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By John Bombatch
| Friday, December 16, 2011, 10:55 PM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Sloan Henderson of Franklin piloted team owner Brian Keselowski’s K-Automotive Motorsports car no. 29b to the eighth quickest lap out of 53 drivers, during Friday’s ARCA Racing Series, presented by Menard’s, open test at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
Henderson’s time and lap speed of 49.461 seconds, 181.962 mph was the fastest among the eight Dodges in the test.
Ryan Reed, the 2011 ARCA Series pole sitter at Daytona, topped the charts with a 48.857-second, 184.211-mph pass in his Venturini Motorsports Toyota.
Henderson was less than a tenth of a second off the time of 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year Joey Coulter’s fifth-quickest time. She was also more than a tenth quicker than seven-time ARCA Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart.
She was the fastest female for the session, outdistancing former Indycar driver Milka Duno, who was 20th quick. Alli Owens, a 2009 ARCA Series competitor, was 23rd quickest.
Of the five drivers entered to test for K-Automotive Motorsports, Henderson was easily the quickest after the first day of the weekend test. Fellow rookie Scott Edwards posted a 50.695-second, 177.532 mph time which was good for 39th quickest out of the 53-driver field.
Test drivers Andy Jones, Bobby Pelland and Bob Bryant did not run.
Testing resumes today (Saturday, Dec. 17th) from 9 a.m. to noon, and then from 1-5 p.m. You can follow the testing session’s live timing and scoring on ARCARacing.com.
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By John Bombatch
| Friday, December 16, 2011, 12:54 AM
Franklin race driver Sloan Henderson has been invited by K-Automotive Motorsports and team owner Brian Kesolowski to participate in an Open ARCA Test, today through Dec. 18 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Kesolowski’s team is entering the ARCA Series for the first time in 2012, and they hope to make their ARCA team a stage for the country’s top future auto racing stars to show their stuff.
Henderson, the 2010 NASCAR Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner, earned her ARCA Series license on her very first lap of an ARCA test last season. She served as a developmental driver for Coulter Motorsports and was an assistant coach along with former NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car racing legend Ernie Irvan on the CMT television series “Made” last season.
Henderson was invited to the test with fellow racing phenoms Sam Edwards (Cullman, Ala.), Andy Jones (Princeton, Minn.), Bobby Pelland (Cranston, R.I.) and Bob Bryant (Ocean Springs, Mich.).
The team is accepting sponsorship inquiries. Interested sponsors should contact: Jennifer Calandrillo, K-Automotive Motorsports, P.O. Box 1612, Huntersville, N.C. 28070 or send e-mail to: Jen@InfieldJen.com.
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By Greg Billing
| Friday, October 14, 2011, 02:14 PM
Courtesy of Eldora Speedway:
ROSSBURG, OH (Oct. 14) — Eldora Speedway track owner Tony Stewart announced today that Roger Slack has been named Promoter and General Manager at the famed one-half mile clay speed plant.
The transitional change reflect a restructuring of assets within the company, to allow Eldora Speedway staff members to become more efficient and specialized. The move indicates Stewart’s commitment of focusing upon the fan and driver experience at Eldora, with the goal of elevating the holistic entertainment value of the venue.
Stewart stated, “I am very excited to welcome Roger to the team at Eldora and look forward to watching him grow within his new role. I have been impressed with what he has been able to achieve in his previous positions and really feel that he will be a huge asset and help us achieve our forward goals.”
Slack steps into the position with great credentials. After growing up around racing at the renowned Cayuga Speedway Canada, owned by his grandparents, Slack aggressively moved forward in the racing fraternity. His steadfast allegiance and desire moved him into a myriad of high-profile roles along that journey.
