Category: Other Series PR

Halts 59-Race Winless NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Winless Streak

ANTIGONISH, Nova Scotia, Canada (Aug. 17, 2013) – Jason Hathaway snapped a 59-race winless streak, claiming victory in the Wilson Equipment 300 Supporting Red Cross Disaster Relief on Saturday in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 action at Riverside International Speedway.

The Dutton, Ont., driver took the lead on Lap 295 of the 300 lap event from Scott Steckly, who won the pole position earlier in the day, and survived strong competition from defending series champion D.J. Kennington and Steckly to earn his second career series win. His previous best finish at the track was fifth, achieved in the 2010 Antigonish event.

By the time the final caution flag of the night waved at Lap 279 just four cars were on the lead lap. Kennington opted to head down pit road for some adjustments with nothing to lose. Hathaway talked his crew chief out of a similar strategy.

“We almost came down pit road on that last caution,” said Hathaway, driver of the No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge. “I wanted to stay out and keep what we had.”

On the final restart Hathaway stayed to the outside of Steckly and battled side-by-side for several laps before gaining the advantage.

“That was good hard racing down the stretch there with (Steckly),” Hathaway said. “To come out here and beat out Steckly and Kennington is something. There’s so much behind the scenes stuff to winning these race that people don’t even really know. You have to have your ducks in a row to go out and beat those two guys.”

The victory was a present for car owner Ed Hakonson, who was celebrating his 64th birthday on Saturday. Hathaway’s last series win came in the Sept. 2008 season finale at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough, Ont. Despite the dry spell Hathaway remained confident.

“I know we can run with anybody week in and week out. We haven’t had the best luck all the time, but I never lost faith,” he said.

Kennington missed his second win of the season by .342 seconds, settling instead for a second place finish.

“It ended up being a good night for the Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge,” Kennington said. “We tried something there are at the end by putting on cooler tires, but they took a couple laps to come in. The driver messed up and spun the wheels on the restart, but we have a great points battle going on and that’s what we want.”

Steckly, who led a race-high 202 laps, finished third for his fourth consecutive top-five finish at Riverside, but he was not particularly pleased with the how the day ended.

“I try to race guys as clean as I can and not get into guys too often, but to get raced the way I was there at the end is kind of disappointing,” said the two-time series champion.

Mark Dilley and Martin Roy rounded out the top five while 17-year-old rookie Alex Guenette recorded his fourth top 10 of the season with a sixth-place finish while Donald Chisholm, Noel Dowler, Hugo Vannini and Trevor Seibert completed the top-10 finishers.

There was more heartbreak for J.R. Fitzpatrick, who again led several laps and ended up with little to show for it. He worked the outside groove in the early part of the race and was able get around Steckly for the race lead on Lap 95, but on Lap 166 coming out of Turn 4 smoke erupted from underneath his Equipment Express Chevrolet which brought his quest for a win to an abrupt end.

The race was slowed due to caution six times for a total of 52 laps and the race lead changed hands seven times among six drivers.

In the championship point standings with just three races to go in the season Steckly maintains a four-point advantage on Kennington while Hathaway closed to within just 10 points of the leader.

The Wilson Equipment 300 will premiere on TSN at 1 p.m. ET on Sun. Aug. 25 and on RDS2 at 7 p.m. ET on Fri., Sept. 13.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 continues the season with the Pinty’s presents the Clarington 200 on the road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Bowmanville, Ont., on Sept. 1 in a date shared with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series which will be racing in Canada for the first time.

Contact:

Shon Sbarra

NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

(704) 309-5493

ssbarra@nascar.com

UNOFFICIAL

NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1-Wilson Equipment 300 Supporting Red

Cross Disaster Relief Results

Saturday

At Riverside International Speedway

Antigonish, N.S.

Lap length: 0.333 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (7) Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont., Dodge, 300 laps, 54.318 mph.

2. (5) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 300.

3. (1) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 300.

4. (12) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Ford, 300.

5. (2) Martin Roy, Napierville, Que., Dodge, 299.

6. (10) Alex Guenette, Terrebonne, Que., Dodge, 299.

7. (3) Donald Chisholm, Antigonish, N.S., Ford, 298.

8. (6) Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 298.

9. (15) Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que., Ford, 296.

10. (13) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 293.

11. (17) Ryley Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 289.

12. (16) Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que., Dodge, 289.

13. (11) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 233.

14. (14) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Dodge, 226, mechanical.

15. (8) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 202.

16. (4) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Ayr, Ont., Chevrolet, 167, engine.

