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The World’s Longest Motor Racing Event

By
SM Staff
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For those of you who thought racing was done for the season, guess what, it’s still going. Out in Willows, California, the race known as The World’s Longest Motor Racing Event is running right now.

Meet Dave Smith. Smith is a regional racer in Northern California. His home track is Infineon Raceway where he is an instructor at the Jim Russell Racing School located on the outside of turn one.

[media-credit name=”GF500″ align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]“It was a little sketchy out there on racing slicks and not on rain tires. And certainly when it was starting to rain hard on the back section of the track.

“We managed to skate by and get it up front, we’re pretty happy.” This information came to us after Dave qualified his Ford GT Xtreme third for the “25 hours Of Thunderhill,” held this weekend in Willows, CA.

Smith will be the initial driver of the Team Copa Genoa Racing Ford. Powered by Red Line Oil and Primary Sponsor Copa Cachaca with assistance from Hyperfocus Motorsports, Muscle Milk, Go Pro Cameras, 15th street fitness along with Freightliner and Sport RV

Smith has run the Thunderhill race for the past four years. His experience at the track will be essential as many variables from dry, wet and even snow conditions could be prevalent at the track. This year, rains have set in and will provide a heavy challenge for even the most experienced driver like Smith.

“It makes for difficult track conditions and many people are losing a lot of grip out there. (The Race) has mainly amateur drivers on track but is picking up an interest with pro racers.”

“The amateurs have a learning curve out here with guys flying off and back onto the track which brings road debris back onto the track, making it difficult to drive on and the visibility is poor.”

Joining Smith will be Jared Thompson, also from the Russell Racing School who also is an up and coming drifter (Formula Drift Racing). The added talents of Martin Hansen the young 21 year old Swedish Road Racing sensation who has a background of racing American Muscle Cars back in his home country and has developed a true passion in the states where many in his country are following his efforts here.

The three are joined by amateur race car driver and owner Steve Tarpley along with Jason Montgomery VP of Copa, who Smith teaches both at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. Tarpley and Montgomery started road course driving in personal vehicles on track, where both migrated into full race prepared machines.

Tarpley developed a street legal Ford GT based on the 2005 model into a purpose built race machine specifically for the Thunderhill race. The power plant is a 5.4 Liter Supercharged V8 engine that has 700 horsepower under the hood.

Add into the fact that Smith and his co-drivers will be racing in a field of 60 other cars in three classes on the track. It gets congested out there where your windshield gets very, very dirty and difficult to see the car in front of you.

Smith commented that the differences between the Pro and Amateur drivers bring a wide variance of lap times which can bring challenges to even the most experienced racer.

“Most of the pros are driving high end (Mazda)MX-5 Cup Miata’s or Porsche Cup Cars and their not used to driving with amateur guys out there so their patience wears thin. Their frustration goes up with the amateur mistakes on track where the pro drivers are not used to seeing those errors anymore, making it difficult for them.”

“With the amateur drivers, they can be easily intimidated by the Pro drivers coming up on them where they make mistakes where they can take their eyes off of the road.

There are so many challenges out there. It’s one of those races that anything can happen.”

Thunderhill is a three mile fifteen turn road course with numerous elevation changes. The track can be a challenge for the drivers. One section of the track is named “The Cyclone.” This part of the track has a steep elevation change with two sharp corners. The race uses a lower section of The Cyclone which offers its own challenges.

“The lower road is called the bypass which has a blind corner going up over a hill which (the drivers) call it “The Jump.” “When you jump over it, it has an off-camber landing to it.”

“You never know who’s spun out on the other side. A lot of people make the mistake as they go up and over that portion of the track.”

The other challenge for the drivers will be near the end of the circuit where turns 11 through 13 are a sharp left followed by a quick right and left esses corners. You have to be on the throttle and shifting at the same time. “You can unbalance the car easily, if you make the wrong up shift. A lot of people make mistakes there,” said Smith.

With the race being 25 hours, not only the weather brings challenges, but the lack of lighting on the track will bring its own challenges. “When it gets dark on the track every corner can be a challenge.

“Every straightaway can be a challenge because there’s so many cars on the track you are trying to decide if you want to thread the needle past a few cars that are slower hoping that they see you and they don’t move over and take you out.

One wrong move can take a team out for the race that has a huge investment. The Thunderhill race is a non-paying race that teams from many countries come out to get ready for the 24 hours of Daytona. Sometimes the budgets for teams at Thunderhill can equal the Daytona race.

Smith commented that, “Tarpley’s passion for Ford and the respect he has for Ford Motor Company and the GT, bringing that car back after the history it has had.” Smith added, “The GT has had a history overseas as well.” The GT has won 4 24 hours of LeMans events in the 60’s.

“Steve (Tarpley) is a promising amateur driver and he’s just happy to be out there with some pro guys with representing Ford with his efforts.” Tarpley hopes that the efforts will bring an ongoing partnership driving the GT.

In a separate interview Tarpley stated, “My love of the Ford GT and the respect for the company that built such an iconic car, coupled with the legacy of the original Ford GT40 and its race heritage motivated me to have a car that could compete in the longest road race in North America.”

With an endurance race such as the 25 hours at Thunderhill the setup of the car is essential, even with tires that are used. “We will be using Hoosier and Dunlap tires during the event. The Dunlaps prove to be long lasting. We will be able to get a lot of miles out of that.

“The Hoosiers seem to stick better.” Smith informed us that if the driver were to be in the car over the duration that included stops and no driver change, they would use the Dunlaps for over all racing. If there were to be a driver change, the Hoosier’s would be placed on the car to gain the time lost on pit road.

“The Crew Chief is John Rock who was an integral part of the build of this car. Jon has a long time history in IndyCar and Indy Lights as a crew chief and fabricator.”

“With John’s skill set, he has been able to keep us confortable in the car. We literally built the car to withstand endurance racing.”

The team has adjusted the car to use third and fourth gear during the race to lessen the usage on the transmission. The team also has set the engine to use less horsepower to increase the fuel mileage for the long run.

“We have a really good shot at winning this race. As long as we can be mistake free in the pits and the drivers being mistake free we have a good chance of being on the podium.”

