Category: Other Series PR

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing’s Charlie Kimball hasn’t slowed down even though the IZOD IndyCar Series season ended nearly three weeks ago. The California native has been busy travelling the country making sponsor appearances on behalf of Novo Nordisk.

 

Q. Have you had a chance to enjoy the “offseason” yet?

 

CHARLIE KIMBALL: With November being Diabetes Awareness Month, I’m always busy in November, but especially busy this year. Coming off the team’s success with Scott (Dixon) getting the championship, we had a pretty big appearance for Cessna, as part of the Textron Companies’ involvement with the team.  I also had a chance to talk at my high school, which was interesting. It was good to go back and see everyone.

 

I’ve also made a couple appearances for Novo Nordisk. (Monday, Nov. 5) I was in Princeton (N.J.) at their headquarters as part of a reconvening of all the patient-ambassadors. There were cyclists from Team Novo Nordisk, (triathlete) Jay Hewitt, (former football players) Kendall Simmons and Marcus Dupree and (baseball hall of famer) Lou Brock. They’re building a bureau of celebrity chefs to work on food and nutrition for people with diabetes to emphasize healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. There were chefs with Puerto Rican and Cuban backgrounds as well as Texan chef and chef Curtis Aikens and few people like that.

 

It was really neat to see everybody then and talk about our experiences at appearances across the country.

 

Q. It’s been a couple of weeks since the end of the season and people are calling you the breakout driver of 2013. In your eyes, how was the 2013 season?

 

CHARLIE KIMBALL: It was a good year, definitely. I’m not quite ready to call it a great year. With two race wins – if we had been able to close out the year with a win at Auto Club Speedway – that would have been a great year with two wins and (finishing) top eight in points. 

 

Top 10 in points is really good, and as a team that’s where we expected and wanted and needed to be. Getting the win at Mid-Ohio was huge for the team. There were a lot of guys on the team that it was their first race win as well as mine. It meant a lot to me to be part of that experience for them. 

 

I think it’s not going to get any easier next year. I’m excited about the new engine package. It’s going to be great to be a part of Team Chevy and a part of that program. We get an opportunity to drive with that before the end of the year and I know the team is working hard to get a step ahead, so we don’t have to dig ourselves out of a hole and come back. We want to be fighting for the championship from race No. 1 at St. Pete.

 

Q. Is now too early to start thinking about the 2014 season?

 

CHARLIE KIMBALL: If you are starting now, it’s almost too late. As a team, we’ve been looking toward 2014 since the end of Fontana. Maybe we took a day off or two days off, but one of the reasons why Chip Ganassi Racing as an organization is so successful is that they don’t sit on their laurels. They work continually to make things better and move forward. 

 

As far as expectations, we haven’t sat down and put anything pen to paper but we’re looking forward to springboarding from this year and continuing to take a step forward. We’re proven that when we take a step and make an improvement in results and performance it’s a one-way street. We keep moving forward rather than backsliding.

 

Q. You mentioned the change to Chevrolet, but another change for 2014 is going back to four cars and adding Tony Kanaan as a teammate. What’s that going to be like?

 

CHARLIE KIMBALL: When you have three Indy 500 winners and three series champions as teammates, being a race winner is not good enough anymore. You have the step up your game a little bit. That’s great because now I have three really good data points to learn from again and help me progress as much as possible. It’s going to be a lot of fun working with Tony. We’ve already been texting back and forth and when he’s here in town, we’ll try to get together and start building that teammate relationship.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.— Nov. 6, 2013— It was the middle of February when Kraig Kinser pulled into the pit area at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida to open the 2013 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series season. Now, nearly nine months later and tens of thousands of miles traveled, the third-generation driver is set to wrap up the season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in the World Finals. Kinser will do so with the Bad Boys Buggies colors adorning his No. 11K, as a teammate to his father, Steve, the 20-time World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series champion.

“It’s great to be teamed with Bad Boy Buggies and my dad this weekend,” said the younger Kinser. “It’s hard to believe the season is just about over. We’ve had our ups and downs this year and we really want to end the year on a strong note. The World Finals have been a really good event for us the last few years, and the track really seems to suit my style and our program.”

