Day: January 24, 2018 | Karnac Racing News

AUBURNDALE SPEEDWAY KICKS OFF 2018 SEASON WITH 75 LAPS OF PRO TRUCK RACING SATURDAY NIGHT

Auburndale Speedway Gets the 2018 racing season under way in a big way this Saturday night with the Super Bowl 75 for the Pro Trucks headlining the racing card. Also in action will be the Legend Cars, V-8 Bombers, Q Mini Stocks, Mini Cup cars and the Scramblers.

Among the Pro Truck drivers expected are Rodney and Blake Haddock from Hilliard who will be making their first start here in some time, Derek Pugh of Crystal River, Palmetto’s Jason Lester, Auburndale drivers William Kerns and Colt Cecil, Tyler Davis and Cody McDuffie of Lakeland, Pinellas Park’s Devin Kyle, Mike Kohut of Lehigh Acres and several more.

This 75-lap event pays a cool $1300 to win plus a $75 bonus for the fast qualifier. The event is the first of 11 total for the Pro Trucks in 2018.
All others will be 50 laps in length with the exception of September 22nd when the Pro Trucks will run twin 25-lap races.

Pit gates open at 3 pm with practice slated from 4-5:30 pm. Grandstand gates open at 5 pm and qualifying for the Pro Trucks is slated for 6:15 pm. Racing begins at 7 pm with 8-lap heat races for the Mini Cups, Q Mini Stocks, Scramblers, Legend Cars and V-8 Bombers. Following intermission it’s time to go feature racing starting out with three 20-lap contests for the Mini Cups, Q Mini Stocks and Scramblers. The Legend Cars then go for 25 laps with the V-8 Bombers up next, also for 25 laps. The evening concludes with the Super Bowl
75 for the Pro Trucks.

Adult admission for this great evening of action is just $15 with seniors 55+ $13. Children ages 5-12 are only $5 and all kids 4 and under get in free.
The family 4-pack is just $32 for two adult and two children’s admissions (a $40 value). Pit passes are $30 per person and all parking is free.
Auburndale Speedway no longer accepts credit cards due to the excessive charges being levied on the track by the credit card companies, however there is now an ATM on site for race fans to use.

NOTES:

Weather is expected to be nice for the season opener with a high temperature of 76 degrees and race time temperatures in the mid-upper 60s. There is a slight chance of precipitation very late Saturday night but the wet stuff should hold off until Sunday in advance of a cold front.

The Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association will once again hold their annual Winternationals at Auburndale Speedway. Dates will be February 22-24 and over
100 classic Stock Cars, Modifieds, Speedsters, Sprint Cars and Midgets are expected to fill the pits.

Auburndale Speedway is starting a new 4-cylinder Pure Stock beginners division to get more people interested in racing at an affordable price. The plan is to have the first race on March 3rd if enough cars are ready. Remember, this is non race-experienced class for beginners ages 12 and up. If you are in need of a car to go racing with, contact the speedway and we will give you a good idea on where to get one.

Race fans should like this… For all Late Model events, if there is a rain-out on Saturday, the races will be run the next day on Sunday with racing starting at 2 pm.

Several marketing partners have re-upped with Auburndale Speedway and will be sponsoring various race night throughout the year. They include Q Auto and Injury Attorneys (who once again will be sponsoring the Mini Stock class), Harvest Meat Markets, DARN apparel (who will be once again helping local FFA school organizations) and 97.5 WPCV Country Radio.

The Lights, Camera, Traction! (LCT) Mini Cup Championship Series at Auburndale Speedway will once again be presented by Gordon Motorsports as a driver development class. This class is committed to helping young drivers develop a solid foundation for their racing careers and there are some changes to how things are being done in 2018.
The Series allows anyone under 22 years of age to compete as a LCT Champ driver. Drivers over 22 can apply to run as a LCT Mentor driver. The sole role of LCT Mentor drivers is to assist in the development of young drivers.
Mentor drivers are required to demonstrate exemplary leadership and sportsmanship qualities, both on and off track.
Although the entire field will be running for the purse, one major change this year is that victory lane will be reserved for the top three kids giving them a chance to be interviewed and work on their media skills all while having their moment in the spotlight.
Currently the class has two Mentor Drivers: Bill Rychel #71 and several time track champion Russell Bush, driver of the #8 car. Gordon Motorsports will also be providing a new Mini Cup to Doug Herrin, Douglas Herrin, Jr.’s father, as our first official GMS/LCT father/son team and and Doug, Sr. will be joining his son in the field soon.
Gordon Motorsports is also looking for kids that would like to get involved with the production side of LCT. Whether in front of the camera as a pit reporter or behind the camera as a photographer or videographer, anyone interested can learn more by visiting LightsCameraTraction.org, or by calling 1-800-210-2995. You do not have to be a driver in the class to take part.

By Scott|2018-01-24T16:59:56-05:00January 24th, 2018|Auburndale Speedway, Racing News, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

Volusia Speedway Park Gets a $300,000 Safety Upgrade for DIRTcar Nationals

BABERVILLE, FL — Jan. 23, 2018 — In honor of Volusia Speedway Park’s 50th anniversary, the World’s Fastest Half-Mile has received a major facelift over the winter months. When DIRTcar Nationals kicks off in two weeks, on February 6, racers and fans alike will benefit from over $300,000 of upgrades geared toward keeping them safe at the premier dirt racing facility in the country.

The bulk of the work done at Volusia Speedway Park went into securing the track’s perimeter with over 1200 feet of new catch fence, concrete retaining wall and guardrail.