Rock hails from Genoa Racing. The team manager is Ed Nelson who has many years of experience from several 24 hours of Daytona and LeMans events. “It’s those two guys who oversaw the build of the car.”

Smith adds his thanks to Robertson Racing with the assistance with the GT build. The team has assembled a variety of talent for pit road duties to assist in the capture of the podium. “You can see the professionalism the team has shown out here,” Smith informs us.

Here is a fact that may surprise many readers, the race, billed as the longest endurance motor event in the world, does not award any prize money. When asked what was the key attraction without a purse, Smith responded, “The adverse conditions in Willows, California, overcoming the weather it makes for a very big challenge and for us personally we want to accomplish this race and make this car last before we move further into the top professional level.”

Smith and the team has the goal of Daytona in 2011 or 2012. The race at Thunderhill is the preparation for that race as well as seat time for the amateur drivers. The race assists teams to get ready for the next season.

“To have success at Thunderhill our partners, our sponsors, our team owner would be a big boost in wanting to go to the top level in bringing this effort to Daytona, even LeMans. This is just some of the reasons to come here, as it is for many teams.”

When asked about his biggest threat at the race Smith said that Mercer Motorsports (Who landed the pole for the race today) was the big challenge with the collaborative efforts with Flying Lizard Motorsports who are top level Grand-Am and ALMS teams and drivers who are fielding a Porsche GT3 Cup car.

“It’s really Porsche versus the Ford GT. If everything goes right on both sides, it will be a battle to the end.” Smith tells us. Last year’s event, Mercer grabbed the win.

Mercer will be the challenge for Smith and his co-drivers in today’s race. “They (Mercer) have been racing the entire 2010 Grand-Am and ALMS season. They are very, very proficient in everything they do.

“We have put together a team that has not been running the entire season, but a lot of experienced guys are here for us and we feel that we can give them a run for their money.”

Smith will be starting the race and if it a close race with Mercer, he will be the anchor for the end of the event. If the team is well ahead of Mercer, or Mercer has issues, Tarpley will close out the team’s race.

SUN, Dec 5th – UPDATE AS OF 7am PST – Dave and Team Copa are running as the overall leaders and Team Mercer is down 11 laps. We will give a wrap up from Dave tonight.

SpeedwayMedia will be keeping an eye on the team and provide you updates of Smith and the team. If things work out, Smith will be a regular contributor to SpeedwayMedia for the 2011 season with his racing stories and experiences.

NASCAR’s Final Chapter of 2010: Horseshoes, Hand Grenades and Hope

By
SM Staff
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The Daytona 500 may still be months away, but fans, media and the drivers themselves are already gearing up for the 2011 season.  After the wild ride that we took in 2010, how could next year possibly compare?

For the first time in since the introduction of the Chase in 2004, where only 18 points separated points leader Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson heading into Homestead, have we seen such a close battle for the Sprint Cup. Another first was seeing someone other than Jimmie Johnson sitting in the No. 1 position after race 35, a position that Johnson had majestically held since 2006.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Denny Hamlin gave us hope. Hope that the winning streak the No. 48 team so gleefully basked in four times prior would be broken. Hope that maybe the Chase was not the flawed monster that conspiracy theorists declaimed. Hope that for once in a great while fans would watch every lap of the Ford 400 without changing the channel in disgust, because a champion had been crowned long before the final lap was run.

Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

Hamlin may not have been able to steal the golden crown from Johnson, but he did give him a hell of a fight. The trophy was Hamlin’s to lose and Johnson stole it away with calculated perfection and luck.

After a rear axle problem took Johnson out of the Daytona 500 on lap 185, we delighted in the notion that maybe the 48 crew’s cream would not rise to the top in 2010.

Chad Knaus proved us wrong by whipping up a brand new batch of vanilla confection and boldly serving it atop a plate of crow, after the 48 team posted a first place finish, just one week later in California.

On February 21, during a post-race press conference in Fontana, fans may recall a certain scorned second placed finisher, hailing Johnson and his crew for their serendipitous win.

As luck would have it, Johnson pitted right before Brad Keselowski spun out on lap 230 and was able to restart in the first position with just 20 laps to go, all but forcing the other leaders to pit under caution. Despite a rear bumper full of Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 machine, Johnson maintained his position until the checkered flag waved.

Once again a strange twist of NASCAR fate worked in favor of the No. 48 team, but how?

Kevin Harvick had his own theories stating in his post-race interview, “They did a good job today in winning the race, but they have a golden horseshoe stuck up their ass. I mean, there’s no way to get around that.”

Hmmm…so that’s where he’s been hiding that good fortune for the last five years, knowing all along it was the one place that NASCAR would never inspect. Reminds me of the story told by Captain Koons to a young boy named Butch in the movie Pulp Fiction regarding the child’s birthright, his great-grandfather’s watch.

“He hid it (the watch) in the one place he knew he could hide something. His ass. Five long years, he wore this watch up his ass. And then he died of dysentery, he gave me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable hunk of metal up my ass for two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you.”

Jeez, what does this mean? If Jimmie dies from dysentery will Chad Knaus have to hide that golden horseshoe up his own ass until the next champion comes along?

Hey, I’m not knocking the guy, I’m just saying that it might be easier to just carry a rabbit’s foot, but to each is own. 34 races later,  The golden horseshoe proved lucky for Johnson in Homestead, just when he needed it most. In the end, the luck o’ the 48  propelled him from a 15 point deficit to a 38 point lead over Hamlin and the “Drive for Five” was in the books.

But what if?

What if Harvick hadn’t launched his No. 29 Chevrolet like a loose hand grenade into Kyle Busch’s bumper on lap 242?

I know that Harvick hoped to capture the title in the end and in turn raced hard to gain points on Hamlin and Johnson after battling back from a speeding penalty on pit road at lap 188. I know he had his own frustrations with Busch on the track stating,“He raced me like a clown all day – three-wide, on the back bumper, running into me, and I just had enough. The last time I just didn’t lift”

If he hadn’t wrecked Busch, the caution flag would not have flown with 25 laps to go. Hamlin would not have gone a lap down, leaving him in a position to restart the final leg of the race at the tail end of the lead lap in the 20th position; conclusively dashing any chance of winning the championship.

