stewart, who has 582 career Cup starts, missed the final 15 races of the 2013 season with a broken leg suffered in a sprint car accident. He missed three races last season after the sprint car he was racing struck and killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr., who had approached Stewart's car on foot at Canandaigua Motorsports Park.

IndyCar has informed NOLA officials that the venue will not be on the 2016 calendar.

The event's absence from next year's schedule had been widely predicted after a difficult inaugural race in April, which was plagued by bad weather, poor attendance and two federal lawsuits over non-payments. NOLA Motorsports Park president Kristen Engeron said that IndyCar has confirmed within the past few days that the series will not return in 2016, but said that she is optimistic that a deal can be struck for the future.

"[IndyCar] didn't go into a lot of details," Engeron said. "We are continuing to talk with them about getting us on the schedule for 2017 and the years after that."

Andretti Sports Marketing, which promoted the event, filed a lawsuit against the track claiming that it is owed $645,000 for its services as well as $206,000 for expenses.



NOLA is also navigating a separate lawsuit from the company that installed the grandstands, which is claiming that it is owed $358,600.

Second-generation sprint car driver Casey Shuman has purchased the Wingless Auto Racing Sprint Car Series. WAR, started and operated by Andrew Korte of California, Missouri, will continue to run its races in America’s heartland, as it has since its inception.

“First, I need to thank Andrew Korte and his staff for making this deal go so smoothly,” Shuman said. “Promoting is something that has always been on my radar, and the older I get, the more I’ve realized that it’s something I really want to do. I have enjoyed racing in the WAR series the past few years with JHR, and I’m very excited to be taking this platform into the future.”

“WAR has been growing since we started four years ago,” said Korte. “I think Casey will do a wonderful job with it, and I can’t wait to see what ideas he brings to the table. I have no doubt that the series will continue to grow, and I’m excited about the future.”

Shuman has already begun building a staff, scheduling races and working with series sponsors for 2016.

“I spent many hours on the phone with my dad and other promoters while I was trying to decide whether to jump into this or not,” Shuman said. “I think that the team that I have behind me is the best possible, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish. We are committed to keeping the core values of the WAR series, while making it better all around.”

Dick Williams and Jim Schaefer, principals behind the successful Tri-Track Modified Series, will share the 2015 New England Antique Racers’ Frank Maratta Award.

The presentations, giving in recognition of their outstanding contribution and support of auto racing, will be part of the agenda at the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame 18th induction banquet Sunday, November 8 at Maneeley’s in South Windsor, Connecticut.

During the past two seasons the Tri-Track Modified Series has paid out more than $400,000. The eight races have attracted an average car count of 40, including the top modified teams from New England and New York. Lee, Star, Seekonk, Monadnock and Waterford have hosted Tri-Track events.

Williams, from Stonington, Conn., and Schaefer, from Riverhead, New York, are the leaders of a group that has made the Tri-Track Modified Series a reality. According to Williams, a familiar face in New England racing for decades, the impetus was a conversation among a group of old timers.

“They were saying how much they missed the old open competition events,” said Williams. “We thought with a little common sense it could happen again and we got four or five  guys together and made it happen.”

This year’s payout will be $287,000 distributed in a number of ways including lap money and last-chance races. There were six different winners in the first seven races.

Ticket information for the banquet will soon be available on the New England Antique Racers website (NEAR1.org).

Drivers Sam Posey, Greg Sacks, Joey Laquerre, Stan Gregor, the late Jim McCallum and the late Ronnie Marvin, car owner the late Paul Dunigan, publishers Lew Boyd and the late Jim Moffat, engine-builder Joe Fontana and promoter Red McDonald will be inducted in the NEAR Hall of Fame. Vermont’s Justin St. Louis will receive the Mitchell/Ratta Media Award.

Think about what it means to “Pay It Forward.” Most of you have probably seen the movie, or at least heard of the idea.
 
In this blog entry I’m going to try to motivate you to do something for someone else—for FREE. It seems like a hard sell these days, or is it? You may be thinking, “Well it depends on what you want me to do” or “How much is it going to cost me?” Or both.
 
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet and talk with some great people in the racing business on the floor of the PRI Trade Show, and I can’t help but see so much potential and opportunity for “Pay It Forward.”
 
Now let’s be clear: “Pay It Forward” is not a business or networking opportunity. Rather, it is a “people helping people” thing. We should keep that in mind.
 
For our own race team, it is a labor of love. Every year, Piedmont Technical College in nearby Greenwood, South Carolina, sponsors a weeklong Automotive Summer Camp for kids in the community. It’s great, because it exposes these boys and girls to experiences they otherwise wouldn’t have. We take our NASCAR LMS to the camp and let the kids see, feel and sit in the car. My son/driver Daniel Alvarez gives a presentation on his racing experiences, and talks to the kids about racing on dirt and in NASCAR. It is a terrific day for everyone.
 
Then, Daniel escorts the campers on tours of NASCAR-associated race shops that he arranges through friends he knows in the business. It all makes for a really great week.
 
Why does Daniel do this? Because someone took the time to do it for him when he was one of those campers many years ago. Plus he truly enjoys it. It’s called “Pay It Forward.”
 
Now, wouldn’t you consider participating in something like this if given an opportunity? I'll bet you probably know a few folks in the business that would enjoy a chance to do something like this along with you. Contact some friends and do a little brainstorming. Develop an idea that is doable. Work on the details, and get others involved.
 
Remember, it does not have to be some over-the-top elaborate event. Simple is better, and much easier to manage. You are only limited to your imagination. Here are a few ideas that may be helpful:
 
* Racetrack Promoters – Invite the local schools, orphanage or summer camp to visit the track during race practice on race day. Arrange for a tour of the pits for a meet-and-greet with drivers and crews.
* Race Shop – Offer tours of your shop, as well as the local car dealership service center.
* Race Engine Machine Shops – Provide tours and demos to automotive students from high schools and tech schools.
* Race Parts Manufacturers & Suppliers – Contact some friends and organize a “Pay It Forward” event. You already know people in the business and together you can all Co-sponsor an Automotive Summer Camp or Race Day event for the kids in your community. Supply some food, shirts, tours, activities and/or trinkets.
* Race Car Drivers – Call you friends, take your race cars, motorcycles, race boats, etc., and visit your local schools, summer camps, hospitals, or local orphanage.
 
On a smaller scale:
* Invite a neighborhood kid or kids to become part of your race team for the day, weekend or summer.
* Take some of the neighborhood kids to the local racetrack to watch the races.
* Offer a few interested teens the chance to work in your shop and on the race car.
* Take some kids to the local karting track.
* Help your local high school automotive students build a mini stock car or engine.
* Offer a place for high school kids to do a little work on their cars and maybe recruit them for another event.
 
Now let’s talk results. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how you measure the results of “Pay It Forward.” I don’t think it can be measured in dollars, nor should it be.
 
The fact is, you may never know the impact you’ve had on the recipient’s life. You could inspire them to pursue a degree in Automotive Technology, or become an ASE certified parts specialist. You could inspire them to become an auto mechanic, or learn to weld so they can build their own race car. Or you could inspire them to chase their dream of working on a NASCAR pit crew, or becoming a NASCAR driver.
 
Just ask my driver.