Most recently the Executive Vice-President of Events for the World Racing Group, Slack spent 11 seasons at Charlotte Motor Speedway, beginning as an intern and eventually rising to Vice-President of Events. In that capacity he was responsible for the coordination and execution of NASCAR events on the 1.5-mile superspeedway, along with all events on the 4/10-mile state of the art clay oval. Following the wildly successful debut of the World of Outlaws World Finals in 2007, Slack was awarded the National Sprint Car Promoter of the Year, World of Outlaws Late Models Series Promoter of the Year and Humpy Wheeler Executive of the Year awards.
It is that wealth of knowledge and experience that has garnered Roger Slack’s respect in the industry from his peers and he is anxious to bring all of that education and passion to Eldora Speedway.
“It is an honor that Tony has asked me to join the Eldora family,” Slack said. “I am excited to begin building on his vision for the future, while maintaining the heritage and tradition of the world’s most famous short-track. The Eldora staff is second to none and I can not wait to start implementing all of our collective ideas and making the experience even more entertaining and fan friendly.”
Larry Kemp, who came on board with Stewart’s acquisition of Eldora Speedway from the legendary Earl Baltes in the fall of 2004, will remain on staff in a senior management role and work alongside Slack throughout the transition, with a focus on facility improvements, new business development and special projects. Kemp explained, “Tony has afforded me an amazing opportunity over the past seven years and I look forward to tackling new future challenges at Eldora. Roger is a peer in the industry, who I have had great respect for over the years, and am eager to begin working with this fall.” Slack will begin his new role in November.
Stewart further emphasized that it is “full steam ahead” for 2012 and beyond at the celebrated southwestern Ohio facility. “We’ve already confirmed and announced our major 2012 event dates, and the staff is working hard to assure a December 3, 2011 ticket sale date for those races.”
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By John Bombatch
| Monday, October 10, 2011, 08:51 PM
2012 INDIANAPOLIS 500 TICKETS GO ON SALE TUESDAY, OCT. 11
INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, Oct. 10, 2011 - Tickets for the 2012 Indianapolis 500 go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 11.
The 96th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is scheduled for Sunday, May 27, 2012.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $30, and fans have three ways to purchase tickets:
•Online: Visit the Tickets section of www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
•Phone: Call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area.
•In person: Visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street.
Online orders can be made at any time. Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale.
Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
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By John Bombatch
| Thursday, September 22, 2011, 07:53 PM
(I figured I’d post this, in case some area NASCAR fans might happen to be in the Huntersville-Mooresville, N.C. area in October. If you go, take pics and let me know how it went! — John Bombatch, jbombatch@coxohio.com)
2011 Joe Gibbs Racing Fall FanFest Scheduled for October 14
Busch, Hamlin, Logano and Others to be Available for Autographs
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (September 22, 2011)- Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Fall FanFest will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its team headquarters in Huntersville on Friday, Oct. 14. JGR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers-Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano- are scheduled to sign autographs from 10 a.m. to Noon. JGR NASCAR Nationwide and development series drivers will also be available for autographs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
JGR Fall FanFest promises to provide entertainment and fun for every race fan. The event will include the Home Depot Kids Workshop, a raffle with various autographed memorabilia as well as baskets stuffed with NASCAR-related items, live music provided by Ocean Boulevard Band from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., BMX demonstrations, and a magician to entertain children of all ages. Tours of the race shop floor will be available every thirty minutes; starting at 9 a.m. and will run until 12 p.m. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase.
In order to receive an autograph from Busch, Hamlin and Logano, you must be one of the first 500 people to receive a wristband. Each wristband is good for one autograph from each of the three Cup drivers. The Cup drivers are scheduled to sign autographs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and wristbands will be distributed starting at 9 a.m. No overnight parking will be allowed on JGR property, neighboring businesses or in the business park.
Funds raised from JGR Fall FanFest will be donated to the Mooresville Soup Kitchen (MSK). The MSK serves lunch to those who need food and fellowship, five days a week and on Saturdays during the winter months. MSK is a non-denominational, Christian organization whose mission is to provide nourishing meals, fellowship and encouragement to those in need. Since 1987, MSK has faithfully carried out this mission through the generous support of the community. The Soup Kitchen serves more than 20,000 meals annually.