Hamlin knew it was the perfect storm of mayhem that the 48 team needed to grab hold of the reigns and steer it home.

“I thought it was over when the 18 (of Kyle Busch) wrecked, for sure – that trapped us a lap down,” Hamlin said. “The 29 (of Harvick) and the 48 (of Johnson) were actually just a straightaway ahead, but the way it timed out to when that caution fell, it trapped us a lap down, and so they stayed out and the cars at the back all came and got tires, so it separated us.

“What was a straightaway turned into 15 spots when that caution flew, and that really hurt us quite a bit. But we were lucky to be in that position – our car was banged up bad and we just could not overcome that.”

Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said he wasn’t happy with the Harvick-Busch incident, saying it impacted the Chase by putting Hamlin a lap down.

“We got wrecked by the 29 [of Harvick], so that was really frustrating – it caused Denny to go a lap down,” Gibbs said. “That was disappointing.”

What if Hamlin had not damaged his splitter after spinning out on lap 24, was he doomed from the start?

What if Johnson’s engine had given up the ghost on lap 200 instead of teammate Jeff Gordon’s?

What if anyone, anyone, other than Johnson had won the championship this year, would we fans be happy with what we could have gotten in the end?

Life continuously leaves us wondering “what if” and as we reflect on all of the different scenarios, we often kick ourselves over the “shoulda, whoulda, couldas,” but never can we go back and change the outcome.

There is always next year, right? Yes there is! A new year filled with anticipations of what the 2011 Sprint Cup season will hold. Sure, some say that they’ll never watch another NASCAR race since it is so “obviously rigged” in Johnson’s favor, but I don’t believe you. You’ll find yourself flipping through the channels on February 20 and pause “for just a moment” to watch the green flag drop. Before you know it, you’re hooked all over again.

While Jimmie Johnson does not top my list of favorite drivers, I do have respect and a clear understanding of his accomplishments. We witnessed something on November 21 that we will probably never see again. It was an amazing piece of history in the making and as a NASCAR fan, it is something that I am proud to have been a part of.

The 2011 season will no doubt bring lots of hope and hype. I, along with millions of fans around the world will be there once again for the ride of our lives. So, NASCAR show me what you’ve got! Jimmie Johnson may be your “ace in the hole” for now, but I’m pretty sure we ain’t seen nothing yet.

The Story of Ron Malec, Car Chief for Championship Team No. 48

By
SM Staff
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When it comes down to a championship team, most people focus on the driver. Then there are some who focus on the crew chief and car owner, yet how many care to look at the car chief?

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]Meet Franklin, Wis. native Ron Malec, car chief for the five-time consecutive championship No. 48 team, driven by Jimmie Johnson.

Malec has known worked with Johnson the longest amongst anybody on the team. While some have joined recently and while some have been with Johnson since the formation of the group in 2002, Malec goes further back than that.

The two met before Johnson even headed to NASCAR on Johnson’s off-road racing days on the SCORE circuit. Malec had a background in racing as grew up racing go-karts (including two championships), sportsman cars and late models in the Midwest.

Their friendship grew through sharing an apartment in Pewaukee, Wis. and Malec began working on Johnson’s American Speed Association (ASA) cars in 1998.

“Getting my first job on that ASA team with Jimmie in 1998 and being able to work on a professional race team,” Malec told HendrickMotorsports.com in speaking of his favorite racing memory. “It’s such a big accomplishment in my life because I really didn’t have a set path prior to that. Then I kind of set my path and started my career in professional motorsports.”

They grew close during those days, teasing each other for their simple tastes in food. When money was tight and they went to Sam’s Club to stock up on food, Johnson would buy Hamburger Helper in bulk while Malec would purchase a five-gallon bucket of white rice, plus salt and Frosted Flakes.

When it came time for Johnson to make the jump to Hendrick Motorsports, Malec would go join him, becoming the team’s rear-tire carrier.

These days, Malec joins Chad Knaus a top the pit box, helping in running the team.

“There are times when I definitely miss it and there are times when I don’t,” he said. “The times when you make a difference in the race, yeah. But I feel like I’m still a part of it. There are days when you wish you were a part of it, but then there are the days when your back is hurting when you get to the race.”

The role of the car chief involves a lot of week as it’s the car chief’s responsibility to make sure the car is ready for the weekend.

“There is a lot of preparation that goes on with the car before you get to the track,” Malec told ESPN. “On Tuesday and Wednesday, you’re loading up the truck and on Friday, it’s the longest day of the weekend. You go through technical inspection. That’s the most work that goes on. During the race, I’m more of a middle man. More hands on work during the week.”

The role of the car chief basically boils down to making “sure that the car is prepared well and that it’s right mechanically. That it’s set up well. Nothing comes loose or breaks. That’s my concern pretty much the entire weekend.”

During the race, Malec is a busy guy, communicating with the entire team.

“I’m in communication with the crew chief and the pit crew,” Malec said. “I choreograph what Chad wants to do during the race and I coordinate with the pit coach and the guys who go over the wall.”

One of the key aspects of Malec’s job is to make sure the adjustments crew chief Chad Knaus and Johnson request get done.

“I’m pretty much a guy that’s pretty hands on with the crew,” Malec said. “I understand the pit stop procedure, because I did it for so long. I can interact with them right away and make a decision with them to make an adjustment that Chad is asking for. I’m pretty much hands on with them for 100% of the race.”

Sometimes, at times, Malec also has a big role in the adjustments made.

“Chad makes most of the suggestions during the race,” he said. “If we need to make an adjustment on the race car and it will affect something mechanically, I’ll say something to Jimmie. I will give some advice if he asks me for it. I try to leave that up to Greg, the engineer. If it doesn’t affect the car mechanically, I don’t get involved.”

Malec has been a car chief for seven years and says his favourite aspect of racing is the competition.

“I think it’s the competition level,” Malec said. “It’s the drive to win every week. Obviously, to maintain the level we’re at right now is a lot of effort. I love the challenge to maintain the top of where we are. It’s a level of competitiveness that’s hard to reach. It’s what we have to do and expected of us, working at Hendricks.”

