National Speed Sport News

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bobby Gerhart scored a record sixth ARCA victory at Saturday at Daytona Int'l Speedway, but most of the attention went to the sixth-place finisher of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.

IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick drove a smart race in the beginning, but after she went three-wide with Nelson Piquet, Jr. on lap 53, she got punted across the infield grass and fell backread more

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Defending ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 winner James Buescher will start from the pole during Saturday's season opener at Daytona Int'l Speedway after pacing qualifying Friday afternoon.

Buescher won the Menards Pole Award with his 49.575-second lap at 181.543 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Danica Patrick - who will make her stock car debut in Saturday'sread more

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Just a few short months after earning his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship, 21-year-old Josh Richards will try to make his mark on pavement at Daytona Int'l Speedway.

Richards will make his restrictor-plate racing debut in Saturday's ARCA Racing Series Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 behind the wheel of the No. 99 Presta Products Chevrolet for team owner andread more

WATERBURY, Vt. - Ford Racing has created a $35,000 contingency program for the American-Canadian Tour.

The contingency program - tailored to support teams that have chosen to compete in 2010 with the Ford powered S347JR engine in any ACT affiliate track weekly events as well as the touring programs under the ACT sanction - is the largest contingency plan offered in the 25-year history of ACT.

"Weread more

BRASELTON, Ga. - Kyle Busch and David Ragan are just two of the racers headed to Georgia's Lanier National Speedway Saturday and Sunday as part of SpeedFest 2010, which features a 250-lap CRA-sanctioned super-late-model event.

Busch is the defending winner of the super late model portion of SpeedFest and hopes to add another victory his resume. Busch will also join Ragan in the 150-lap pro lateread more

CONCORD, N.C. - Charlotte Motor Speedway is giving competitors one million reasons to show up for what will be the largest event in the history of Legends racing July 15-17 at the quarter-mile oval located on the frontstretch at the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

The event, which will draw grass-roots racers from across the country, will carry a $1 million purse with $250,000 expected to be paid to theread more

TOLEDO, Ohio - Win-Tron Racing has become synonymous with the words "driver development" in the ARCA Racing Series, earning back-to-back Rookie of the Year titles with Joey Miller in 2005 and Blake Bjorklund in 2006 and helping to launch the NASCAR careers of drivers such as James Buescher.

But the team will switch focus in 2010, enlisting the help of veteran Series competitor Justin Marks to focusread more

DENVER, N.C. - There is no cookie cutter template to follow when chasing down an ARCA Racing Series, but Eddie Sharp Racing comes pretty close.

The team, led by veteran car owner and former driver Eddie Sharp, has been in the championship hunt the last three years running and embarks on the 2010 season with second-year driver Craig Goess ready, willing and able to capitalize on last year'sread more

TOLEDO, Ohio - Steve Arpin entered his rookie season in the ARCA Racing as a relative unknown. He was just another rookie among a sea of unfamiliar faces at the Daytona season-opener. But the credentials of the young dirt track racer from Canada were quickly verified and now, it seems, everyone in ARCA is familiar with the name Steve Arpin.

Arpin worked hard in 2009 and was named the 2009 Nationalread more

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - Brian Hoar was honored as the American-Canadian Tour late-model champion Saturday night during ACT's annual awards banquet at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center.

Hoar captured his sixth ACT championship last season behind 11 top 10s and two victories, which allowed him to edge runner-up Scott Payea. The MacTavish Award was given to New Hampshire Motorread more

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. - The Mid-American Stock Car Series honored champion Paul Neisius and many others during the tour's award ceremony and dinner Saturday night at the Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center.

Neisius captured the series crown thanks to a consistent season that included three victories, allowing him to top runner-up Bill Prietzel for the championship.

Series co-owner Dougread more

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. - Nineteen races make up the tentative Champion Racing Ass'n Super Series late-model schedule, including a return visit to Concord (N.C.) Speedway for the annual North-South Shootout Nov. 6.

The season opens Jan. 31 with the CRA SpeedFest, a non-points event at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Ga. Two more non-point events at South Alabama Speedway in Opp, Ala., and Greshamread more

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. - John VanDoorn and the Kaos Motorsports team owned by Jimmy Tenbrink celebrated their first championship during the Champion Racing Ass'n banquet Saturday at Indiana Downs.

Other CRA champions honored during the banquet were Charlie Hanna (late-model sportsman), Joe Beaver (street stock) and Tim Dilg (four-wheel drive compact).

Tyler Roahrig (CRA Super Series), Steve Stacy (lateread more

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. - The Pro All Star Series (PASS) has announced plans for a major super-late-model race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2011. The event will pay at least $75,000 to the winner.

"I'm pleased that the partners at North Wilkesboro Speedway have agreed to present this historic short-track event," said PASS President Tom Mayberry. "We are announcing the race prior to the start ofread more

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. - The Pro All Star Series (PASS) has announced plans for a major super-late-model race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2011. The event will pay at least $75,000 to the winner.

"I'm pleased that the partners at North Wilkesboro Speedway have agreed to present this historic short-track event," said PASS President Tom Mayberry. "We are announcing the race prior to the start ofread more

CONCORD, N.C - USARacing has announced that the BFGoodrich G-Force Radial will be the official tire for the USARacing Pro Cup Series in 2010 and 2011.