The Seventh Annual World Finals, which along with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series features the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and Super DIRTcar Series, is set for Thursday, Nov. 7, Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9. Thursday will serve as the qualifying night, with two rounds of time trials setting heat race lineups for Friday and Saturday. Heat races, a dash and 30-lap main event will make up the racing program on Friday and Saturday. The cameras from CBS Sports Network will be rolling each night to capture all of the action to air in December.

“The World Finals have definitely grown into one of the biggest events of the year,” said the 29-year-old. “Drivers from coast-to-coast make the trip down and the caliber of cars is as strong as we see all season. It’s a good measuring stick at the end of the year to see how you stack up against guys from all over the country.”

Kinser raced at the state-of-the-art four-tenths-mile earlier this year, during Memorial Day weekend. He finished 21st, after suffering a flat tire during the main event. He was 21st-quickest in qualifying and followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the third heat to earn a spot in the 30-lap main event at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

“We didn’t have the best of luck it he spring at Charlotte,” shared Kinser. “We got a little behind in time trials and with the way the World of Outlaws format is, that can really effect the rest of your night. Qualifying is going to be very, very important this week, with the numbers of cars that will be on-hand. We’ve qualified well just about every time at the World Finals, so that is certainly our first objective when we unload the car this week.”

The third-generation driver made his debut at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in the fall of 2002. Kinser has made a total of 18 starts over the years at the venue, picking up eight top-10 finishes. The native of Bloomington, Ind., finished third in the opener of the World Finals last year and followed that up with a fourth-place performance in the finale. Kinser has finished among the top-10 in seven of the 12 World Finals A-Features, dating back to the inaugural edition of the blockbuster event in 2007. Kinser has finished fourth or better in four of his last five starts at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. He finished a career-best second in the finale of the 2008 World Finals.

“It takes a good car and all the pieces being in place to run up front at Charlotte,” Kinser said. “I came close to winning in 2008 during the World Finals and it would definitely be a great way to close the year with a win. We want to put ourselves in a good spot and hopefully have the Bad Boys Buggies colors up front. It would be great if my dad and I were battling for the win each night. We’ll definitely give it all we have.”

Entering the final two point paying features of the season, Kinser is 11th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings. He has one victory this season and earned 33 top-10 finishes, with nine of those being top-five showings.

Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, King Racing Products, Maxim,Aerodine Composites, Sander Engineering, Integra Shocks, All Star Performance, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions,Bell, KSE Racing Products, ButlerBuilt, Schoenfeld Headers, Donovan Engineering, Fel-Pro, Brodix, Wilwood, Dyer’s, Barnes Systems, Ringer Gloves, Jakes Custom Golf Carts, and Ben Cook Racing Limited for their continued support.

Keep up with all the action 
For the latest news on Kraig Kinser, visit http://www.kraigkinser.com, and follow Kraig on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kraigkinser11kand receive live updates from the track each and every race night.

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Listen live to each and every World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event on DIRTVision.com with “The Voice of the Outlaws” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for live audio of each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series and Mazda Road to Indy headlines

1. Hinchcliffe among nominees for SportsNet honor 

2. Veach earns Community Leader Award 

3. Pro Mazda veteran Meyer signs with Team Moore 

 

1. Hinchcliffe among nominees for SportsNet honor: James Hinchcliffe draped the flag of Canada over his shoulders moments after arriving in Victory Circle on March 24 to celebrate his initial IZOD IndyCar Series victory in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

 

It was a great start to the 2013 season for the Toronto native, who was entering his second season with Andretti Autosport.

 

A dramatic final-turn pass gave Hinchcliffe another victory five weeks later in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and he won for the third time on June 23 on the Iowa Speedway oval.

 

Hinchcliffe, who placed eighth in the series championship standings through 19 rounds, is among the nominees for the 2013 Canadian Athlete of the Year Award as selected by voters on sportsnet.ca.

