• St. Louis-based KhS Global and Margay Racing, with support from World Wide Technology Raceway and local contributors, are announcing a new initiative to broaden opportunities for top regional young racing drivers.

• Ignite Autosport will partner with Cape Motorsports and two of St. Louis’ rising racing talents, to compete in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, part of the Road to Indy, a driver development program that has helped create several Indy 500 winners and INDYCAR series champions.

ST. LOUIS, MO. (FEBRUARY 23, 2021) – It’s been more than 30 years since the St. Louis region has had a national champion in a major motorsports series – most recently Rusty Wallace in 1989. Now, a new local initiative will provide aspiring IndyCar drivers with a unique opportunity to turn their dreams into reality.

Ignite Autosport with Cape Motorsports is a new initiative led by KhS Global, the global leader in OEM automotive solutions, managed by Margay Racing, the leading U.S. manufacturer of racing karts and accessories, and with support from World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) and other St. Louis-area contributors. The program is designed to develop the best local talent, based on their driving ability, into motorsports champions, helping to remove the financial burden most drivers face when progressing from karting to higher levels of motorsports.

Two local drivers, Spike Kohlbecker from Kirkwood, Mo. and Evan Stamer from Glen Carbon, Ill., have been chosen for the inaugural Ignite Autosport team, representing the best rising racing talent in the region and beyond. Both were selected for their driving talent and ability to win races, and will participate in the USF2000 Series, a part of the Road to Indy, a driver development program that creates a path to reach the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500. Scott Blind, a St. Louis-based entrepreneur and motorsports fan, is the Ignite Autosport team owner.

“Evan and Spike are motorsports champions in the making, two exceptional local drivers who are primed to reach the upper levels of the sport,” said Keith Freber, Owner of Margay Racing and Ignite Autosport Team Manager. “Through the Ignite Autosport program and with the support of the St. Louis community, we want to create the next generation of motorsports champions. Our program is unique because our drivers do not have to bring their own funding to compete, enabling them to concentrate fully on honing their driving skills and winning races.”

Initial funding for the program has been provided by Scott Blind. With strong team leadership from Keith Freber and a terrific partnership with WWTR, as well as future support of other local contributors, this initiative will help grow the region’s talent and broaden opportunities for all young drivers. 

“Ignite Autosport represents the best of our local community – a true ‘St. Louis Made’ collaboration – bringing together our area’s great motorsports fans, racing talent, world-class racing facility, and the Ignite Karting program, to become a launching pad for IndyCar’s next champions,” said Curtis Francois, owner of WWTR. “Together with the St. Louis community, we are committed to growing this program and building a racing legacy for the region.”

Ignite Autosport is an extension of Margay Racing’s Ignite Karting program at WWTR’s Gateway Kartplex, providing racers of all ages the opportunity to have fun, compete, and develop their driving skills in karting. Both Kohlbecker and Stamer began their racing careers in Ignite Karting and credit the program with developing the skill and experience needed to rise to the next level of motorsports. The Ignite Karting program partners with leading sanctioning bodies and well-known motorsports venues across the country to offer affordable ‘spec’ kart racing opportunities, offering a fast and fair environment that puts an emphasis on driver development.

More information on Ignite Autosport can be found at www.igniteautosport.com, Facebook (@TeamIgniteAutosport), and Instagram and Twitter (@IgniteAutosport) and YouTube (Ignite Autosport).

About KhS Global

Based in St Louis MO, KhS Global is a world leader in automotive hail damage repair, “paintless dent removal” (PDR). In addition, KhS provides factory based technical solutions for auto manufacturers as well as a vast array of “in-transit” services to the new car logistics network. KhS is headquartered in St. Louis, MO with offices in Calgary, AB and Mexico City.