There was talk that he may move up into the role of a crew chief, though Malec says he’s currently happy where he is at, making history with the 48 team.

Another part of it is the idea of working on cars as when he’s not at the track, he’s restoring old cars in his garage.

“That’s pretty much my hobby,” he told NASCAR Online. “It takes my mind off things. It gives me something else to focus on, to take away the stress of the job. I guess most people would say it’s not stress-free, but I guess I like pushing myself in life — and that’s how I stay driven on everything else. I drive myself to get this car project done at home, and it just keeps your drive going so you never slow down.”

Before he got involved in racing, his first job was working at a golf course, parking golf carts and washing them.

“I was 13 years old, and we would race the golf carts.” He said.

Johnson says that since then, they’ve both grown a lot.

“Ron and I, a friend of ours put us together,” Johnson said while looking back. “We kind of knew each other from the racetrack, all the racing I was doing. But a friend put us together and thought we would be roommates essentially, because I needed somewhere to live, felt like he could be a big asset to our race team. He was right.

“We’ve come a long way. I mean, from my first time driving an ASA stock car to where we are today, we’ve been through a ton together. I deeply miss Howie and everything he taught me about stock cars and kind of being a man. Ron and I were pretty young guys trying to figure out life. Howie had a great way to keep us in check, keep us in line, did a lot for me on and off the racetrack.”

Wait Until Jr Shows Some Sort Of Improvement

By
SM Staff
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Dale Earnhardt Jr’s current contract is not going to expire until 2012, but Rick Hendrick has already confirmed to ESPN that he is negotiating a contract extension already. Jr. has struggled for a majority of his tenure with Hendrick Motorsports. Jr. earned the seventh most amount of points for the 2008 season, but finished dead last in the Chase. He struggled in 2009 to a 25th points finish and improved slightly this year to finish in 21st.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]I just can’t seem to see eye-to-eye with Hendrick on this one. I would wait until Jr. showed some sort of improvement with his new team before negotiating a huge contract extension. Jr. will be in the same shop as Jimmie Johnson this season and also has a new crew chief, Steve Letarte. We have seen this mistake made time and time again in professional sports. You give one of the most popular athletes a big contract and he either gets hurt or he just flat out doesn’t perform. For example, Andrew Jones signed a two-year $36.2 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but only to hit .166 that season. Talk about a financial meltdown! There is no reason at this moment in time to even consider giving Dale a contract extension.

Don’t get me wrong. I think Dale is a fantastic individual, but when you look at the stats it just doesn’t lie. He has not been performing and rewarding bad runs is definitely not an image you want for your race team and especially for such an accomplished owner like Rick Hendrick himself. He has until 2012. Wait and see how Jr. does before making any bold moves. You will be happier in the long run if you do.

Penske Downsizing, Future Unclear For Hornish

By
SM Staff
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There is no guarantee that Sam Hornish Jr. will be driving a stock car next season for Roger Penske.

As it stands, Penske has two solid cup programs. With the addition of Shell/Pennzoil, Kurt Busch is now moving into the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge and Brad Keselowski will be taking over the #2 Miller Lite Dodge. The concern of the fans after the addition of Shell/Pennzoil was that Penske was losing Miller Lite. No, that is not the case. Great move by Roger.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo, Inc.” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]Now, to the Hornish issue. Penske is in a huge dilemma when it comes to Hornish, who is currently his third Sprint Cup Series driver. Mobil 1 has moved on to greener pastures and has moved to Stewart-Haas Racing and two-time champion, Tony Stewart. If sponsorship fails to come about, then Hornish will probably be driving a fourth entry for Penske in the Indianapolis 500. Hornish won the race in 2006 in an amazing photo finish with Marco Andretti.

There is one thing that is clear and that is Hornish will be running the Daytona 500, but from there it is uncertain. Running in the Nationwide Series is also an idea that Penske hasn’t passed up for Hornish. His teammate Kurt Busch weighed in, “We have yet to decide what’s going on with the 77, whether it’s full-time or part-time,” Busch said. “Roger loves Sam. I like Sam, too. He’s a great guy, he’s never done me wrong, he’s always treated me well, and Roger likes to take care of him. Roger’s a good guy like that.”

Like a lot of teams in NASCAR, Penske layed off approximately 50 employees yesterday and the sign of economic instability has never been any clearer to the fans.

Patrick Sheltra Crowned 28th ARCA Racing Series Champion at Annual Championship Awards Banquet

By
Official Release
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(COVINGTON, Ky.) – Even eight weeks after finishing the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards season as the series champion, Patrick Sheltra continues to enjoy every day like it’s his first as the man on top. This evening, Sheltra was able to share that feeling with his family and his team, as he and Sheltra Motorsports were officially crowned ARCA champions at the series’ annual Championship Awards Banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

Sheltra, of Indiantown, Fla., was among 17 drivers from the top 20 in the final point standings to be honored on stage, and left with more than $140,000 in point fund and special award earnings, as awarded by the numerous series partners at the ceremony.

To honor Sheltra’s position as the 28th ARCA Racing Series champion in 58 seasons, ARCA president Ron Drager presented Sheltra a letter signed by Florida Governor Charlie Crist, as well as a series championship ring and a leather championship jacket featuring the series logo.

As is the custom, a video tribute featured photographs from the champion’s youth and ascent to championship status; a special addition to this season’s edition included a special message from Sheltra’s boyhood hero, four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon.

Joining Sheltra on stage were his parents and team co-owners, Richard and Grace, crew chief Jon Wolfe and wife Kim, team representatives Chris Knight and Brandon Hinson, and Sheltra’s guest, Chantelle Gervais. Before leaving the stage at the end of the evening, Sheltra surprised over a dozen crew members with championship trophies of their own, allowing each to introduce themselves from the podium to the hundreds gathered in the audience.

“It’s unreal. To come here as a family-owned team and to take the championship, just like the Allgaiers and Eddie Sharp, and groups like that, is wonderful,” said Sheltra, who completed four full seasons in the ARCA Racing Series and finished 2010 with two wins and a series-leading 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes. “I couldn’t have done it without my whole crew, my mom and dad, and Jon Wolfe. He’s the man. He told me (this) would work, and it did.”

