TBK-Light.com

It's October so the local racing season is basically over since it will be snowing soon.

Damnit, I need 2010 to get here all ready. I'm going into withdrawal and I went to 8 SuperMod races at 4 different tracks this year... Along with the WoO sprints at Lebanon Valley and the 200 in 'Cuse...

KINGSPORT — For nearly seven years, Kingsport Speedway has been silent on race day.

This coming Saturday, the 3/8-mile concrete track will roar back to life, hosting a season finale for the UARA Late Model Series. The decision to come to Kingsport was an easy one for UARA President Kerry Bodenhamer once the date became available after a cancellation by Coastal Plains (N.C.) Raceway.

“It’s a real tight points battle and the champion will have to shine at Kingsport,” Bodenhamer said. “I could have gone to Hickory, but that’s the home track of our points leader Matt McCall. I think it is a more fair deal to come here.”

He believes some of the local drivers will have a home track advantage, but that will be offset by the UARA regulars being more accustomed to longer races. He said it should be an interesting day with two-time Busch Series champion Jack Ingram serving as the race’s grand marshal.

Much rides on the success of the event, named the cureCHM.org Presents The Courtesy Chevrolet, Anytime Fitness 150.

Track owner Joe Loven, who also owns the successful Volunteer Speedway dirt track in Bulls Gap, is considering a schedule of special events for the 2010 season. However, he first wants to see the level of support from the racers and local fans.

“We’ll certainly take this under advisement,” Loven said. “I never wanted to close the race track, but times are hard. I have my hands full with Volunteer, so I haven’t taken the time to start it back up. If we can draw any interest, we will run some races.”

Loven mentioned with the race teams, there needs to be a group of regulars willing to commit to Kingsport events. He appreciates the interest people have shown for the upcoming race. However, he doesn’t want throw money into a losing proposition.

“I have to have a base of cars, and there are several things I have to have,” Loven said. “If the community wants us and the racers want to support me, we’ll race some more. But I’m not out here fighting it. I’m not a race promoter by trade anyway. I just like to watch racing.”

Loven said he is open to suggestions, but is not interested in a straight-out lease. He did, however, have no qualms about leasing the track to Bodenhamer for Saturday’s race, as their relationship goes back more than 30 yards.

“Joe and I were partners several years ago in a Busch car which Tommy Ellis, Butch Lindley and others drove,” Bodenhamer said. “It seems fitting to come here. The more race tracks we can open back up and be successful, the better it is for everybody.”

Several drivers were at a Wednesday test session including McCall, whose fast lap of 15.30 seconds was just .07 seconds off the track record set by Adam Dean in 2001.

Others at the test included local favorites — Wade Day, Wayne Hale, Nate Monteith, Mike Potter and Zeke Shell.

Monteith and Day were frequent winners at the track when it was still a part of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. As expected, their laps were closest to McCall’s time. Monteith’s best lap was 15.35 and Day’s quick time was 15.37.

For Monteith, the Late Model Stock champion at Lonesome Pine (Va.) Raceway, it was nice to get back on Kingsport’s concrete surface.

“I’m really glad to get some excitement back in here,” said the Bristol driver. “I hope people will get behind it so Joe will look at getting this place going again. I would like to see this place, Newport and Lonesome Pine all work together, pooling the drivers, sponsors and all for a big weekly series. Everything I see is good that can come out of racing here.”

He found the track presented a difficult set of challenges with the cars experiencing a lot of wheel hop in the middle of the turns and getting loose exiting the corners.

“This place is a whole lot rougher than I remember it,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the set-ups we now have with the more aggressive suspension combinations, but this place is way rougher. We just had to concentrate on getting the car smoother and calming everything down. We threw everything at it and we’re close, but we need a little more (adjustment) to be where we want to be.”

Mike Potter, the veteran from Johnson City, raced at Kingsport during its heyday. Back in the 1970s and 80s, the track frequently hosted top Late Model Sportsman races. Today’s cars are lighter, more custom-built machines than the cars Potter raced back in the day. The track has also changed on a couple of occasions, going from an asphalt racing surface to a dirt track for a decade until being revived with the current concrete surface.

One change Potter noticed was a tighter arc with turns 3 and 4.

“It doesn’t seem as racy to me as it did back then,” Potter said. “Of course, I might have been a little racier back then. I was a little younger.”

It will be Potter’s first race since running a Nationwide Series event September 2008 at New Hampshire. He hopes Kingsport, which hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races from 1969-71, can be like it was in the glory days.