About Margay Racing

Based in Saint Louis, MO, Margay Racing is the most successful sprint kart manufacturer in the United States, supporting drivers in all divisions of karting and producing winning karts for countless local, regional, and national champions. Now in its 57th year, Margay is owned by third-generation family member, Keith Freber. More information on Margay can be found at www.margay.com.

About Cape Motorsports

Cape Motorsports campaigns cars in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. The team is the winningest operation in USF2000 history, having won nine of the last 10 Driver Championships and 13 titles in total, with drivers such as Matthew Brabham, Petri Suvanto, Scott Hargrove, Florian Latorre, Nico Jamin, Anthony Martin, Oliver Askew, Kyle Kirkwood, and Braden Eves. They have also won seven of the last eight USF2000 Team Championship titles.

The goal of Cape Motorsports is to provide unmatched driver development both on and off the track. It can be challenging for a young driver to enter a professional racing series and win, regardless of talent, and through coaching and mentoring, Cape Motorsports provides young drivers with the knowledge base and work ethic necessary to achieve success.

About World Wide Technology Raceway

World Wide Technology Raceway is the home of INDYCAR, NASCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 600 acres, WWTR is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. WWTR’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, recently-expanded 2.0-mile road course, a state-of-the-art karting facility, a 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-road venue and the Gateway Drive-In Theater at World Wide Technology Raceway (a drive-in entertainment venue able to accommodate 3,000 cars). WWTR acquired Gateway National Golf Links, adjacent to the speedway property, in 2019. WWTR was the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from the St. Louis Attractions Association. In 2018, owner and CEO Curtis Francois received the Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission in recognition of his work for restoring World Wide Technology Raceway (known then as Gateway Motorsports Park) to prominence. The 2021 season marks the 10^th year of Francois’ ownership of the facility.

32nd and 33rd Annual Induction Celebrations Presented by Firestone Come to M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan, as Part of American Speed Festival Week

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 23, 2021) — The first dual-celebration in the 33-year history of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) brings out an unprecedented gathering of motorsports legends, with both the postponed 2020 class and the newly selected 2021 class set for induction just days apart in a week-long celebration of motorsports in Pontiac, Mich., September 27-29.

The 32nd and 33rd annual MSHFA Induction Celebrations Presented by Firestone will be held in the brand-new Event Center at M1 Concourse in Michigan, an exclusive community of more than 250 secure private garages set along the 1.5-mile Champion Motor Speedway. The 2020 class will be inducted in a ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 27, while the 2021 class will officially join the MSHFA in a Wednesday, September 29 celebration that begins at 6 p.m. EDT. An epic Heroes of Horsepower event at The Henry Ford Museum takes place on the day between ceremonies.

“Because of COVID-19, we had to postpone the Class of 2020 induction originally scheduled for March 2020,” MSHFA President George Levy said. “So, we’re doing an induction ‘doubleheader’ this year honoring the Classes of 2020 and 2021 at M1 Concourse in Michigan in September.”

The MSHFA will return to its normal March induction schedule in Daytona Beach next year with the Class of 2022.

The MSHFA’s version of a Dual in Detroit, the two classes mean twice as many members of racing’s royalty will be descending on M1 Concourse during American Speed Festival Week. It will be one of the greatest concentrations of motorsports legends in one location in the history of the sport.

“All of us at M1 Concourse welcome the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and all the new Hall of Fame inductees to Michigan for these very special events,” Tim McGrane, CEO, M1 Concourse said. “We believe our new event center at M1 Concourse will be an ideal location for these induction ceremonies, and we can’t think of a more perfect way to launch the inaugural American Speed Festival than to welcome some of the greatest names in motorsport history to our facility.”

The MSHFA Class of 2020 includes NASCAR’s first-ever champion Robert “Red” Byron (Historic), flat-track impresario Chris Carr (Motorcycles), early motorcycle racer, promoter and publisher Floyd Clymer (At Large), driver, official and safety advocate Wally Dallenbach, Sr. (Open Wheel), Rick Hendrick, one of NASCAR’s most successful owners (Stock Cars), Daytona 500 champion Tiny Lund (Historic), Can-Am and Rolex 24 At Daytona champion Jacky Ickx (Sports Cars), quarter-mile racing legend “Ohio George” Montgomery (Drag Racing) and multi-time Baja 1000 and SCORE Champion Ivan “Ironman” Stewart (Off-Road).