Among the top awards Sheltra received were: $15,000 for winning the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge and an additional $10,000; $6,000 from Sunoco Race Fuel; $5,000 from Messina Wildlife Management; $2,500 from the University of Northwestern Ohio; the R.E. Lightning Challenge Award; and the CGS Imaging Hard Charger of the Year Award and the Race for the Wrap. Menards merchant coach Jim Johnson presented Sheltra with a check representing his winnings from the series point fund.

Mike Reagan, the senior vice president of brand marketing for RE/MAX International, served as the Guest of Honor and introduced a special video tribute honoring RE/MAX’s 10 years as a top series partner. SPEED television analyst Phil Parsons acted as the banquet host for the second consecutive year.

Second-year driver Craig Goess, who finished only 20 points behind Sheltra in the final standings and contributed to one of the most exciting championship battles in series history, received the $10,000 Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell for winning a series-best three pole awards. Team owner Eddie Sharp joined Goess on stage. The team left with more than $100,000 in point fund and special award earnings after a season which saw Goess drive to one win, 10 top-fives, 15 top-10s, and a second-place finish in overall points.

Tom Hessert was recognized on stage for finishing third in the series standings, only 105 points behind Sheltra, and was joined by team owner Briggs Cunningham. A significant portion of more than $75,000 in winnings for Hessert and Cunningham came from the $5,000 Aaron’s Lap Leader Award, which Hessert earned by leading 387 laps in eight races, more than any other driver in the series.

Nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel was recognized with brother and crew chief Bill Kimmel for finishing fourth in the final standings, and Mikey Kile came to the stage with team owner Cathy Venturini to accept the honors for fifth place.

Venturini’s appearance on stage was her second of the night, as she was introduced along with husband and past ARCA champion Bill Venturini earlier in the ceremony for winning the Marcum Award, annually presented to an individual or entity whose positive efforts have elevated ARCA’s motorsports stature to the benefit of all associated. Bill Venturini won his first ARCA Racing Series event and the Rookie of the Year Award in 1983, and the family has remained a key part of the series since then.

Son Billy Venturini, team manager for Venturini Motorsports, and nephew Tom Venturini, a marketing representative for the team, also attended the banquet. Billy Venturini finished in ninth place in the final owner point standings and appeared on stage with Steve Arpin, who finished in 12th place in driver points after winning three races to top the series. Arpin also won the National Speed Sport News Most Popular Driver Award – for the second consecutive year – and Billy Venturini accepted $5,000 from Hoosier Racing Tire for the most wins by a car owner.

Additional on-stage honorees from the top 10 in the final standings were Justin Marks and team representative Nate Thiesse (sixth); Dakoda Armstrong and team owner Kerry Scherer (seventh); Joey Coulter and team owner Joseph Coulter (eighth); Tim George Jr. and crew chief Gere Kennon (ninth); and Bryan Silas and team owner Andy Hillenburg (10th).

Armstrong received the RE/MAX Rookie of the Year Award, as presented by Reagan, and Scherer won the Spirit Award for his dedication and support of ARCA, his uplifting spirit by way of example, and perseverance and positive attitude. Coulter won the Bill France Four Crown Award for his performance in a diverse series of four races in August.

To complete the honoring of the top 20 drivers, Robb Brent (11th), Darrell Basham (14th), Chad McCumbee (15th), Brad Smith (16th), Rob Jones (17th), James Hylton (19th), and Chris Buescher (20th) visited the stage to receive congratulations. McCumbee also received the annual H.G. Adcox Sportsman of the Year Award.

Jeff Kettman accepted the Manufacturer Championship on behalf of Chevrolet, and Venturini Motorsports teammates Kevin Reed and Mike Bartlett accepted the Cometic Crew Chief of the Year and Klotz Engine Mechanic of the Year Awards, respectively.

Andy O’Neal, dean of the College of Technology of the University of Northwestern Ohio – ARCA’s Official High Performance Education University – awarded a group of ARCA scholarships on behalf of the university. Likewise, Parsons announced the winners of the Bob Loga Memorial ARCA Scholarships; Chelsea Wasnich of Toledo, Ohio won $1500 and will attend Bowling Green State University, and Callie Sheffer of Fayetteville, Ga. won $500 and will attend Clemson University.

A press conference in the afternoon included major series and team announcements, as well as a host of special awards not distributed at the Championship Awards Banquet.

The 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season will mark the sanctioning body’s 59th year of competition and commences with the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 12. The event will air live on SPEED.

The complete 2011 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Officially Unveiled at Championship Awards Banquet Press Conference

By
Official Release
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(COVINGTON, Ky.) – Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and Menards® announced today a partnership which will position the Eau Claire, Wisc.-based home improvement retail chain as the official presenting sponsor of the ARCA Racing Series for the 2011 season. The announcement and official logo unveiling helped to highlight the annual Championship Awards Banquet press conference at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

The 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season will open Saturday, February 12 at Daytona International Speedway, and will feature 19 races, many of which are in the direct footprint of the Menards retail area. Menards features over 250 stores in a total of 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In all, states featuring Menards stores will host 13 of the series’ 19 races in 2011.

“Menards is involved in racing because we are race fans,” said Jim Johnson, merchant coach for Menards. “We want to be in the racing community, and we think that the race fan is our customer.”

Also appearing at the Championship Awards Banquet press conference were representatives of the two major vendor partners in Menards’ relationship with ARCA, Ansell Protective Products and Messina Wildlife Management. Corey Haugen, the national accounts manager for the Red Bank, N.J.-headquartered Ansell, and James Messina, vice president of the Washington, N.J.-based Messina, both spoke to offer their support for Menards and the overall series partnership.

Menards, the Official Home Improvement Store of ARCA, enters its first season as the lone presenting sponsor, but is experienced as a key partner after serving as a presenting sponsor of the series in 2010 with outgoing RE/MAX International, which also served for nine years (2001-09) as a title sponsor.

“ARCA and Menards have established a very solid understanding of the opportunities and responsibilities on each side of this agreement after one full year of a presenting series sponsorship,” said Mark Gundrum, vice president of marketing and communications for ARCA. “We feel that the proven results of the successful Menards vendor program open the door for substantial growth of this partnership in the future.”

