With eight points races still remaining in the Hunt for the United States Modified Touring Series Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental, Jesse Sobbing has mathematically clinched the 2015 USMTS Rookie for the Year Award and added another gold star to an already-glowing racing résumé.

The only driver to compete in every USMTS regional points race in 2015, Sobbing led the rookie standings for the first time this season following the event on May 1 at the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Missouri.

One day later, he won his first career USMTS main event by outrunning Terry Phillips and Rodney Sanders at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Mo., and he never trailed again.

Driving the No.99 Home Pride Motorsports MB Custom powered by Sput’s Racing Engines, the multi-time I.M.C.A. national and NASCAR regional champion from Malvern, Iowa, has traveled with his veteran crew chief, Mike Gocke, to every USMTS Casey’s Cup Series show this season.

In his 44 starts, Sobbing has recorded one win, 17 top-fives and 30 top-ten finishes while racking up more than $40,000 in earnings.

Throughout four regional points races, the team finished third in the final standings in two regions and fourth in the other two. Sobbing came into the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup as the points leader and currently rides in third behind Rodney Sanders and Jason Hughes.

At 33 years of age, Sobbing is not the oldest to win the USMTS Rookie of the Year Award. That distinction belongs to Scott Green who was 37 when he claimed the honor in 2007. Conversely, Trevor Hunt was the youngest recipient at 14 years of age when he won it in 2013.

In addition to cash in pocket, Sobbing’s Rookie of the Year title also comes with a new fuel cell from Fuel Safe and a new carburetor from Holley Performance, plus contingency awards from Beyea Custom Headers, FK Rod Ends, Genesis Racing Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, Nitroquest Media and more.

MAVTV’s hit show “Full Custom Garage” has been chosen by Cablefax as a finalist in the Reality Programming category in its Annual Program Awards, where Cablefax identifies some of the year’s top television programming.

Additional finalists in Full Custom Garage’s category include “Deadliest Catch,” “Million Dollar Listing,” “The Profit,” “Property Brothers,” “Wahlburgers,” “The First 48,” “Cesar 911″ and “Never Ever Do This At Home.”

The chosen category finalists represent the best programs, writers, producers, actors and showrunners across cable, broadcast and internet platforms. The finalists in this year’s prestigious program were chosen amongst a record-breaking number of entries.

“We are very pleased that Full Custom Garage has a found a home at MAVTV and is getting the recognition it deserves,” said Dan Teitscheid, MAVTV Vice President of Content & Marketing. “We are working hard to bring this style of quality show to our programming mix as we continue to expand the motorsports genre.”

Full Custom Garage, exclusive to MAVTV, takes the viewer inside the garage of expert car builder Ian Roussel as he builds one-of-a-kind vehicles, illustrating how with a little ingenuity, mixed with creativity, some mechanical ability, and the willingness to give it a try, anything is possible, even building custom cars in your garage.

MAVTV Motorsports Network is a television network with its roots deep in the automotive world. In addition to its automotive build shows like Full Custom Garage, Gearz and Chop Cut Rebuild, MAVTV also offers viewers prestigious racing events across all genres of motorsports, including drag boats, sprint boats, pro pulling, international rally racing, motorcycle road racing, dirt track racing, sprint cars and off-road.

MAVTV is currently available on providers including Verizon, DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter, Bright House, Cablevision, Suddenlink and Google Fiber.

Ferrari has ended the speculation surrounding the future of Kimi Raikkonen by confirming it has retained the Finn's services for the 2016 Formula 1 season.

A host of names have been linked with the seat over the past few months, notably Williams driver Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hulkenberg at Force India and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. But the Scuderia has decided to take up the option on Raikkonen's contract for next season and the 2007 world champion will again partner Sebastian Vettel.

Raikkonen has been outperformed by Vettel in the wake of the four-times title holder's arrival from Red Bull at the start of this season. Vettel has won two grands prix, in Malaysia and last time out in Hungary, as well as stepping on to the podium on five other occasions.

Raikkonen, however, has made numerous errors this year, mainly in qualifying, leading to the 35-year-old claiming a sole podium place by finishing second in Bahrain. At present Vettel has scored more than double the number of Raikkonen's points total, 160 to 76.

Team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, however, has long stated Raikkonen's future was in his own hands, and that provided he showed enough desire and performed to a high enough level. Raikkonen made clear only last month his desire to stay, while Vettel also spoke highly of his teammate.

With Ferrari and Raikkonen teaming up again for next season, it is the first major move in the driver market from which there will now likely be a knock-on effect. The most significant is that Bottas, tipped as Raikkonen's likely replacement, will be expected to remain with Williams for next year.

The 2015 Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo powered by General Tire brings all-things off-road to Fairplex, in Pomona on Saturday, October 3, through Sunday, October 4. This year’s expo will feature the hottest off-road vehicles, products and accessories, as well as Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing demos, Rubicon Trail off-road ride alongs, UTV test drives, radio control off-road vehicle demos, autograph signings, bikini contests and more. With more than 300 aftermarket performance vendors and more than 60,000 enthusiasts, Fairplex will burst with a 10-acre off-road party.
 
