Facelift Begins At Darlington

DARLINGTON, S.C. — A $10-million refurbishment of Darlington Raceway began this past week.
Crews began removing barrier walls as the projects, which include repaving the track surface and adding a third access tunnel to the infield, got started.
The track, dubbed ”The Lady in Black,” will get a new asphalt surface after about three inches of the old surface is shaved off by workers.
Track officials expect work to be completed by November.

HANS Developers Granted Extra Patent

ATLANTA — The creators of the HANS Device have been granted an additional patent for their award-winning head-and-neck restraint systems. The most recent patent details important features of the HANS Device’s helmet anchor system.
As the HANS Device has improved over the past 25 years, helmet anchor systems have also advanced. Today’s designs are finely engineered and proven in testing to meet the stringent demands of independent certification groups such as SFI and FIA.
“Our engineering team is committed to ensure that our customers are safe and have the most up-to-date technological advances possible,” said HANS Performance Products CEO Mark Stiles. “Being awarded patents for these efforts is a clear stamp of approval.”

Nextel Cup Stars To Sizzle At Eldora

ROSSBURG, Ohio — NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Dave Blaney will return to Eldora Speedway July 10 to race against the NRA Sprint Invaders in the annual Old Spice Summer Sizzler.
“I can’t wait for this one,” said Stewart, who doubles as the owner of the famed Eldora oval. “After a crash knocked me out of competition two years ago and finishing a disappointing ninth last year, there is nothing I would rather do than to represent Old Spice in victory lane.”
Reserved seats are $20 for adults (ages 16 and up), $12 (ages 12-15) and $8 (ages 0-11) and can be purchased online at www.eldoraspeedway.com or by calling the track office at (937) 338-3815.

Dave Nichols Joins Staff At NSSN

HARRISBURG, N.C. — National Speed Sport News has added Dave Nichols to its staff as national accounts manager. His duties will include selling advertisements, creating advertising programs and establishing marketing strategies.
“I’m excited to be a part of the continuing heritage that is National Speed Sport News,” Nichols said. “NSSN brings a unique product and perspective to the marketplace, and I’m glad to be a part of its success story.”
Nichols has worked extensively with many auto-racing sanctioning bodies, tracks, sponsors and teams. He was the motorsports account manager for more than 11 years at the company now known as NASCAR Images.
Before joining NSSN in April, Nichols was the director of business development at Sports & Promotions in Mooresville, N.C.
Nichols can be reached at (704) 455-8047 or by e-mail at daven@nationalspeedsportnews.com.

NHRA Top Fuel Event Gains Sponsorship

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. — Technicoat, a West Coast leader in waterproofing and shot-blasting services, will sponsor the 2007 NHRA Top Fuel Shootout.
The “all-star race within a race,” which returns to its original format this year, showcases eight of the best-performing Top Fuel teams in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, as determined over 23 races. The event will be held during qualifying at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 27.

Green Flag To Wave On ‘Great American Race’

CONCORD, N.C. — The official start of the Great American Race will take place June 30 at 1 p.m. in downtown Concord, N.C.
Some 75 race teams featuring vintage automobiles are expected to participate in the event, which will culminate July 14 in Anaheim, Calif.
Following the start in Concord, the field of cars will head southwest to Spartanburg, S.C., then west, spending three days in Tennessee, with stops in Chattanooga, Nashville and Germantown. The race then moves on to Fort Smith Ark., Norman Okla., and then ends the first half in Lewisville, Texas. From there it’s across the southwest with stops in Albuquerque, N. M., Flagstaff, Ariz., Laughlin, Nev., and Pomona, Calif., before the finish in Anaheim.
Other kickoff festivities in Concord begin at 10 a.m. and will include classic car shows, live entertainment, food, children’s activities, merchandise booths and meet-and-greet opportunities with the racers. The Great Race commemorates one of the most remarkable automotive adventures of the 20th Century – a race almost around the world, from New York to Paris in 1908.

San Antonio Woman Buys I-37 Speedway

SAN ANTONIO, Tex. — San Antonio businesswoman Shelma Walton has purchased I-37 Speedway, an International Motor Contest Ass’n-sanctioned quarter-mile dirt oval located in Pleasanton, Texas.
Walton, who also owns J&S Racing Promotions, announced the hiring of former San Antonio Speedway General Manager Rick Day to the same post and as race director at I-37 Speedway. Walton plans to rename the track later this week.
“I see this as a great opportunity to help stabilize stock-car racing in central and south Texas,” Walton said. “To me, I-37 Speedway is a diamond in the rough. I look forward to upgrading the facility over time and providing a place families will want to be associated with.”

NASCAR CTS Sets Date For Awards Banquet

TORONTO — The inaugural season of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will culminate with an Oct. 13 awards banquet, honoring the first series champion among others.
Then end of the series’s first season will be celebratd at the Hilton Markham Convention Center in Toronto.