Immediately following last year’s DIRTcar Nationals — in light of the unprecedented incidents that involved a pair of Sprint Cars clearing the existing catch fence in the pit area — speedway officials began exploring enhancements to provide a higher level of protection for both drivers and spectators.

“We have never before seen what we saw last year at the speedway,” said DIRTcar Racing President Tom Deery. “Everyone agreed that it required action, and we’ve certainly delivered. We’re excited to kick off the new season with the highest level of protection we have ever provided.”

The renovation project began with replacing 850 feet of guardrail from turn 1 to turn 2 with a new 46-inch high concrete retaining wall at the track’s edge. Built into the concrete wall sits a 17-foot catch fence with a two-foot kick out along the top. The new fence is comprised of two-by-four welded steel fence mesh and backed by a one-inch hex mesh with an additional half-inch square mesh along the bottom 30 inches. The entire fence is reinforced with steel cables running horizontally across the fence in 24- to 30-inch intervals.

Continuing the project into turns 3 and 4, a length of 386 feet of steel guardrail has been replaced or rebuilt. New posts have been embedded every six feet for added support. Atop the 60-inch guardrail (consisting of five 12-inch steel bands) sits another 12-foot catch fence.

In addition to the measures taken to increase safety, visitors will notice new signage throughout the facility. A retro look and feel celebrates 50 years of racing at the Barberville, FL racetrack, while helping race fans and competitors better navigate the area.

The biggest event in DIRTcar racing kicks off the 2018 season as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series, All Star Circuit of Champions, Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds, DIRTcar Late Models and DIRTcar UMP Modifieds take on the world’s fastest half-mile at Volusia Speedway Park. Start 2018 with Florida in February! For tickets, click or call 844-DIRT-TIX or visit DIRTcarNationals.com

For more information on Volusia Speedway Park and the weekly racing program, visit www.VSPRacing.com

–DIRTcar Press Release

By Scott|2018-01-24T16:54:29-05:00January 24th, 2018|Racing News, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

CARS Tour to Host and Sanction Two Limited Late Model Races in 2018

Mooresville, NC 1/23/18 – With the huge Mountain Dew “Do The Dew” 150, on March 10^th, already set to kick off the 2018 CARS Late Model Stock Tour season, the kickoff event got even bigger with the addition of a major Limited Late Model (LLM) race as the supporting class. The race will be hosted and sanctioned by the CARS Tour, giving LLM teams and drivers a chance to see what the CARS Tour is all about.

The seventy-five lap race will pay a $13,100 in purse, with $2,500 going to the winner and $250 to start the feature event. With an effort to minimize cost and encourage teams to travel from all over the region, the race will be run on two new and two used tires. Teams will turn in two used F-45 tires to CARS Tour officials, which meet the minimum tread depth requirement, and purchase two new F-45 tires for the race. The two used tires will be distributed to teams via a lottery to ensure fairness to all teams in attendance.

CARS Tour officials will utilize the technical rules of the Southeast Limited Late Model Series for the event, while following CARS Tour race procedures of the pole winner starting first and green flag laps only counting toward the total race distance. A small difference from CARS LMSC standard age of 14 to compete; the minimum age for the LLM race will be 12.

“This could really turn out to be a major event for us and anyone who is a fan of LMSC racing. We’ve put this race together to showcase LLM teams and to provide those teams an opportunity to see what the CARS Tour is all about,” explained Chris Ragle, CARS Tour Series Director. “It’s a real solid purse that keeps cost down and should encourage teams from outside the area to attend. There’s going to be some good racing the March 10th weekend and I encourage all fans to go ahead and make plans to be at this one. There’s probably not a track in the Carolinas that races as well Tri-County. I promise you’ll see a show.”

Another opportunity for LLM teams to compete with the CARS Tour as a support division will be on Friday, August 3^rd at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, NC. The event will be part of the CARS Throwback 276 weekend as the near capacity event expands to two days in 2018. This race will once again pay $2,500 to win and $250 to start, this time utilizing the LLM rules of Hickory Motor Speedway, as it will calculated as a points race for the Hickory Motor Speedway LLM division at the track. Two new tires and two used tires will be the formula for competition once again. Expanded details about this race will come at a later date.

In preparation for the March 10^th race weekend at Tri County, LLM teams are invited to be a part of the CARS Tour Test/Media Day presented by SRI Performance on March 3^rd. This will be only time teams will be allowed to test at the Hudson, NC track leading up to the race weekend. Teams that don’t make it on March 3^rd will have an option to hit the track on March 9^th as part of the standard CARS Tour optional test day before a feature event.

Teams wanting to compete in the event can enter online in advance via the CARS Tour website www.carsracingtour.com. Entry fee for the LLM race is $100 if submitted online by 4pm on March 6^th. An additional late fee of $100 will be added to all entries past the pre entry deadline period.

Event schedules for both Saturday March 3^rd Test/Media Day as well as the Mountain Dew “Do The Dew 150” race weekend on March 10^th are available now via the series website. Teams that have event questions can call Series Director Chris Ragle at 940.393.3167. All technical questions can be directed to CARS LMSC Tech Director David “Lightning” Saunders at 434.222.0437.

For additional information on the CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the CARS Super Late Model Tour visit www.carsracingtour.com. Be sure to stay active and social with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on Twitter, and scrolling through photos on Instagram cars_tour. Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC, at 704.662.9212.

By Scott|2018-01-24T16:43:36-05:00January 24th, 2018|CARS Racing Tour, Racing News|Comments Off