 

“It’s an honor to receive a nomination and I’m simply proud to be on the list in amongst so many outstanding Canadians,” he said.  “We can all be super proud of our accomplishments as athletes this year and it shows the strength and determination of Canadians to succeed in competitive environments.  Even better, it’s a fan vote and in my opinion that’s all the matters as they’re the people who matter.”

 

2. Veach earns Community Leader Award: Andretti Autosport’s Zach Veach was selected as the Firestone Indy Lights KeyBank Community Leader for being the driver who “best displays a passion for community service and community outreach.”

 

The 18-year-old Ohio native is active in multiple public outreach campaigns and continues to pour his energy into philanthropy throughout the year. 

 

This year, Veach has been involved with organizations such as STEM, Racing for Kids, Racing for Cancer, No Bull (anti-bullying campaign) and Miles Ahead.

 

Veach  receives a check for $3,000. He will return to Andretti Autosport for his second season of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires in 2014.

 

3. Pro Mazda veteran Meyer signs with Team Moore: Team Moore Racing announced it has signed 21-year-old Canadian Zack Meyer to drive its No. 2 car in the 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season. 

 

“I am more than excited to be racing and be a part of Team Moore Racing for the 2014 season of Indy Lights,” said Meyer, who finished sixth in the 2013 Pro Mazda Championship. “The atmosphere at the shop and around the team is exactly what a racecar driver needs to be focused and on point at all times. 

 

“Communication is key and understanding one another: it’s all there. I really look forward to an amazing season with TMR and increasing my experience level. One day, hopefully sooner rather than later, I can be at the top in IndyCar. I want to thank my mom for all her support and Joe Launi for making me the driver I am today.”

WATERTOWN, Conn. — Nov. 6, 2013— David Gravel has received quite an education this year competing full-time with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series. Traveling from coast-to-coast he has raced nearly 60 times against the best sprint car drivers in the world. He has a couple of classes remaining this week as the series heads to Charlotte to wrap up the 2013 campaign with the seventh running of the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C.

The Seventh Annual World Finals are set for Thursday, Nov. 7, Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9. Thursday night will serve as the qualifying night, with two rounds of time trials setting heat race lineups for Friday and Saturday. Heat races, a dash, consolation races and a 30-lap main event will comprise the race program on both Friday and Saturday. CBS Sports Network will be on-hand taping the action for broadcast in December. Along with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and Super DIRTcar Series will be on the bill at the World Finals.

“The World Finals is certainly one of the biggest races of the year,” said Gravel, who will make one final start in his familiar No. 89 FMR Racing/JRC Transportation/Musco Fuel/Model Craft J&J with a Kistler Mopar under the hood. “I definitely have some confidence going into the weekend, after winning the ASCS race last weekend. I’ll be back in my car and that’s the car I’ve driven the most this year and have felt the most comfortable in. Hopefully all of that will lead to a successful weekend.”

Gravel has competed in the World Finals each of the last three years. He was the final of 50 cars to hit the track for time trials for the Saturday night portion of the event last year and set quick time, which was his sixth fast time award of the season with the series. The native of Watertown, Conn., would follow that up with a 10th-place finish in 30-lap finale on Saturday night. He just missed qualifying for the feature during the Friday portion of the 2012 World Finals.

“At Charlotte, you always have to pay attention to where you are running and hit your marks, especially in time trials,” he shared. “It’s a tough place to get around and you have to just about be perfect in qualifying to give yourself a good chance. With the number and quality of cars that will be there, starting up front in a heat race can really make the night go quite a bit smoother, than if you are battling from the back of a heat.”

This season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Gravel finished 13th on Memorial Day weekend, coming from the 17th starting position. He opened that night by turning the 18th-fastest lap in time trials and finished sixth in the third heat race to earn a spot in the main event. Gravel made his debut at Charlotte in 2009 with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series.

“With all three classes of cars and all the cars that will be running, you really have to keep an eye on the track and stay on top of what the surface is doing,” explained the East Coast racer. “We’ll pay close attention to everything and look at some of what has worked there for us in the past and hopefully we’ll make the right calls throughout the weekend, set-up-wise.”