The major connection between ARCA and Menards stretches back to 2009, the company’s first year as a significant series partner. Menards acts as the title sponsor of the series’ pole award, the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell.

Menards is also visible on track in the ARCA Racing Series. With Ansell, Menards is a co-primary sponsor of the No. 44 Kimmel Racing Ford and nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel.

Menards home improvement stores are well-known throughout the Midwest for a complete selection of high-quality, name-brand merchandise, tools for any job, and state-of-the-art in-store computers to help guests design their special projects. Menards carries the materials and tools for all home improvement projects from just needing a light bulb or can of paint to building a deck or new home.

Most Menards stores also carry name-brand appliances, pet products, lawn and garden supplies, and even a line of convenience groceries as a one-stop shopping experience. With home improvement at the forefront of today’s do-it-yourself market, Menardsprovides a valuable resource for the entire community. Menards creates employment opportunities and economic growth while fulfilling the various home improvement needs of local homeowners, tenants, and business owners.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces, as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

Roush’s Nationwide Program Takes A Hit

By
SM Staff
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As many as 60 employees were layed off from Roush Fenway Racing as the need for fabricators is shrinking and its Nationwide program contracting.

Jack Roush plans to only run three Nationwide teams next season. Carl Edwards and Trevor Bayne will have the full-time rides, but at the moment they are unsure if they can give 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie Of The Year, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a ride. It really all comes down to sponsorship for the young driver.

With its affiliate team Richard Petty Motorsports downsizing from a a four car team to a two car team, Roush is plenty overstaffed especially when it comes to building the race cars that they ship to Petty. Roush ran four Nationwide cars this season.

With the departure of Paul Menard, it was a hard knock to take for Roush. Menard drove an RPM car, but drove a Roush car in the Nationwide Series. They both had sponsorship from Menard’s, his father’s home improvement business. Sadly, Roush lost the sponsorship for both cars and will have to search again for a sponsor for 2011.

The World’s Longest Motor Racing Event

By
SM Staff
-

For those of you who thought racing was done for the season, guess what, it’s still going. Out in Willows, California, the race known as The World’s Longest Motor Racing Event is running right now.

“It was a little sketchy out there on racing slicks and not on rain tires. And certainly when it was starting to rain hard on the back section of the track.

“We managed to skate by and get it up front, we’re pretty happy.” This information came to us after Dave qualified his Ford GT Xtreme third for the “25 hours Of Thunderhill,” held this weekend in Willows, CA.

Smith will be the initial driver of the Team Copa Genoa Racing Ford. Powered by Red Line Oil and Primary Sponsor Copa Cachaca with assistance from Hyperfocus Motorsports, Muscle Milk, Go Pro Cameras, 15th street fitness along with Freightliner and Sport RV

Smith has run the Thunderhill race for the past four years. His experience at the track will be essential as many variables from dry, wet and even snow conditions could be prevalent at the track. This year, rains have set in and will provide a heavy challenge for even the most experienced driver like Smith.

“It makes for difficult track conditions and many people are losing a lot of grip out there. (The Race) has mainly amateur drivers on track but is picking up an interest with pro racers.”

“The amateurs have a learning curve out here with guys flying off and back onto the track which brings road debris back onto the track, making it difficult to drive on and the visibility is poor.”

Joining Smith will be Jared Thompson, also from the Russell Racing School who also is an up and coming drifter (Formula Drift Racing). The added talents of Martin Hansen the young 21 year old Swedish Road Racing sensation who has a background of racing American Muscle Cars back in his home country and has developed a true passion in the states where many in his country are following his efforts here.

The three are joined by amateur race car driver and owner Steve Tarpley along with Jason Montgomery VP of Copa, who Smith teaches both at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. Tarpley and Montgomery started road course driving in personal vehicles on track, where both migrated into full race prepared machines.

Tarpley developed a street legal Ford GT based on the 2005 model into a purpose built race machine specifically for the Thunderhill race. The power plant is a 5.4 Liter Supercharged V8 engine that has 700 horsepower under the hood.

Add into the fact that Smith and his co-drivers will be racing in a field of 60 other cars in three classes on the track. It gets congested out there where your windshield gets very, very dirty and difficult to see the car in front of you.

Smith commented that the differences between the Pro and Amateur drivers bring a wide variance of lap times which can bring challenges to even the most experienced racer.

“Most of the pros are driving high end (Mazda)MX-5 Cup Miata’s or Porsche Cup Cars and their not used to driving with amateur guys out there so their patience wears thin. Their frustration goes up with the amateur mistakes on track where the pro drivers are not used to seeing those errors anymore, making it difficult for them.”

“With the amateur drivers, they can be easily intimidated by the Pro drivers coming up on them where they make mistakes where they can take their eyes off of the road.

There are so many challenges out there. It’s one of those races that anything can happen.”

Thunderhill is a three mile fifteen turn road course with numerous elevation changes. The track can be a challenge for the drivers. One section of the track is named “The Cyclone.” This part of the track has a steep elevation change with two sharp corners. The race uses a lower section of The Cyclone which offers its own challenges.

“The lower road is called the bypass which has a blind corner going up over a hill which (the drivers) call it “The Jump.” “When you jump over it, it has an off-camber landing to it.”

“You never know who’s spun out on the other side. A lot of people make the mistake as they go up and over that portion of the track.”

The other challenge for the drivers will be near the end of the circuit where turns 11 through 13 are a sharp left followed by a quick right and left esses corners. You have to be on the throttle and shifting at the same time. “You can unbalance the car easily, if you make the wrong up shift. A lot of people make mistakes there,” said Smith.

With the race being 25 hours, not only the weather brings challenges, but the lack of lighting on the track will bring its own challenges. “When it gets dark on the track every corner can be a challenge.

“Every straightaway can be a challenge because there’s so many cars on the track you are trying to decide if you want to thread the needle past a few cars that are slower hoping that they see you and they don’t move over and take you out.

One wrong move can take a team out for the race that has a huge investment. The Thunderhill race is a non-paying race that teams from many countries come out to get ready for the 24 hours of Daytona. Sometimes the budgets for teams at Thunderhill can equal the Daytona race.