In addition to supporting the Mooresville Soup Kitchen, fans are encouraged to drop off canned food items at marked locations during the event.
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By John Bombatch
| Monday, September 19, 2011, 06:50 PM
Where: Moler Raceway Park, Williamsburg, Ohio
When: Friday September, 30th
3rd Annual Racers Feeding Families Food Drive
Hot Laps start at 7:00 pm
Bring a canned food item to donate and receive a raffle ticket to win one of many prizes. Race Tickets, Indoor Karting Passes and Membership, T-shirts, Hats, Gift Cards and more will be raffled off.
Thanks to our sponsors Full Throttle Indoor Karting, Goodsleeve screen printing company, Derrick Davis Racing,Cincinnatimodifiedchampionship.com, Rislone racing products, Crosspointe Baptist Church and of course Moler Raceway Park.
Please spread the word.
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By John Bombatch
| Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 01:59 PM
(Courtesy of Kil-Kare Speedway)
USAC Midgets visiting Kil-Kare on Friday
XENIA — With the many early season rain-outs, Kil-Kare Speedway has changed the program that was originally scheduled as Open Wheel Friday for this week.
The weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series late models, modifieds, sport stocks, and compacts will be running their regular program in an attempt to catch up on the early season lost events.
The open-wheel fans have not been forgotten as the USAC (United States Auto Club) Ford Focus and Focus Young Guns will be added to the program making for a full night of activity.
When the Ford Focus Midgets appeared last year, Scotty Hunter set a new track record of 13.458 seconds. However when the checker fell on the feature, it was the grandson of the well-known Ralph Ligouri, Joe Ligouri taking the win with Hunter fourth.
Nineteen midgets were on hand last year with a similar number expected Friday night.
Gates open at 6 p.m. and racing at 8 p.m.
Visit www.kilkare.com for current information or contact the track at (937) 429-2961.
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By Greg Billing
| Monday, July 11, 2011, 11:32 PM
An interesting read from Roger Curtis, president of Michigan International Speedway:
The fan experience should be Priority No. 1
By Roger Curtis, president, Michigan International Speedway
What should have been a shining moment for the sport of NASCAR and all the racetracks, especially those in the Midwest, has sadly, potentially, put all of us back several steps - maybe even years.
A sellout NASCAR race at Kentucky Speedway should have signaled the continuation of great things for race fans in the Midwest and for our sport.
Unfortunately Saturday’ night’s events became an exercise in blame and unpreparedness - and race fans, corporate partners, media and drivers were caught in the middle.
As a track promoter I am saddened and embarrassed about what happened this weekend. To think all the hard work that we’ve done here at Michigan International Speedway and other tracks have done could be so quickly erased by Saturday’s events. That speedway, having been open for racing since 2000, should have known the challenges it would face when it tripled in size.
Just to be clear: This isn’t about kicking a race track when it’s down. We all make mistakes and MIS has certainly had past issues with traffic.
And it isn’t about trying to sway a Kentucky Speedway ticketholder to come to Michigan - though we will be happy to treat them the way they should be treated should they want to give us a chance.
It’s about apologizing and doing what’s right when you are clearly in the wrong. It is about having your priorities right in the first place - on the fan experience.
That’s why I’m upset.
It is bad enough the racetrack went into the weekend knowing traffic was going to be worse than they had previously had with other series. But to think Bruton Smith made light of it with the media, and then pointed the finger at the State of Kentucky when posed with traffic questions is unfathomable.
We work tirelessly with our legislators and local officials to ensure traffic moves efficiently and safely. We collaborate with local communities, our state, public safety officials and first-responders to ensure an event at Michigan International Speedway is a true public-private partnership; and not a business threatening to hold its region hostage to meet our demands.