Entering the World Finals, Gravel is the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series. He has one A-Feature win and one preliminary feature win in 2013, along with 25 top-10 finishes, of which seven are top-five showings.

“First and foremost, we want to make the show both nights and that is not going to be easy by any means,” said Gravel. “Getting two top-10 finishes is our second goal and if we are running in the top-10, then we’ll maybe have a chance to put ourselves in an even better position. It all starts on Thursday night and those couple of laps of time trials in each of the two sessions are of the utmost importance. We’re looking forward to the challenge and will give it everything we got.”

Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter@davidgravel89g and like David on Facebook.

NEW CASTLE, Ind. — Nov. 3, 2013— Tracy Hines always wants to race against the best competition, no matter what type of vehicle he is competing in. He was able to do that this past weekend as one of the largest fields of the year assembled for the 2013 season-ending Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction for the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway in California, with over 50 cars present at the half-mile for the two-day event. The veteran driver came away with a pair ninth-place finishes aboard the Hansen’s Welding Inc./The Carolina Nut Company DRC.

Hines was quickest in qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 2, with a total of 45 drivers taking to the clock. The top-six finishers from the preliminary feature the night before were already locked into Saturday’s main event, and thus did not take part in time trials.

The native of New Castle, Ind., lined up 15th for the 40-lap main event and used a strong second half of the race to work his way into the top-10, ultimately finishing ninth for the second straight race. A total of four caution periods slowed the event at the high-banked half-mile.

Hines finished third in the first heat race earlier in the evening, but with just the top-two transferring to the main event, he found himself in the first B-main. He would win that 12-lap contest to secure a spot in the A-Feature.

In the opener of the Oval Nationals on Friday, Nov. 1, Hines came home ninth in the 30-lap preliminary feature. He lined up 15th in the feature that saw a red flag on the fifth circuit, followed by a 10-lap stretch of racing and another caution flag period on lap-15. The remaining 15 circuits went non-stop. Hines worked his way into the top-10 in the opening four laps.

The 2002 Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series champion was 16th-fastest in time trials on the first night of the Oval Nationals. He lined up third in the first heat race and came home fourth in that 10-lap contest to earn a spot in the 30-lap preliminary feature.

Hines wrapped up the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series season sixth in points. He was victorious twice, with both of those wins coming in the season-opening three-night event at Bubba Raceway Park in Florida. In his first season driving his self-owned machine, Hines picked up 19 top-10 finishes, with eight of those being top-five performances.

“For the first year of running our own deal, it was a respectable season,” said Hines. “We a couple of wins early and would have liked to have won a few more. We had a few chances and things just didn’t fall into place. With the level of competition we face every night, it’s no easy task and we know some of the things we have to work on in the winter and when we get home in a few weeks, we’ll get on it and start getting ready for next season.”

After taking next weekend off, Hines will return to action the following week at Canyon Speedway Park in Arizona, in the running of the famed Western World Championships, which will feature the Honda USAC National Midget Series and the USAC Southwest and West Coast Sprint Car Series.

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Hansen’s Welding Inc., The Carolina Nut Company, Parker Machinery, Turbines, Inc., Afco Racing Products, Daum Crop Insurance, Schoenfeld Headers, Allstar Performance, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers and Bell Racing.

For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter atwww.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.

NEW CASTLE, Ind. (Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013) – With two laps to go in the Dan Wheldon Pro Am Karting Challenge, five karts had a chance to come away with the win.

 

But shortly after the white flag, the lead three karts made contact, sending two into the grass and allowing Big Machine Records’ Marino Franchitti and Machine of Awesome’s Ed Carpenter to sneak by and take the checkered flag.

 

“I saw they had a bit of an issue in the front and it was able to get me back in the lead and that was enough to hold on,” said Franchitti, who was filling in for his brother Dario. “It was just great racing all days and a great way to celebrate Dan and his life. I just wish he were here racing with us because he would have been kicking all of our arses.”