“I hope they can get it like it was before,” Potter said. “I want to see the crowds out here, a lot of cars, where we can have some good times again.”

Zeke Shell, also of Johnson City, turned his first-ever laps at Kingsport during the test session. For the 22-year-old, it was a great experience to be on a track where Richard Petty lapped the field in 1969 and won by two laps over James Hylton a year later.

“There’s not another track I’ve seen that’s like this,” Shell said. “The track hasn’t changed much all day. It was nice to see all the old gurus out here. They’re all excited and like kids again. Wade, Paul (Shull) and all those guys used to dominate here.”

Shell, who was among the top drivers at Motor Mile (Va.) Speedway this past season, said the track is in good shape considering the years of inactivity.

“The weather has taken its toll on the track over the years,” Shell said. “There hasn’t been any maintenance work, but overall the track has held up pretty good.”

Qualifying for Saturday’s race is scheduled for noon. An autograph session with the current drivers and some of the legendary drivers from the past will follow. The race is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?ID=72066

Several Drivers Injured in Dirt LM Wreck on a Rough LMS Track
Dirt LM - 11/5/09
Rough track conditions resulted in four driver injuries at the Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway during last night’s World Of Outlaws Late Model Series Topless Showdown.
Chub Frank took a trip to the hospital and is reported to have broken bones around his eye.

Frank told DirtonDirt.com that he had “never been hit this many times on a racetrack with clods that big before” and that “we shouldn’t have been out there with no roofs on tonight.”
Tim Fuller and Clint Smith were also treated for injuries at the track. Jeff Cooke was knocked unconscious after his helmet shield was pierced during a heat race. He regained consciousness after being cut from his car and was sent to a local hospital.

The show will be run tonight after the already scheduled time-trials for the “World Finals” at Lowe’s. The track cited the track surface issues and late hours as the reason for the postponement.

NICE! I was at the 200 on Sunday. Pretty decent race for 'Cuse, which for those who don't know usually turns into a one groove parade. But that doesn't really matter because you only get to see Big Block Modifieds on the Moody Mile once a year. Anybody living in the Northeast, I HIGHLY recommend you attend SuperDIRTWeek at least once. It's an experience... Especially if you camp on the infield.

EDIT: joha107, did you make it out to Thompson for the World Series by any chance? It was a great Sunday of racing. Terrific Modified 30 lap race and easily one of the best SuperModified races I've seen in a long time. I didn't have a camera though...

I think I have you beat, 51 races at 8 different tracks.
Both of those will be increased by one after this weekend as I'll be attending my first dirt race since May 2008.

SuperDIRTWeek is an experience all in it's own. A lot of the time the racing is blah, but the atmosphere is what keeps people coming back year after year.

Now, if you want to go see a good race and have some excellent atmosphere, than look no further than The Steel Palace alongside lake Ontario. Labor Day weekend there is no other place to be than Oswego Speedway for the International Classic 200. Big Block SuperModifieds, 200 Laps around a lightning fast 5/8's mile (track record is 16.217 non-wing @ 138.74mph) and no pit stops.

Damnit, I need 2010 to get here all ready. I'm going into withdrawal and I went to 8 SuperMod races at 4 different tracks this year... Along with the WoO sprints at Lebanon Valley and the 200 in 'Cuse...

I actually got to go to the WoO world finals on saturday nite for the final race of the year. First ever time seeing the Outlaws in action and OMG they are awesome.

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. -- The ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts is pleased to announce that the 'King's Ransom 300' has found a new home at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. We are excited to be able to continue the tradition of the 'King's Ransom 300' in conjunction with the re-birth of the North Wilkesboro Speedway. This event has become the highlight of our season with the 'King of Short Track' title being one of the highest honors of the season. The event will once again be televised and draw the top short track drivers from around the country to compete.

'After talking with the new ownership group at North Wilkesboro Speedway, I know that we share the same vision of reviving short track racing', stated Ron Varney ASA Late Model Series President. 'North Wilkesboro Speedway has a long history of short track racing and we are very excited to be able to carry on that tradition', finished Varney.