It appears the mentality at some other racetracks today is to see how much money they can make off a fan. Their line of thinking is to ban coolers, have fire sales on last-minute tickets, build, build, build without thinking, thinking, thinking, and blame others for their mistakes.
Don’t get me wrong: We are not perfect. But we listen to our fans, we recognize our shortcomings and we try to overcome them so race fans don’t feel the burden. Most importantly, we learn from them so those mistakes don’t happen again.
Michigan International Speedway is sincere when we say we want to do things for our fans to grow our business. That’s why we lowered ticket prices for all our loyal fans, why we launched a Fan Appreciation program, why we have a Fan Advisory Board, why we allow larger coolers in the grandstands, why parking is always free and plenty, why we have invested more than $60 million in our facility the past four years, why we continue to work with the State of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Michigan State Police to manage race-day traffic and why we have real race fans give a Fans’ Trophy to the winning driver in Victory Lane.
We try really hard to educate our fans on traffic and our facility, have a system of feedback and information sharing with all our guests, and we listen to our guests about changes we need to make to grow our business. Fans are our bottom line.
On behalf of the MIS staff, I apologize to all the race fans whose expectations were not met this weekend, but also to those who read all the stories and were taken back by the treatment other people received.
That is not how we do business at our racetrack - and it’s certainly not indicative of how every track operates. I hope fans recognize this and realize the vast majority in this great sport (not just tracks, but NASCAR officials, drivers and owners, as well) are working hard for the fans and do have their priorities right.
We do not take our guests for granted and we pledge to do everything we can every day to make your experience at MIS the best it can be.
We won’t undercut our loyal customers with a knee-jerk ticket offer to make up for what happened on Saturday. But we will match what our loyal customers received by offering any race fan who has not had their expectations met at any racetrack with our lowest ticket price of the season for seats in Turns 1 and 3. Send us your race ticket and you can purchase a reserved ticket for $45 for the August 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
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By Greg Billing
| Sunday, July 10, 2011, 10:21 PM
SPARTA, Ky. — About 3½ hours before Kentucky Speedway hosted its inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup race, track owner Bruton Smith arrived in the infield donning a black cap that proclaimed SECURITY in bright yellow letters.
Perhaps it was to keep the sun off his head. Or maybe to keep the heat off it.
Smith, with traffic snarled outside the speedway and backed up on all access roads for — according to some reports — nearly 20 miles, joked he wore the security cap to sneak into the speedway.
There wasn’t much that could overshadow one of the largest sporting events in the commonwealth’s history, especially after a 12-year wait, but the traffic threatened to cloud its success.
It even claimed Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin for a while. He posted on Twitter: “Good news bad news/ bad news is I’m prolly not gonna make the drivers meeting in 3 hrs because I’m in this traffic with everyone else … Good news, I’m starting in the back anyway.”
Hamlin made it in time for the Quaker State 400, scheduled to start at 7:49 p.m.
Others, though, weren’t as fortunate.
And those who did make it in to watch the Sprint Cup race still had that long drive home, this time as everyone left at once.
Smith blamed the traffic woes on the lack of additional lanes on Interstate 71 on Friday and again during an at-track appearance on WLW-AM (700) on Saturday.
“That is the worst interstate highway I have ever seen in my life. Don’t you think it’s a disgrace?” Smith said, adding he’ll do his best to convince the state’s lawmakers to expand I-71.
“We’d like to have six lanes, but we’ll take 5½. We’ll compromise. But that is really a disgrace to the great state of Kentucky to have such a lousy piece of interstate.”
If anyone can get it done, Smith can. After purchasing Kentucky Speedway in 2008, the on-again, off-again member of Forbes’ billionaire list spent more than $100 million upgrading Kentucky Speedway. There was little, though, he could do about I-71.
“It’s going to be a problem. We expect everybody to be home by Tuesday,” Smith deadpanned. “This Interstate 71, you don’t want to ever be on it. That is the worst stretch of interstate in the country. … We’re working on getting something done about Interstate 71.”