 

Though Franchitti’s kart — which he shared with Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta, Mark Borchetta and Clive Wheldon, father of Dan Wheldon — was the first to take the checkered flag. Officials originally ruled it had short cut the course on the final lap. 

 

After determining that the Big Machine kart had not been the offending team, officials declared both Big Machine and Machine of Awesome co-winners of the 100-minute charity race, which saw each team compete in four segments driven by a different Pro or Amateur driver.

 

“We got second,” said Carpenter, who teamed with Target Chip Ganassi Racing crew members Blair Julian and Adam Rovazzini and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports crew member Taylor Kiel. “There was a timing issue at the end. It was really good racing. It was a really good event and something we can continue for a long time.

 

“We raced against each other all year long, but this is a more relaxed setting and we were able to raise money for a charity that Dan loved — The Alzheimer’s Association. I feel like we did a lot of good today.”

 

“We got second,” said Carpenter, who teamed with Target Chip Ganassi Racing crew members Blair Julian and Adam Rovazzini and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports crew member Taylor Kiel. “There was a timing issue at the end. It was really good racing. It was a really good event and something we can continue for a long time.

 

“We raced against each other all year long, but this is a more relaxed setting and we were able to raise money for a charity that Dan loved — The Alzheimer’s Association. I feel like we did a lot of good today.”

 

Teams were allowed to buy their way back on to the lead lap by donating to the Alzheimer’s Association, which helped cause further confusion over the final segment.

 

Second-place was awarded to the American Honda team of Josef Newgarden, Dave Furst, Dan Layton and 16-year-old kart racer Chase Jones. Third-place was the SG Football Helmets/AL Consulting team of Tristan Vautier, Anton Julian, P.J. Chesson and Mark Dismore Jr.

 

The biggest winner, of course, was the Alzheimer’s Association, which was the beneficiary of the $100,000 raised by the event’s sponsors and participants.

 

“Overall, I’m so happy and just feel blessed to be part of this and carry on Dan’s legacy in so many ways, no only his passion for racing, but also to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s,” said Wheldon’s widow, Susie, who organized the event.

 

QUOTESHEET:

 

CONOR DALY (IMS Team): “It was a lot of fun (racing against James Hinchcliffe and Zach Veach). We knew Zach would be fast because he’s so small. Luckily, he stuck with the game and kept pushing one of us. I got caught out with the traffic at the end (of his stint) and lost them. It was a lot of fun and this is some of the most fun we get to have at the kart track. To get a lot of INDYCAR guys out here is awesome and I’m glad they put this event on. I’m sure Susie is getting a kick out of it. This sport is a big family and we’re out here to enjoy it and that’s the best part.”

 

ZACH VEACH (Bell Racing USA Team): “It was a lot of fun. I think I have a slight weight advantage on those guys, but I wanted to make sure I could stay with them and have some fun in the pack. Hinch, Conor and I swapped positions almost every lap. The karts looked really nice before we started our run, but now all three are destroyed. You give us something nice and we proved today, we can’t take care of it.”

 

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (Go Daddy team): “We had a good starting spot (teammates) Ben (Smith) and Cole (Carter) did a good job getting the No. 27 kart up to the front. Took the lead and I can’t say I never looked back because I spent half the race looking back at Zach and Conor kicking my ass. We definitely weren’t the fastest kart but we used some crafty gamesmanship and basically won (the stint) on the fact Zach had no idea when the last lap was. He would have driven around me like I was standing still.” (About racing in the event): “It’s an honor to come out here and participate in something Dan loved doing and for a cause close to his heart. It means a lot to all of us. We’re a close community and to see everybody come out after the season is done. Basically they took our Indy cars away from us and we needed something else to drive. This was a good excuse to get everyone together again and it’s a great cause. It was kind of Susie to invite us all to drive.”

 

TRISTAN VAUTIER (SG Football Helmets/AL Consulting team): “It’s a honor to be able to race here for the Alzheimer’s Association and in honor of Dan and have fun at the same time. It makes for a great event and I’m happy to be here. I had a lot of fun in my stint. I raced hard with everyone out there.”