'On behalf of the Speedway Associates Team and North Wilkesboro Speedway, we are incredibly honored to have the ASA Late Model Series bring it's famed Kings Ransom 300 to our historic speedway. We commend everyone with ASALMS for working so very hard to continue the mission in saving short track racing abroad', stated Alton McBride Jr. President & Director of Operations SAI (North Wilkesboro Speedway)

For more information about the ASA Late Model Series and our teams, visit our website at http://www.asalatemodels.com

The ASA Late Model Series is its own entity and not affiliated in any way with ASA Racing, American Speed Association or the ASA Member Track Program. The ASA Late Model Series is owned and operated by Ron and Sandy Varney as it has been for the past six years and will be for years to come.

I would say go ahead and start a new thread, not like many people talk about the local stuff but a few of us anyways.

My God I guess you do have me beat! LOL... It's not a competition anyways.

11 Nov 2009

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is coming to Lime Rock Park for the first time ever, joining the Camping World Series East race weekend of July 2-3, 2010. Both races are scheduled at this point to be 66-laps (101 miles).

The Whelen Tour has not held a road-course race since 2000. The 625 h.p., 2,500 lb., 150 m.p.h. modifieds will run Lime Rock’s 1.53-mile circuit in the traditional clockwise direction.

Modifieds represent NASCAR’s oldest division (the first NASCAR-sanctioned event was a modified race), and what is now the popular Whelen Modified Tour begins its 26th year in 2010.

Lime Rock President Skip Barber said, “We didn’t announce our moving of the Camping World East event from August to the July 4 weekend until now because we were working on securing the Whelen Modifieds, too. Now that we’ve done that, we’re very pleased to have put together a really good NASCAR double-header weekend for the fans.”

Support races for the NASCAR twin-bill are still to be announced.

The confirmation of the NASCAR weekend completes Lime Rock Park’s major spectator-event schedule for its 2010 professional racing dates...

Following the opening of the track in March or April for the Skip Barber Racing School, car clubs and SCCA races (plus private track days for members of the Lime Rock Drivers Club), the first major spectator event of 2010 is the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series during the Memorial Day weekend of May 28-31. This is the first time that Grand-Am’s Daytona Prototypes (the same teams and cars that race at the Daytona 24 Hours) have raced at Lime Rock.

(Note: Also on the slate is the Grand-Am KONI Challenge series, which will have practice and qualifying on Friday, May 28, followed by separate GS and ST races on Saturday, May 29. Then the Rolex Daytona Prototypes and GTs will practice, qualify and race on Monday, May 31. Support races in addition to the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge series include the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda and a still-to-be-announced development series.)

Announced today is the July 2-3 date for the NASCAR twin-bill of the Camping World Series East and the Whelen Modified Tour. Additional support series for this Friday/Saturday event are still to be announced. Lime Rock will stage its traditional fireworks show during the weekend.

Next will be the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), which comes to Lakeville July 23-24 for the seventh consecutive year. At Lime Rock for the ALMS Northeast Grand Prix will be Le Mans Prototype (LMP), Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC), Grand Touring (GT) and Grand Touring Challenge (GTC). Support series will include the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, the F2000 Championship Series (official development series of USF1), and the IMSA Lites Championship Presented by Frisby Performance Tire.

The East Coast’s most prestigious vintage racing weekend is Lime Rock’s annual Labor Day event, the 28th Vintage Festival, September 3-6. Look for further announcements regarding featured cars and honored guests as well as information about the new-and-improved “Sunday in the Park” car show.

In addition to the four professional events, the spectator racing schedule for 2010 concludes October 1-2 with the traditional SCCA North Atlantic Road Racing Championship (NARRC) run-offs.

The Camping World East Series will be heading to Martinsville Speedway in 2010 for a combination event with the Whelen Modified Tour.

It will mark the debut at the tight.526-mile track for the Camping World East. The Whelen Modified Tour has been competing at the venue off and on since the division's inception in 1985.

It is unclear when the event will take place. The Whelen Modified Tour competed at Martinsville on Sept. 27 this year.

NASCAR spokesman Jason Christley would not comment directly on the situation.

"We will announce our full season schedule to the competitors on Saturday morning, and have a release to the media following," Christley said Wednesday evening.

The addition of the Martinsville event will bring the Modified Tour and Camping World East together for four events in 2010. In addition to Martinsville and Lime Rock, the two divisions will also compete on the same weekend twice during the 2010 season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

ASA Transcontinental

This new event, tagged with the “Two Continents – One Winner” moniker, created with the help of the Free State Provincial Government of South Africa, will feature a 207-lap, 500-Kilometer event at the Phakisa Freeway Circuit in Welkom. The race will take place on January 29 – 31, 2010.