It’ll come too late for many fans Saturday. The only traffic moving fast around the speedway were Twitter and Facebook feeds. Some said they gave up and turned around or went back to their hotel rooms even after nine hours on the road.
Other reports said fans were still sitting outside the track at 8:30 p.m., nearly 40 minutes after the race started.
Construction was halted during Kentucky’s race weekend and Kentucky State Police warned travelers to plan ahead and to even stay off I-71 if possible.
“We’ve had an overwhelming response to our inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400,” Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger said in a statement. “We know we had challenges related to traffic. We’re already planning improvements and looking forward to a much better situation for next year’s event.”
Simendinger said previously the track worked for more than six months to come up with its traffic plan.
“I hope race fans are as forgiving as they are because we’re doing our best,” Smith said. “At least I told the truth.”
On Saturday, the truth hurt.
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By Greg Billing
| Sunday, July 10, 2011, 10:21 PM
SPARTA, Ky. — About 3½ hours before Kentucky Speedway hosted its inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup race, track owner Bruton Smith arrived in the infield donning a black cap that proclaimed SECURITY in bright yellow letters.
Perhaps it was to keep the sun off his head. Or maybe to keep the heat off it.
Smith, with traffic snarled outside the speedway and backed up on all access roads for — according to some reports — nearly 20 miles, joked he wore the security cap to sneak into the speedway.
There wasn’t much that could overshadow one of the largest sporting events in the commonwealth’s history, especially after a 12-year wait, but the traffic threatened to cloud its success.
It even claimed Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin for a while. He posted on Twitter: “Good news bad news/ bad news is I’m prolly not gonna make the drivers meeting in 3 hrs because I’m in this traffic with everyone else … Good news, I’m starting in the back anyway.”
Hamlin made it in time for the Quaker State 400, scheduled to start at 7:49 p.m.
Others, though, weren’t as fortunate.
And those who did make it in to watch the Sprint Cup race still had that long drive home, this time as everyone left at once.
Smith blamed the traffic woes on the lack of additional lanes on Interstate 71 on Friday and again during an at-track appearance on WLW-AM (700) on Saturday.
“That is the worst interstate highway I have ever seen in my life. Don’t you think it’s a disgrace?” Smith said, adding he’ll do his best to convince the state’s lawmakers to expand I-71.
“We’d like to have six lanes, but we’ll take 5½. We’ll compromise. But that is really a disgrace to the great state of Kentucky to have such a lousy piece of interstate.”
If anyone can get it done, Smith can. After purchasing Kentucky Speedway in 2008, the on-again, off-again member of Forbes’ billionaire list spent more than $100 million upgrading Kentucky Speedway. There was little, though, he could do about I-71.
“It’s going to be a problem. We expect everybody to be home by Tuesday,” Smith deadpanned. “This Interstate 71, you don’t want to ever be on it. That is the worst stretch of interstate in the country. … We’re working on getting something done about Interstate 71.”
It’ll come too late for many fans Saturday. The only traffic moving fast around the speedway were Twitter and Facebook feeds. Some said they gave up and turned around or went back to their hotel rooms even after nine hours on the road.
Other reports said fans were still sitting outside the track at 8:30 p.m., nearly 40 minutes after the race started.
Construction was halted during Kentucky’s race weekend and Kentucky State Police warned travelers to plan ahead and to even stay off I-71 if possible.
“We’ve had an overwhelming response to our inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400,” Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger said in a statement. “We know we had challenges related to traffic. We’re already planning improvements and looking forward to a much better situation for next year’s event.”
Simendinger said previously the track worked for more than six months to come up with its traffic plan.
“I hope race fans are as forgiving as they are because we’re doing our best,” Smith said. “At least I told the truth.”
On Saturday, the truth hurt.
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This press release is not correct. All of our drivers ran in the test and please change the name of