 

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (American Honda team): “The lead-off stint went great. The Honda-powered kart ran incredibly well. I finished second in my stint. They didn’t throw the white flag and I didn’t know when the race would end. Other than that, it was a great day.”

 

SCOTT DIXON (Target team): “It was fun and a bit crazy. We had a good start and got up to fourth with some hard racing. I just caught a bit of the edge of the track in the last corner and spun, so I had to chase my way back to the front. It looked like a good show, especially in the final segment and good for everyone to watch. To race for Dan and Susie and with all the sponsors on board, is what it’s all about.”

 

JR HILDEBRAND (GoDaddy team): “We started up in the front, but got caught up in the melee at the beginning. It would have been fun to run with everybody, but instead, we ended up backwards and half a track behind. It’s great to be out here and have fun. It was a good day at the track.”

 

MARTIN PLOWMAN (Eli Lilly): “I was trying to be clever. Second place was going to try to dive-bomb the first place and I was going to do the classic outside-inside switch-around. I nearly came away with it, but those two came across the track and hit me so hard I was heading for the flagger. I saw him drop the flag and run away faster than Usain Bolt.”

NEW CASTLE, Ind. — Oct. 27, 2013— Tracy Hines knows how to get around Canyon Speedway Park — plain and simple. After picking up three wins in 2012 at the track, he returned this past weekend looking to add to his impressive stats at the Arizona oval. Hines would run up front both nights of the 13th Annual Hose Advantage Hall of Fame Classic, ultimately recording a pair of runner-up finishes with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series aboard The Carolina Nut Company/Hansen’s Welding Inc. DRC.

In the finale of the two-night event on Saturday, Oct. 26, the 2002 Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series champion, started on the pole and led the opening lap, before eventual race winner Chase Stockon got around him. Hines made up some ground on the leader in the late going, and tried everything he could to track Stockon down, but had to settle for second. The main event started with a pair of cautions that led to two complete restarts. A total of four yellow flag periods slowed the A-Feature.

“It was a tough second, because I had such a good car,” said Hines. “When the track laid rubber, I was in conserve mode. I caught him (Chase Stockon) once in traffic, and I backed off a little bit because I saw him smoking his tire. We kind of thought he’d burn it off, and I ran him down when I saw the five-to-go. There just wasn’t much more I could do once I got there. I was surprised it laid rubber like that, and that’s unfortunate, but it was a good racing weekend for everybody.”

Hines opened the final night of the Hall of Fame Classic by turning the eighth-fastest lap in time trials of the 30 entrants. He lined up fifth in the fourth heat race and finished fourth in that eight-lap contest to punch his ticket into the main event, where he would start on the pole.

The opener of the Hall of Fame Classic on Friday, Oct. 25, found Hines using a late race restart to his advantage to move into the second spot, before running out of laps as he tried to chase down eventual winner Bryan Clauson. Hines started seventh in the 30-lap A-Feature and methodically worked his way to the front. A red flag on the initial start led to complete restart. A handful of cautions slowed the race, with the final one on lap-28, setting up a three-lap shootout.

“I felt like I was in the best spot while we were in traffic, even while I was in fourth, since they couldn’t see me working the bottom,” said Hines. “I was okay on the top, but I didn’t really have a shot to get to the leaders, so I started looking around on the track. I found something in (turns) one and two earlier, and then later I hit on something in (turns) three and four. The yellows (caution flag periods) didn’t help, because I was going good as we hit traffic.”

Hines kicked-off the Hall of Fame Classic by timing in seventh-quickest. The veteran driver came home third in the third heat race to transfer directly into the main event.

Following his two runner-up finishes at Canyon Speedway Park, Hines remains sixth in the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series standings. He has a pair of wins this season, along with 17 top-10 finishes. The 2013 Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series season comes to an end next weekend at Perris Auto Speedway in California, with the running of the Budweiser Oval Nationals.