In addition to the line-up of customized trucks, Jeeps, UTVs, ATVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, sand rails and rock crawlers, the expo will come to life with exciting features and entertainment including:

• Rubicon Trail – Off-Road Vehicle Ride Alongs – Expo attendees will get a taste of the infamous Rubicon Trail, as Jeeps are pushed to the limit on a thrilling off-road course. Professional drivers will take interested off-road fans on ride alongs in Jeeps equipped with all the latest performance accessories from Pro Comp, Rubicon Express, G2 Axle & Gear and Smittybilt. The course will feature a 40-ft long rock barrier, steep incline/decline, high leaning curve and articulation moguls. Additionally, Pro Off-Road racer Jason Scherer will make a special appearance and take his new Ultra 4 buggy, dubbed “The Gavel” for a few hot laps on the Rubicon Trail.

• Radio Control Vehicle Demonstrations – Attendees of all ages are invited watch the professionals at Horizon Hobby test out the latest RC off road vehicles and rock crawlers at the MAV TV Proving Grounds.

• SHOW-N-SHINE - Hot 4x4s on display from Off-Road Expo fans. Is your daily driver truck, jeep or SUV worthy of being on display all weekend in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Show-N-Shine Corral? Watch www.Facebook.com/offroadexpo for ways you can register in September.

• DragonFire Racing Ride Alongs – Take a spin in the latest UTV products from DragonFire Racing with a professional driver.

▪ SCORE Baja 1000 Exhibit– This tribute to the SCORE Baja Legends will include displays of vintage and current desert racing vehicles, as well as a plethora of autograph sessions with past and present racing legends on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. SCORE will also host the live draw and unveiling of the official course map for the 48th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, on Saturday, October 3, at 3 p.m.

▪ Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing & Modified Kart demos at the MAV TV Proving Grounds – Title sponsor Lucas Oil returns with the high-powered, high-jumping race trucks from the Pro 4 Unlimited and Pro 2 Unlimited classes racing at the MAV TV Proving Grounds. Professional drivers will demonstrate the capabilities of these amazing 800-plus horsepower V8-powered machines, on a closed circuit course along with their high powered modified kart demos all weekend.

▪ Professional Off-Roader Racers and Celebrities –Racing legends will sign autographs and greet fans throughout the weekend. Visit www.OffRoadExpo.com for a full schedule of celebrity appearances.

▪ Off-Road Performance Marketplace – More than 300 off-road vendors will fill the expo with 10-acres of the latest in 4x4 aftermarket parts, accessories, services and the latest industry innovations.

▪ Miss Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo Bikini Contest – On Sunday, October 4, the Budweiser Stage will host beautiful bikini-clad women competing for a cash prize, tiara and “Miss Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo” title.

▪ Live Music on the Budweiser Stage – From rock to reggae, stop by the stage and rock out with live music all weekend long.
 
The 2015 Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo powered by General Tire will take place Saturday, October 3, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Fairplex, located at 1101 W. McKinley Avenue in Pomona, Calif. Advance discount tickets are available beginning in early September at O'Reilly Auto Parts for $13 adults and $6 children (ages 6-12). Kids 5 and under are free. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.OffRoadExpo.com or on-site for $15 adults, $6 children. A Family Four Pack is available for $28 and includes admission for two adults, and two children (available online only through Friday, October 2).
 
For more information, visit www.OffRoadExpo.com.

The Formula Acceleration 1 series that ran for old A1GP cars last year is the subject of an attempted revival as a Middle-East Trophy.



The Dutch ISRA organization is planning a three-round series to run over January and February 2016 on three of the region's premier circuits, selected from Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar.



Three half-hour-plus-one-lap races are planned for each round—with the third being run to a reversed-grid format—following 50 minutes of free practice and two 20-minute qualifying sessions.

None of the races will feature mandatory pitstops.

The Acceleration 1 cars will continue to be the Lola-Zytek B05/52 that formed the foundation of the inaugural—and only—running of the series in 2014.

Five double-header rounds were run, with Dutchman Nigel Melker claiming the title from ex-Formula 2 champion Mirko Bortolotti.

Plans for the series to merge with the similar Auto GP class in 2015 failed to come to fruition.

The ISRA states that "the FA1 Middle-East Trophy offers an ideal chance for professional teams and drivers to work together while waiting for their main 2016 campaigns to begin."

Sprint will return as sponsor of the National Motorsports Press Association’s Most Popular Driver award.

Details about the voting window will be announced September 6 at Darlington Raceway during the Southern 500 weekend.

This is the 63rd season for the award. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the award 12 consecutive years. There were 776,000 votes cast during last year’s 19-week voting window.

One team from each organization in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is slated to test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Wednesday, August 26.

Testing will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All drivers, days and times are subject to change.

Teams will be testing cars at Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation for competing at the Ford EcoBoost 400, where the Championship 4 drivers will battle for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship on Sunday, November 22.

Testing will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the infield Pit Road Cabanas, as well as from the chair-back seats in the Speedway Club on the fourth floor of the tower building.

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and WeatherTech jointly announced that the leader in automotive accessories and one of the industry’s most strategic marketers of its products will become the new entitlement partner of IMSA’s premier sports car series. As part of a multiyear agreement with IMSA, the series will be called the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship effective November 1, 2015.