"BFGoodrich has been with the series for six consecutive seasons," said Jimmy Wilson, USARacing's vice President/series Director. "We are pleased to have their support through 2011. BFGoodrich provides at-track technical support and aread more

SANDUSKY, Ohio - Despite icy conditions and a number of snowball attacks from fans, Ron Miller dominated the 25-lap champagne stock event during the annual New Year's Day Hangover event at Sandusky Speedway Friday.

In the moonshine stock class Troy Anderson looked well on his way to victory, at least until Bob Gregory slipped past Anderson in turn three on the final lap to steal the winner'sread more

MARYSVILLE, Wash. - The iRacing.com ASA Northwest Late Model Tour will visit three Northwest states and British Columbia during its 12-event schedule.

Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., will host the season opener March 27 and finale Sept. 18, with a third race at the track scheduled July 24. Yakima (Wash.) Speedway will host two events, both doubleheaders during Memorial Day weekend May 29-30read more

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A record number of female drivers converged on Daytona Int'l Speedway for the annual ARCA Racing Series winter test session Dec. 18-20.

Nine women, including Danica Patrick, Alli Owens, Milka Duno and Leilani Munter, made laps during the test, with Owens putting down the fastest lap out of the group. Her 49.192-second lap at 182.957 miles per hour put her third on the draftingread more

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Chuck Barnes survived a last-lap charge from Brett Hudson at Rockingham Speedway Friday to repeat as champion of the Polar Bear 150 featuring the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Series.

Barnes started the race from the pole, but Hudson took the lead at the green flag. The pair traded the lead multiple times before Will Kimmel arrived on the scene at lap 50, taking the lead one lapread more

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Chuck Barnes survived a last-lap charge from Brett Hudson at Rockingham Speedway Friday to repeat as champion of the Polar Bear 150 featuring the Frank Kimmel Street Stocks.

Barnes started the race from the pole, but it was Hudson who took the lead at the green flag. The pair traded the top spot multiple times before Will Kimmel arrived on the scene at lap 50, taking the lead oneread more

WELKOM, South Africa - Preparations are well underway for the ASA Transcontinental Free State 500, the first American stock car race in the history of South Africa, slated for Jan. 31 at the Phakisa Freeway Circuit.

The event, which will feature a 207-lap main event for late model stock cars, is a joint initiative between the South African government and ASA Racing. It will feature drivers fromread more

Who Won What

Date Track Winner Car Laps
April 4 Concord Speedway (N.C.) Trevor Bayne Chevrolet 250
April 25 South Georgia Motorsports Park Drew Herring Ford 250
May 23 Langley Speedway (Va.) Clay Rogers Chevrolet 250
June 6 Winchester Speedway (Ind.) Clay Rogers Chevrolet 200
June 20 Myrtle Beach Speedway (S.C.) Clay Rogers Chevrolet 250
June 27 Lanier National Speedway (Ga.) Lucasread more

Who Won What

Date Track Winner Car Laps
May 23 Waterford Speedbowl (Conn.) Dave Shullick, Jr. Booth 61 50
June 12 Toledo Speedway (Ohio) Russ Wood Holbrook 29 50
June 13 Berlin Raceway (Mich.) Chris Perley Miller 11 50
July 7 Stafford Motor Speedway (Conn.) Chris Perley Miller 11 50
July 12 Cayuga Motor Speedway (Ontario) Mark Sammut Sammut 78 50
July 24 Sandusky Speedway (Ohio) Randyread more

2009 Champion: Justin Lofton

Almost from the start of the season, the battle for the ARCA championship was a two-horse race.

Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton, driving the No. 6 Toyota, found himself in a tooth-and-nail battle with Penske Racing developmental driver Parker Kligerman, who was piloting the No. 77 Cunningham Motorports Dodge.

The pair traded shots almost weekly, with Loftonread more

ORLANDO, Fla. - The ASA Late Model Series has released its challenge and northern division schedules, with each hosting a total of 10 events next season.

The challenge division will open its season with a stop March 27 at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. The schedule also includes stops at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway and O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind., before wrapping up itsread more

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Florida All-Stars Tour (FAST) Late Model Racing Series will make stops at some of Florida's top asphalt speedways in its inaugural season, which will run from February to October.

The series will open its 12-race schedule with a stop at Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, Fla., Feb. 20. From there the series will travel to five other Florida race tracks before wrapping up itsread more

PASS North
NAPLES, Maine - The Pro All Star Series North super-late-model series will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a 13-race schedule next year.

The series will visit 10 speedways in four states and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The series will visit Maine's Spud Speedway for the first time Aug. 21, making it the only new venue on the schedule.

The series will open its season Aprilread more

WATERBURY, Vt. - The American-Canadian Tour Castrol Series schedule will grow to include 12 events in 2010, three more than previous seasons.

The late-model series has added a July date at Quebec's Autodrome St. Eustache and the $40,000 Can-Am Confrontation by the Seaway in August at Riverside Speedway (formally Autodrome St. Croix) in Quebec, featuring teams from both ACT tours. The series willread more

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Prior to Sunday's Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway, Pensacola short-track veteran Eddie Mercer said he would likely retire following the race as he and car owner James Finch decided to part ways.

The 2005 Snowball Derby winner had a chance to go out on top by claiming his second win in the prestigious race, but pit strategy kept him from challenging race-winner Kyle Busch inread more