Smith commented that, “Tarpley’s passion for Ford and the respect he has for Ford Motor Company and the GT, bringing that car back after the history it has had.” Smith added, “The GT has had a history overseas as well.” The GT has won 4 24 hours of LeMans events in the 60’s.

“Steve (Tarpley) is a promising amateur driver and he’s just happy to be out there with some pro guys with representing Ford with his efforts.” Tarpley hopes that the efforts will bring an ongoing partnership driving the GT.

In a separate interview Tarpley stated, “My love of the Ford GT and the respect for the company that built such an iconic car, coupled with the legacy of the original Ford GT40 and its race heritage motivated me to have a car that could compete in the longest road race in North America.”

With an endurance race such as the 25 hours at Thunderhill the setup of the car is essential, even with tires that are used. “We will be using Hoosier and Dunlap tires during the event. The Dunlaps prove to be long lasting. We will be able to get a lot of miles out of that.

“The Hoosiers seem to stick better.” Smith informed us that if the driver were to be in the car over the duration that included stops and no driver change, they would use the Dunlaps for over all racing. If there were to be a driver change, the Hoosier’s would be placed on the car to gain the time lost on pit road.

“The Crew Chief is John Rock who was an integral part of the build of this car. Jon has a long time history in IndyCar and Indy Lights as a crew chief and fabricator.”

“With John’s skill set, he has been able to keep us confortable in the car. We literally built the car to withstand endurance racing.”

The team has adjusted the car to use third and fourth gear during the race to lessen the usage on the transmission. The team also has set the engine to use less horsepower to increase the fuel mileage for the long run.

“We have a really good shot at winning this race. As long as we can be mistake free in the pits and the drivers being mistake free we have a good chance of being on the podium.”

Rock hails from Genoa Racing. The team manager is Ed Nelson who has many years of experience from several 24 hours of Daytona and LeMans events. “It’s those two guys who oversaw the build of the car.”

Smith adds his thanks to Robertson Racing with the assistance with the GT build. The team has assembled a variety of talent for pit road duties to assist in the capture of the podium. “You can see the professionalism the team has shown out here,” Smith informs us.

Here is a fact that may surprise many readers, the race, billed as the longest endurance motor event in the world, does not award any prize money. When asked what was the key attraction without a purse, Smith responded, “The adverse conditions in Willows, California, overcoming the weather it makes for a very big challenge and for us personally we want to accomplish this race and make this car last before we move further into the top professional level.”

Smith and the team has the goal of Daytona in 2011 or 2012. The race at Thunderhill is the preparation for that race as well as seat time for the amateur drivers. The race assists teams to get ready for the next season.

“To have success at Thunderhill our partners, our sponsors, our team owner would be a big boost in wanting to go to the top level in bringing this effort to Daytona, even LeMans. This is just some of the reasons to come here, as it is for many teams.”

When asked about his biggest threat at the race Smith said that Mercer Motorsports (Who landed the pole for the race today) was the big challenge with the collaborative efforts with Flying Lizard Motorsports who are top level Grand-Am and ALMS teams and drivers who are fielding a Porsche GT3 Cup car.

“It’s really Porsche versus the Ford GT. If everything goes right on both sides, it will be a battle to the end.” Smith tells us. Last year’s event, Mercer grabbed the win.

Mercer will be the challenge for Smith and his co-drivers in today’s race. “They (Mercer) have been racing the entire 2010 Grand-Am and ALMS season. They are very, very proficient in everything they do.

“We have put together a team that has not been running the entire season, but a lot of experienced guys are here for us and we feel that we can give them a run for their money.”

Smith will be starting the race and if it a close race with Mercer, he will be the anchor for the end of the event. If the team is well ahead of Mercer, or Mercer has issues, Tarpley will close out the team’s race.

SUN, Dec 5th – UPDATE AS OF 7am PST – Dave and Team Copa are running as the overall leaders and Team Mercer is down 11 laps. We will give a wrap up from Dave tonight.

SpeedwayMedia will be keeping an eye on the team and provide you updates of Smith and the team. If things work out, Smith will be a regular contributor to SpeedwayMedia for the 2011 season with his racing stories and experiences.

THE KERN COUNTY RACEWAY: A ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF DESPAIR & EUPHORIA MAY BE FINALLY GETTING SOME GOOD NEWS

By
Official Release
-

Since the winter of 2005, California racing fans have been avidly waiting for a green flag to wave over a field of stock cars at the Kern County Raceway in Bakersfield. But the financial fortunes of the proposed state of the art motorsports facility have been on an endless five year roller coaster ride with equal parts of despair and euphoria. In other words, this project has been up and down so many times no one is quite sure how it’s going to end.

However comments made during a recent interview by Marion Collins, one of the former major principals associated with the Kern County Raceway, during the Thanksgiving weekend may provide a reason for many race fans to be thankful.

Upon realizing that the Kern County Raceway project wasn’t going to see completion any time soon, if indeed at all, Marion Collins and his son Larry along with Brian Olsen purchased the SRL, StockCar Racing League from promoter Steve Fensler. Under the new name of the Spears Manufacturing SRL Southwest Tour Series, the regional racing series has quickly flourished into one of the most viable racing series visiting tracks throughout the western states.

It was a November 27th SRL race, at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, a half mile track located near Los Angeles, where race fans felt the latest wave of euphoria regarding the Kern County Raceway. The following day “Racing West”, an extremely popular motorsports website based in Thousand Oaks-California, ran a video interview with Marion Collins that was produced by their associate website “Race Scene.”

While the central theme of this interview was centered around the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series, Collins was asked if there was any progress regarding the Kern County Raceway in Bakersfield. The fact that Collins had to choose his words very carefully was completely understandable but he did say “there seems to be a few things that are turning and going. I don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, but I believe the race track will happen.”

When asked if the Collins family would be having any form of involvement with the Bakersfield track, he said “the organization that’s interested in putting the program together, and the organization that we’re working with, (said) the only way they’ll buy it and finish it is if Brian, Larry and myself run it.”