The announcement was made to industry stakeholders as part of an IMSA “State of the Series” presentation in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. WeatherTech—based in Bolingbrook, Illinois—is best known for its DigitalFit FloorLiners and commitment to all-American manufacturing.

The company is owned by Founder and CEO David MacNeil, who has a longstanding passion for sports car racing and has raced professionally. His son, Cooper, currently races in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class, co-driving the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America with Leh Keen for Alex Job Racing.
 
“I have been involved in racing for over 30 years,” MacNeil said. “I’ve competed in IMSA with Alex Job, finishing on the Sebring podium in 1999. My son Cooper has been driving in the American Le Mans Series and TUDOR Championship for the past six years. We are thrilled to be a part of the next evolution of sports car racing with the influx of new FIA GT3 cars next season and the new prototypes coming in 2017. This is an exciting time for sports car racing in America and I hope to help broaden the appeal of this compelling sport.”
 
More than 100 print publications feature WeatherTech advertising each month alongside regular national television and radio advertisements. WeatherTech advertisements reinforcing the company’s “Made In America” message earned positive reviews during NFL Super Bowl telecasts in 2014 and 2015.
 
“WeatherTech is the perfect choice to serve as our new entitlement partner as we further expand the marketing activation and exposure of what now will be known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “David MacNeil’s enthusiasm and personal passion for our sport, along with his proven success at growing the WeatherTech brand through brilliant, high-quality manufacturing and aggressive product marketing, will pay dividends for all involved. This new partnership coupled with the introduction of many new global race car specifications to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship over the next two seasons gives us an extremely bright future in support of our overall IMSA plans.”
 
The first race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 30-31, 2016. The race also will be the first event to take place in the new Daytona International Speedway motorsports stadium after the completion of the DAYTONA Rising project—a $400 million renovation that will confirm Daytona International Speedway as the most advanced and fan-friendly motorsports venue in the world.
 
With the relaunch of the TUDOR brand in the United States behind them, the company no longer will serve as an entitlement sponsor but instead will transition to being the “Official Timepiece of IMSA” for the next 10 years, beginning in 2016.

IndyCar’s best race this side of the Indianapolis 500 will not be on the schedule in 2016.
 
Auto Club Speedway confirmed that the event it held the past four years will no longer be after the two sides could not come to terms on a date or finances.
 
IndyCar had hoped to move the Fontana, California, race to September, but that apparently did not sit well with track officials.
 
It’s worth noting IndyCar has not done the track any favors in recent years. After long staging the race in the fall, IndyCar moved it to August 30 last year and June 27 this year. Both are hot times of the year in the valley east of Los Angeles.
 
This year’s Fontana race was one of the best in memory, with 81 lead changes among 14 drivers. Graham Rahal won the hotly contested race.
 
If there’s a bright side, IndyCar and Phoenix International Raceway are closer than they’ve been in years to having the first series race there since 2005. IndyCar also has confirmed a return to the popular Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. That race will be June 26, 2016.

It’s only fitting that veteran public address announcer Jim Childers hails from Superman’s hometown of Metropolis, Illnois. He’s been the “Superman” behind the microphone at the Illinois State Fair and the DuQuoin State Fair for more than 30 years.

And as it will be much to the chagrin of thousands of State Fair fans across the country, Childers, after 36 consecutive seasons of roaming across the Midwestern countryside with a microphone, one of the premier motorsports announcers in the country, has decided to step back from the business.

Childers has announced every ARCA-sanctioned race at both the Illinois State Fairgrounds and DuQuoin State Fairgrounds ever since ARCA started sanctioning the events in 1983. This year’s SuperChevyStores.com- Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield and the Southern Illinois at DuQuoin mark his 33rd consecutive season of announcing both the ARCA and USAC championship races at both State Fair events.

The southern Illinois native made the difficult decision over the winter to step back from a career that began across the Ohio River in 1980.

“I owe a lot to many people, including the late Bill Oldani, Bob Sargent and Kenny Brown among them,” Childers said. “I really want to thank the fans, the racers and the people I’ve worked alongside during the last 36 years. They made it fun and kept me coming back year after year.”

A long time race fan, Childers secured the job as the announcer at Paducah International Raceway in 1980, a job that ultimately led him to the announcing position for the Midget Auto Racing Association (MARA) series in 1983. A chance meeting with the Director of Motorsports at the Illinois State Fair, the late Bill Oldani, opened the door for Childers to become the long time public address voice at both Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.

“It’s been a great ride, and it’s very hard to walk away. These last two events at Springfield and DuQuoin are going to so rough. I’m walking away from something I truly love.”

While Childers called midget action for MARA and the USAC and ARCA action at both fairgrounds, his resume continued to grow calling late model, modified and sprint car races at a variety of locations across the Midwest.

His career leaves virtually no stone unturned in announcing circles. He has announced races for NASCAR, USAC, the World of Outlaws, ARCA, UMP, ASCoC, ASCS, NDRA, Hav-A-Tampa, AIS, IRA and the Northern All Stars.