The MSHFA Class of 2021 includes one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers Davey Allison (Stock Cars), three-time land speed record holder John Cobb (Historic), three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon Jr. (Drag Racing), Indy and NASCAR trailblazer Janet Guthrie (Open Wheel), 2006 MotoGP World Champion “Kentucky Kid” Nicky Hayden (Motorcycles), legendary Indy correspondent Robin Miller (Media), seven consecutive APBA Gold Cup winner Fran Muncey (Powerboats), multi-time USAC and NASCAR champion Ray Nichels (Historic) and world class timer/scorer Judy Stropus (Sports Cars).

Each of the MSHFA’s inductees is elected by a straight vote among 200 motorsports experts — half of them inductees themselves. Regular voters include Mario Andretti, Tom D’Eath, Chip Ganassi, Don Garlits, Hurley Haywood, Parnelli Jones, Scott Parker, Richard Petty, the Unsers, Don Prudhomme and other titans of the sport.

In between the two induction ceremonies on Monday, Sept. 27 (Class of 2020) and Wednesday, Sept. 29 (Class of 2021) will be a combined Heroes of Horsepower event for both classes at The Henry Ford, where in addition to plaque unveilings and a strolling dinner, guests will get an exclusive tour of the acclaimed new exhibit Driven to Win: Racing in America Presented by General Motors.

The event will be held at M1 Concourse as part of American Speed Festival week after five straight induction ceremonies in the MSHFA’s new home in Daytona Beach, Fla. The MSHFA moved to Daytona International Speedway (DIS) in 2016, from Novi, Mich. The Hall is housed in the Speedway’s Ticket and Tours Building located in front of the famed 2.5-mile DIS tri-oval. Induction ceremonies for the Class of 2022 will return to the MSHFA’s Daytona Beach home next March.

The week’s calendar also includes the annual Heritage Inductee Luncheon on Tuesday. The four Historic inductees, two from each class, will be ushered into the MSHFA as a featured highlight of the daytime celebration.

M1 Concourse is also the location later that week of the 1st Annual American Speed Festival, where Jim Hall (MSHFA class of 1994) is receiving the Speed Festival’s first Masters of Motorsports Award. More information on the American Speed Festival can be found at www.americanspeedfestival.com.

For more information and to order tickets, visit the MSHFA at www.mshf.com or contact George Levy at (248) 895-1704 or glevy@mshf.com.

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MotorsportsHOF/ and Instagram and Twitter at @MotorsportsHOF.

About the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America: The MSHFA is the only hall that honors all American motorsports: cars, motorcycles, airplanes, off road and powerboats. Its mission is to celebrate and instill the American motorsports values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and spirit of competition. Founded by Larry G. Ciancio and Ronald A. Watson, it held its first induction in 1989. Watson spent the next 30 years tirelessly building it into the nation’s premier such hall until his passing in 2019. The original museum in Novi, Mich., relocated to Daytona Beach, Fla., in 2016 and greets more than 100,000 guests a year. MSHFA is operated by the nonprofit Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation, Inc.

Sebring, FLORIDA – February 23, 2021 – The LTK Insulation Technologies Damon Racing driver Tom Sheehan put down some hard work this weekend in the Trans Am TA2 Class season opener at Sebring International Raceway. In an action packed race featured in the Sunshine State, Tom climbed from P12 to P4 at one point before a late excursion in heavy traffic after the final restart saw him finish in P8 from 26 starters. Chief of timing and scoring Bill Skibbe recorded Tom’s best lap time at 2:11:238, which was sixth best overall and bodes well for the year ahead while the 18 Championship points he secured got his season off to a solid start.