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Hansen’s Welding Inc., The Carolina Nut Company, Parker Machinery, Turbines, Inc., Afco Racing Products, Daum Crop Insurance, Schoenfeld Headers, Allstar Performance, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers and Bell Racing.

For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter atwww.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.

WATERTOWN, Conn. — Oct. 28, 2013— At an event like the COMP Cams Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., with over 100 car in attendance, a driver must have a fast car to be in contention, and they also need quite a bit of luck on their side. David Gravel had a strong car and plenty of speed throughout the event, as evidenced by his sixth-place finish on the second preliminary night, but he also had more than his fair share of bad luck getting caught up in accidents in both the finale and the inaugural edition of the Short Track Nationals Open that kicked-off the event.

The Short Track Nationals marked Gravel’s first event behind the wheel of the No. 82 Buffalo Wild Wings machine for Blazin Racing, owned by Todd and Susan LaHaise. He ran among the top-10 in each of the three main events he took part in over the course of his second visit to I-30 Speedway for the mega-event sanctioned by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) presented by MAVTV American Real.

“We were pretty fast right off the bat,” said Gravel. “We didn’t have any major hiccups or anything like that. I got spun on the first night and then was in a wreck on the final night, but we definitely had speed. We made the show each night and with as many cars as there were at Little Rock (I-30 Speedway) that was an accomplishment in itself. There were a lot of good drivers that were watching the main event each night.”

The Short Track Nationals opened on Wednesday, Oct. 23, with the running of the inaugural Short Track Nationals Open that saw 95 drivers sign in for action. Gravel opened the night by charging from the fifth starting spot to finish second in the second heat race. By way of event and passing points, the native of Watertown, Conn., would line up eighth for the 25-lap main event. Gravel was running eighth on the lap-19, when he was spun by another car. After restarting at the back of the field, he worked his way back to finish 13th.

Gravel returned to the track on Friday, Oct. 25, for the second preliminary night of the Short Track Nationals. He lined up sixth for the 25-lap main event and ran as high as fifth over the course of the 25-lapper, which were slowed by an early red flag and then a caution, with the remainder of the contest going non-stop. Gravel would take the checkered flag in sixth, which would put him on the front row of the second B-main on the final night.

The 21-year-old opened his qualifying night at the Short Track Nationals by powering his way from fifth to second in the third heat race and also ran second in the third qualifier. That placed him on the outside of the third row for the preliminary feature.

Gravel finished second in the second B-main on Saturday, Oct. 26, to secure a spot in the 40-lap, $15,000-to-win finale of the COMP Cams Short Track Nationals. The East Coast racer started ninth in the main event and was running seventh on a restart at the halfway point, when he was pinched into the wall, sustaining too much damage to continue on. Gravel was scored 15th in the final rundown.

“We were pretty fortunate with our starting spot each night,” he stated. “Every heat race and qualifier we were in went pretty smooth and we were able to pass quite a few cars. With the format the way it is, passing cars early in the night is pretty important. Obviously, the weekend didn’t end how we were hoping, but we had a good car and if a few breaks would have gone our way, we would have been right up there. We’ll be back at it this weekend and hopefully running up front both nights.”

Gravel will return to action this coming weekend aboard the No. 82 Buffalo Wild Wings machine with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) presented by MAVTV American Real at El Paso Speedway Park in Texas and Southern New Mexico Speedway.

Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter@davidgravel89g and like David on Facebook.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series and Mazda Road to Indy headlines

1. Pocono race gets extended to 500 miles

2. Dixon, Wilson nominated for Autosport Awards

3.  Competition continues after season’s end

4. Boy Scouts do a good deed

1. Pocono race gets extended to 500 miles: INDYCAR fans in the northeast will get more racing on July 4 weekend.

Pocono Raceway announced its IndyCar Series event will be called the Pocono INDYCAR 500 fueled by Sunoco, and add 100 miles (50 laps) to the series’ return to the “Tricky Triangle.”

“I’m very excited about these changes for 2014,” said Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President and CEO. “After last year’s IndyCar Series race, droves of open-wheel fans immediately took to our social media channels, sent emails, called us to let us know they wanted more.

