Barber Proposes Club At Lime Rock

LAKEVILLE, Conn. — Skip Barber, president of Lime Rock Park, announced his plans for The Club at Lime Rock Park.
The Club at Lime Rock Park is an opportunity for a limited number of people, 300 maximum, to have significant track time  — with 60 dates annually to choose — from while also enjoying the company of like-minded enthusiasts.
The membership cost at The Club at Lime Rock Park is $100,000, and the length of membership is 50 years. Membership can be passed down in the family or resold through The Club.
 “My biggest fear is that, if the business and finances of Lime Rock Park are not sufficiently strong, the value of this beautiful piece of property could exceed its value as a race track and that when I am no longer around, a future owner will be tempted to convert it to a golf course…like what happened at Bridgehampton,” declared Barber.
The Club at Lime Rock Park’s first full season will be 2008. However, there are four dates reserved this fall for qualified Club applicants to sample the facilities.

Papis To Drive For Phoenix In Montreal

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Max Papis, the 2004 Grand Am Rolex Series champion, will drive Phoenix Racing’s No. 1 Micco sukee Resorts & Gaming Chevrolet when the NASCAR Busch Series makes its Canadian debut Aug. 4 at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal.
Papis, who has raced at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve with the Champ Car World Series, will replace J.J. Yeley in the No. 1 as Yeley focuses on the Nextel Cup event at Pocono. Papis made his first and only previous Busch Series start last year at Watkins Glen, starting 43rd and finishing 14th.

Brodix Tournament Attracting Top Drivers

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — The entries this past week of American Sprint Car Series Patriot drivers Chuck Hebing and Bryan Howland, as well as ASCS Rebel region driver T.J. Winegardner added some excitement to this year’s Brodix Tournament of Champions, scheduled for Aug. 5 at Knoxville Raceway.
Hebing leads the Patriot Region point standings, while Howland is in 10th. Winegardner leads the Rebel Region point standings.
In addition to the Brodix Tournament of Champions, the trio will also be competing in the 17th-annual Knoxville 360 Sprint Car Nationals Aug. 2-4.

Racing Stars Help Foundation

SEDALIA, Mo. — Racing stars from several series recently helped raise $190,000 for the Michael Ross Memorial Foundation. All funds raised by the foundation will go to the Bay Cliff Health Camp in Big Bay, Michigan.
The stars of several series, including Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Dave Marcis, Jason Meyers, Tim Shaffer, Clint Bowyer, Danny Lasoski, Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and Scott Traylor, converged to participate in a golf tournament and the Ditzfield Summer Nationals at State Fair Speedway on June 20.
Bay Cliff Health Camp is a six-week summer camp for severely handicapped children. Over the past 10 years, the Michael Ross Memorial Foundation has raised more than $1 million for the camp.

ISC Announces Staff Promotions

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — International Speedway Corp. officials announced several promotions on its executive staff.
Roger R. VanDerSnick, 44, was named senior vice-president of marketing and business operations, overseeing management of ISC’s facilities and MRN Radio as well as marketing and sales activities. VanDerSnick was formerly vice-president and chief marketing officer.
W. Grant Lynch, 53, formerly vice-president of ISC and president of Talladega Superspeedway, was promoted to senior vice-president of business operations and is responsible for several ISC subsidiaries.
Daryl Q. Wolfe, 39, formerly vice-president, sales and media, is now vice-president and chief marketing officer, overseeing ISC’s corporate and consumer sales and marketing initiatives, as well as managing the company’s media and licensing properties.

Grand Am Reports Attendance Boost

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Attendance for the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series races has been up an average of 10 percent for the first half of the season, Grand Am officials announced this past week.
Among the attendance increases, Grand Am officials noted a 33-percent increase at Virginia Int’l Raceway, and a 26-percent increase at Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Series officials announced earlier that ratings for races televised by Speed have also improved in 2007.

Watkins Glen Race Lands New Sponsor

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Centurion Boats announced Saturday that it has agreed to sponsor the Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen Int’l through 2009.
The newly titled Centurion Boats at The Glen is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12.
“We are proud of our new partnership with Centurion Boats and believe it is a great fit for both companies,” said Craig Rust, president of Watkins Glen Int’l. “Our NASCAR Nextel Cup race is not only a great platform to showcase the Centurion Boats brand but also an ideal way to reach all the watersports enthusiasts for which the Finger Lakes Region is known.”

Coca-Cola, ISC Agree To Decade-Long Deal

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — International Speedway Corporation announced Monday that the company has signed an exclusive 10-year agreement with Coca-Cola North America.  Specific financial terms were not released.
Under the terms of the agreement, Coca-Cola brands will become the “Official Soft Drink,” “Official Sparkling Beverage” and “Official Water” for 10 of ISC’s wholly owned and/or operated motorsports facilities, as well as the Daytona 500 Experience.