17. (9) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 116, mechanical.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 1 hour 50 minutes 21 seconds

Margin of Victory: .342 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: S.Steckly (82.727 mph, 14.491 seconds)

Caution Flags: 6 for 54 laps.

Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: S. Steckly 1-94; J. Fitzpatrick 95-166; S. Steckly 167-172; D. Chisholm 173-184; M. Dilley 185-188; D. Kennington 189-192; S. Steckly 193-294; J. Hathaway 295-300.

Standings: 1. S. Steckly, 351; 2. D.J. Kennington, 347; 3. J. Hathaway, 341; 4. L.P. Dumoulin, 319; 5. J.R. Fitzpatrick, 310; 6. M. Roy, 310; 7. N. Dowler, 288; 8. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 284; 9. J. White, 284; 10. T. Seibert, 280.

Race Notes:

• The GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be the 10th Indy car race at Sonoma Raceway and the ninth IZOD IndyCar Series event. Ryan Briscoe is the defending race winner and Will Power has won the last three pole positions. This will be the second race on the 12-turn 2.385-mile layout. The IZOD IndyCar Series competed on the 12-turn, 2.303-mile layout from 2005-2011.
• USAC held an Indy car race in Sonoma in 1970. Dan Gurney won the race.
• Will Power is the only driver to win at Sonoma more than once, winning the races in 2010 and 2011. Past winners Power, Ryan Briscoe (2012), Dario Franchitti (2009), Helio Castroneves (2008), Scott Dixon (2007), Marco Andretti (2006) and Tony Kanaan (2005) are entered in the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.
• There have been five different pole winners in the previous eight IZOD IndyCar Series races at Sonoma. Ryan Briscoe (2005), Scott Dixon (2006), Dario Franchitti (2007, 2009), Helio Castroneves (2008) and Will Power (2010-12). All are entered at Sonoma this weekend.
• Three drivers have won the race from the pole – Helio Castroneves (2008), Dario Franchitti (2009) and Will Power (2010-11).
• Three drivers have competed in every IZOD IndyCar Series race at Sonoma – Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. Dixon is the only driver to complete every lap of every race at Sonoma.
• At least two drivers entered in the event – Lucas Luhr and Tristan Vautier – will make their first attempt to start an IZOD IndyCar Series race at Sonoma.
• Team Penske has won at Sonoma four times, including the last three races with Will Power (2010-11) and Ryan Briscoe (2012). Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport have each won twice at Sonoma.

Championship Facts:

·         Helio Castroneves leads the IZOD IndyCar Series championship with five races to go for the first time in his career. Castroneves has been in contention for the series title in four of the last five years.

·         Castroneves leads Scott Dixon by 31 points – it is his second-largest lead of the season. He led Ryan Hunter-Reay by 39 points following Toronto1.

·         There are 20 drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series championship. Any driver who trails the leader by 217 points or more following Sonoma will be eliminated from championship contention.

·         Sonoma will host its ninth IZOD IndyCar Series event. The winning driver at Sonoma has won the championship once in the prior seven races (Dario Franchitti, 2009).

·         Since 1993, five drivers have won the 15^th event of the season and the championship in the same year: Dario Franchitti (Chicagoland, 2010; Sonoma, 2009); Scott Dixon (Kentucky, 2008); Sam Hornish Jr. (Chicagoland, 2002); Juan Pablo Montoya (Chicago, 1999) and Nigel Mansell (Nazareth, 1993).

Season to Date:

• Charlie Kimball won his first Indy car race in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. He was the 210th driver to win an Indy car race and the fourth first-time winner in 2013.
• Scott Dixon swept the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader to become the active leader in wins. The wins were his 31^st and 32^nd of his Indy car career.
• Scott Dixon led the first podium sweep for Chip Ganassi Racing when he won the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco. It was his first win of 2013 and the 30^th of his Indy car career.
• Marco Andretti won his second pole position of 2013 at Pocono. It was his fourth career pole position.
• James Hinchcliffe won the Iowa Corn Indy 250. It was his third win of 2013 and the fourth straight win at Iowa for Andretti Autosport. Helio Castroneves won qualifying heat No. 3 to secure his first pole of the season.
• Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Milwaukee IndyFest for the second consecutive year. It was Hunter-Reay’s second win of 2013 and the fourth for Andretti Autosport in 2013.
• Helio Castroneves won his 28th Indy car race in the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Will Power won his 31st career Indy car pole at Texas.
• Mike Conway and Simon Pagenaud split the winsin the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit. It was Conway’s second Indy car win and Pagenaud’s first Indy car victory.
• Tony Kanaan won the 97th Indianapolis 500 to record his 16th Indy car victory.
• Ed Carpenter won his first pole position since 2010 at Kentucky when he won the pole for the 97th Indianapolis 500.
• There were a race-record 14 leaders and race-record 68 lead changes at Indianapolis.
• James Hinchcliffe won the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 with a last-lap, last-turn pass of Takuma Sato. It was his second win of 2013 and the third win in four races for Andretti Autosport.
• Takuma Sato won his first Indy car race in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. He was the 208th driver to win an Indy car race and first Japanese driver to win. It was A.J. Foyt’s first win as a car owner since 2002.
• Dario Franchitti won his 30th career Indy car pole at Long Beach.
• Ryan Hunter-Reay won his 10th Indy car race in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park from the pole position. It was the second time he had won a race from pole.
• James Hinchcliffe won the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It was the first win of his Indy car career. He was the 207th driver to win an Indy car race.
• Will Power won his 30th career Indy car pole at St. Petersburg.
• Tristan Vautier started his first career IZOD IndyCar Series race at St. Petersburg.