“It was a good day and we’ll take it,” said Tom, after an action packed race that saw a full-course caution waved on the third lap when Jim Gallagher spun in Turn 7.

“The first race at Sebring is usually a melee and today was not much different to that. We had a good start but it got rough real quick. We kind of blew the rear tires off ten laps in and gave up a couple of spots. I just had to manage the car from there on but the late caution really played into our hands as it gave us a chance to cool down the tires and brakes.”

The late drama came about after Connor Mosack had an off-course excursion in Bishop’s corner on Lap 24 of 27 laps, setting up the green-white-checker finish.

“After the last restart we drove it right up to fourth, and then got turned coming out of Turn 4 with everyone going for the same spot. We got back up to Keith [Prociuk], and then it kind of put us back to the start position.”

Tom finished in a healthy eighth place with a gain of four positions from his P12 start on the grid, “We’re off to Atlanta now. A lot of guys saw the No. 97 passing them but they’re going to have to get used to it, that’s all!”

A glitch with the transponder prevented accurate testing timings for the No. 97 LTK Insulation Technologies Damon Racing Ford Mustang but in official practice Tom clocked a rapid 2:09:935 and lowered the bar further to 2:09:260 in qualifying for P12 on the grid. #GoLTK

Next up for the TA2® competitors will be the Atlanta Speed Tour, March 26-28 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

For more information on LTK Insulation Technologies please visit the website online at https://ltkinsulationtechnologies.com/.

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Putting LTK insulation jackets & covers to work on your project saves your firm real money and time. The LTK Insulation products are so fast and easy. Installation is as fast as identification. Our carefully designed products line allows; fast, sure fit, 100% clean, no tool installation. Product designed for; balance valves, control valves, flex hoses, in line specialties, couplings, quick connects, unions, zone pumps. Your imagination is the only limit….GOLTK!

Eatonton, Ga. – (Feb. 23, 2021) – Young dirt late model racer Garrett Smith is set to embark upon a busy weekend of racing as he prepares to compete at two different tracks in two different race cars.

The Georgia native will start his weekend on Feb. 27 by competing at South Carolina’s Modoc Raceway, where he’ll battle some of dirt super late model racing’s top stars during the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series finale.

“We’ve been competitive every time we’ve gone super late model racing so far,” said Smith, who made his super late model debut with the series late last year. “There is going to be a lot of competition at Modoc and I can’t think of a better way to learn and get better than to go up against the best in the business.

“If we can go out there and be competitive, then we’ll have a shot to win at the end of the race. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Following the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series event at Modoc, Smith will shift gears and head south to Georgia’s Lavonia Speedway on Feb. 28 to compete during the Southeastern Late Model portion of the Georgia Spring Natty at the three-eighths-mile clay oval.

“You can never turn enough laps in these cars, so when we realized that Lavonia was running the night after the race at Modoc we decided to do two races in one weekend,” Smith said. “It’ll make for a long weekend and I probably won’t get a lot of sleep, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Learn more about Garrett Smith and follow his racing activities by liking his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Garrettsmithperformance or by following him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/garrett_smith10.

About McCallister Precision Marketing

McCallister Precision Marketing (MPM) focuses on assisting up-and-coming race car drivers with career advancement and promotion. McCallister Precision Marketing helps drivers build confidence in front of and behind the camera, giving them the tools they need to advance to the next level. The company also provides companies with a strategic plan for their sales, marketing and promotional needs. We believe in building positive relationships with our clients so that we may provide them with the most professional, yet personal guidance they need, in order to achieve their racing goals. Our clients include race car drivers, race team owners, companies and racing series’. We also work closely with charities and charity events. For more information on McCallister Precision Marketing, visit www.MarketWithMPM.com, email TonyaMac44@MarketWithMPM.com or call 803-361-6199.