“The fans spoke, we listened and we made some changes. The one thing not changing next season, however, will be the ticket prices to see these great, competitive events!”

The historic return of Indy car racing to Pocono Raceway in 2013 started with  Pennsylvania-native  Marco Andretti breaking the track qualifying record and saw a race featuring daring passes, average lap speeds surpassing 196 miles per hour and a late-race strategy which paid off in victory.

2013 IZOD IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon won the long anticipated 400-mile race and kicked off a mid-season reawaking, which eventually led to his third championship.

“I think this is really exciting for Pocono, the drivers and all the Indy car fans out there,” Dixon said. “It will certainly change the race strategy at Pocono next year, for sure. This year’s race was highly competitive and the addition of 100 miles is going to make it even better.”

It also means that the three Fuzzy’s Triple Crown races – Indianapolis 500, Pocono INDYCAR 500 and MAVTV 500 – will all be the traditional 500-mile races.

Any driver who wins all three races – a feat only accomplished by Al Unser in 1978 – will earn a $1 million bonus from Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka. A driver who wins two of the three will receive a $250,000 bonus.

“I’ve also been a huge fan of the (Fuzzy’s) Triple Crown races,” Dixon said. “And we now have a more defined title with three 500-mile events with history and prestige on the line.”

2. Dixon, Wilson nominated for Autosport Awards: Scott Dixon and Justin Wilson are among the nominees for an Autosport Award in 2013.

Dixon is nominated in the International Racing Driver of the Year category. Wilson is among the nominees for British Competition Driver of the Year.

“It’s such an honor to be nominated, but looking at the other nominees, it could be tough to win the vote,” Dixon said. “I’ve never been to the Autosport Awards, so I’m hoping that I will be able to go over and attend.”

3. Competition continues after season’s end: Just because the 2013 INDYCAR season has ended doesn’t mean drivers can’t feed their competitive fire.

Tony Kanaan, who concluded the IZOD IndyCar Series season Oct. 19 with a third-place finish in the 500-mile MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway in California, will compete in another endurance event Oct. 27 when the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion will consecutively swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles in the City Bikes IROMAN 70.3 Miami.

Kanaan has been participating in IRONMAN events the past few years, including the world championships in Hawaii. It’s the fourth straight year he’s competed in his hometown’s 70.3 event.

“Miami is the best city in the whole world,” said Kanaan during an interview for the IRONMAN 70.3 Miami Press Conference. “I live in Miami. I could live anywhere; but nowhere compares to the weather, the people, the party or just relaxing by the beach. IRONMAN 70.3 Miami adds so much life to the city.”

Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda champion Scott Hargrove, a Team Canada Scholarship driver, will compete in the 42nd Formula Ford Festival this weekend at Brands Hatch in England.

Joey Bickers and Jake Eidson, Team USA Scholarship winners, also will drive.

The following weekend at Silverstone is the 13th Walter Hayes Trophy race in which Freedom 100 winner Peter Dempsey will compete. Last year, Team USA Scholarship driver Tristan Nunez won the Grand Final. All competitors race Formula Ford 1600 cars.

Ryan Briscoe, who competed in seven IZOD IndyCar Series races this past season, will compete in the V8 Supercars Armor All Gold Coast 600 this weekend in Surfers Paradise, Australia.

The Sydney native, who won the last Indy car race on the circuit in 2008, will co-drive with Russell Ingall in the final round of the Pirtek Enduro Cup. They teamed to finish 17th in the Oct. 13 Bathurst 1000.

4. Boy Scouts do a good deed: The Boy Scouts of America have created a “Get Well, Justin” blog on which you can send a message to the IZOD IndyCar Series driver, who is recuperating and rehabilitating at home from injuries suffered in the MAVTV 500 on Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway.

“It has been amazing, several of the drivers came and visited me in the hospital and everyone has called, tweeted, or texted me just saying ‘get well fast’. It has been a little overwhelming,” Wilson said. “I’d like to respond to everyone, but I think it would be impossible! I am grateful for the support, and it is really encouraging for me.”