The Marion Collins comments made to “Racing West/Race Scene” during that evening was the first positive sign of life that we heard regarding the Kern County Raceway in quite a long time. However, west coast race fans need to exercise some caution, from this latest round of euphoria, because there is still a perceived lengthy process remaining before the financial and legal knots that has choked this project are untied. To fully understand that process, one has to become fully aware of the five history of the project.

The absolute first round of despair for NASCAR sanctioned racing in Bakersfield came in October of 2005. It was the night that the Collins family officially closed the Mesa Marin Raceway following 28 years of high quality racing shows.

When Marion Collins began construction on Mesa Marin Raceway he practically needed a high powered telescope to even find his nearest neighbor. However, over the next two decades, the Bakersfield housing boom slowly began working it’s way towards the track’s property line. Despite the massive amount of tourism dollars Mesa Marin Raceway brought to the city of Bakersfield and Kern County, local government officials saw even larger dollar signs from the potential property tax that could be generated from privately owned single family dwellings.

In summer of 2005 Collins was informed by Kern County officials not to expect renewal of his Conditional Use Permit and he should be thinking about what he was going to do with his race track. In the aftermath of this news came a real estate offer from a local housing developer that, under the future circumstances, was just too good to refuse.

It led to the famous final scene months later when Mesa Marin Raceway held its final October Classic weekend. True to the Collins family tradition, the weekend was loaded with outstanding racing from multiple local and regional touring divisions. But the conclusion of the evening was gut wrenching. Fans gathered on the speedway’s front stretch to share memories and hug each other while tears streamed down their faces. In a sheer note of irony, a soft rain fell over the speedway at the end of the evening. It was later discovered that the rain only fell directly on the race track property. The land and roads adjacent to Mesa Marin were completely dry.

Two months later, December of 2005, the Bakersfield racing community and its fans gathered at the Buck Owens Crystal Palace. This evening was originally scheduled as the last ever Mesa Marin Raceway awards banquet. Instead it was a jubilant celebration of the unveiling of plans for NASCAR racing’s new home: the Kern County Raceway. There was a lot of celebrating in the house that Buck built that night.

The artist concept boards of the new track displayed that night were eye popping. The Kern County Raceway was going to feature a high banked one half mile track, similar to Mesa Marin, with an integrated quarter mile track and a one eighth mile drag strip. The raceway was described as a joint venture between the Collins family, who were going to provide promotional and administrative management, and the Destefanis, a well known agriculture business family, who were actually going to provide the funding, estimated at the time to be $12 to $15 million, for the track’s construction.

However the wheels of development often turns slow especially with a project this large. Fully completed plans along with environmental impact reports and the required changes that often comes with the process finally received approval from the Kern County Planning Commission in December of 2006.

The sense of euphoria from that final approval led to even more excitement when the Kern County Raceway officially held the groundbreaking in February of 2007. The construction was set to begin immediately when racing planned for the spring of 2008.

By the end of 2007, despair had set in again. There were rumors that said the Destefanis were having difficulty paying the construction contractors. The master plan for financing the track was reported to be based on the Destefanis selling a large parcel of agriculture zoned land. While it never officially confirmed, there were additional reports that said the purchaser of this real estate was unable to secure the bank financing to complete the deal. In other words, the beginning of the nation’s economic crisis had now set in.

The debt structure, owed to the contractors, were reported to be in the area of $7.8 million. In February of 2008, the first of a series of mechanics liens, a legal procedure seeking payment, was officially filed against the property owners.

A brief moment of euphoria set in, during March of 2008, when it was revealed that a group of Bakersfield area businessmen, after forming a limited liability corporation, loaned the Destefanis $4.5 million to complete the construction. However, the financial woes of the race track were far from over. By December of 2008, when it was evident that the loan could not be repaid in any timely manner an official default notice was filed by the lenders. This procedure is considered the first step towards foreclosure.

In April of 2009 the property was officially listed as being up for auction due to the default status. However the auction date was postponed in light of the possibility that a buyer for the property had been found. That company was later revealed as being CALA Holdings Inc, a Fresno-California based sports and entertainment center corporation, who was negotiating with the Destefanis to purchase the property and the now partially completed race track for $19 million. Making this news even more interesting was a report that said the financing for the purchase was coming from a source located in the European Principality of Luxembourg.

Despite the insistence of CALA Holdings Inc that said $5 million was en route from Luxembourg to be deposited into escrow, the funding has yet to materialize. In May of last year the Destefani family officially filed bankruptcy. The Chapter 11 protection was set in place to protect the project developers from the pending foreclosure process.

But in May of this year that legal financial protection took a major hit when a Federal Bankruptcy Judge, based in Fresno, ruled that the lender’s foreclosure efforts could now be moved forward in light of testimony that said the funding of a potential buyer never materialized. This past June the foreclosure proceedings were reported to be complete and the lenders, who put up the original $4.5 million loan, were now the new owners of 490 acres of land including the 83 acres occupied by the partially completed race track.

If Marion Collins’ comments, made during the course of the “Racing West/Race Scene” interview this past Thanksgiving weekend, turns out to be true and there is indeed “someone” interested in buying the land and completing the race track then it’s another source of euphoria. But we will have to be patient because the grand opening of the Kern County Raceway will be a long wait. The purchase will have to meet the financial satisfaction of the new and current owners. There is also the matter of setting the debt structure, now reported to be $5.9 million according to County records, owed to the contractors.

Regarding the construction status of the race track, it’s reported to be approximately 75 percent complete. The half mile oval is built, the crash walls, safety fencing and track lighting are in place as is the grand stand seating. The track will require an extra layer of asphalt and the infield area will need an additional two layers of coating. Also outstanding is the construction of a three story structure that will house concessions, restrooms, a race control area as well as administrative offices. This is all extremely doable once the lengthy legal and financial concerns have been satisfied.

Over the past five years we have ridden the roller coaster, with its up and down elements of despair and euphoria, many times waiting for the official arrival of the Kern County Raceway. The big difference here is the fact that the latest round of euphoria is coming from Marion Collins: a straight talking, honest, man whose word many feel can be trusted without exception.

Keep your fingers crossed “left coast” racing fans and let’s hope that he’s right.

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