Milestones & Records:

• Should Dario Franchitti win the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series championship, he will join A.J. Foyt as the only drivers to win at least five Indy car titles in their career. Franchitti won the title in 2007 and again from 2009-2011. Foyt won seven championships in his career.
• Scott Dixon moved into sole possession of seventh  place on the all-time wins list with his wins at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Dixon won his 31^st and 32^nd race to pass Sebastien Bourdais, Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy.
• With their next victory, either Dario Franchitti or Sebastien Bourdais will move into a tie for seventh place with Scott Dixon on the all-time wins list if Dixon does not win before they do. Franchitti and Bourdais are tied with Paul Tracy with 31 wins for eighth.
•  Scott Dixon extended his streak of consecutive seasons with a win to nine with his win at Pocono Raceway.
•  Helio Castroneves moved into sole possession of 11th place on the all-time victory list with his win at Texas Motor Speedway on June 8. Castroneves won his 28^th race to break a tie with Johnny Rutherford.
• Helio Castroneves needs two earned poles to reach 40 in his Indy car career after he won the Verizon P1 Award at Iowa Speedway.
• Will Power recorded the 30th pole of his Indy car career at St. Petersburg and his 31st pole position at Texas.
• Dario Franchitti recorded the 32nd pole of his Indy car career at Toronto 1.
•   Scott Dixon needs one earned pole to reach 20 in his Indy car career.
• With his pole at Toronto 2, Scott Dixon extended his IZOD IndyCar Series streak to eight  consecutive seasons.
•  Scott Dixon’s second-place finish at Barber was the 30th of his Indy car career. It tied Helio Castroneves, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Jr., and Bobby Unser for fifth on the all-time list.
• Dario Franchitti is the active leader in top-five finishes with 118, which is seventh on the all-time list. Franchitti finished third at Mid-Ohio.
•   Helio Castroneves tied Rick Mears for ninth on the all-time list by recording the 111^th top-five finish of his Indy car career at Toronto 2.
• Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 211^th consecutive start, which will tie Jimmy Vasser’s all-time record of 211. Scott Dixon with 152 straight starts, Marco Andretti with 128 straight starts and Ryan Hunter-Reay with 103 straight starts are the only other active driver with a streak of 100 consecutive starts or more.

At-Track Schedule (all times local):

Friday, Aug. 23

11-11:45 a.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)

2 -2:45 p.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)

Saturday, Aug. 24

11-11:45 a.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)

2:30 – 3:40 p.m. – GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma qualifying for Verizon P1 Award. (Knockout qualifying/Firestone Fast Six)

Sunday, Aug. 25

10:05- 10:35 a.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series warmup

1:33 p.m. – GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma (85 laps/202.73 miles), NBC Sports Network (Live)

Springfield, Illinois (August 19, 2013) – Poole does it again! Continuing to build a strong case for an opportunity at the next level of racing Brennan Poole captured his fifth career ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory Sunday afternoon at the famed DIRT mile at the Springfield, Illinois State Fairgrounds.

In just his third start of the season Poole led 43 laps of the Allen Crowe Memorial 100 collecting his second victory in ‘13 behind the wheel of his Venturini Motorsports No.15 Renton Coil Spring – TORK Chevrolet.

Poole won earlier this year at Michigan International Speedway and finished third at Winchester Speedway in his only other events.

“It’s awesome to win at such a historic place, especially on dirt,”Poole said after his most recent ARCA victory. “It was a real battle out there. Towards the end cars were banging into each other, hitting the guard rail and getting aggressive. My car was strong all day and I muscled my way back to the front there at the end. I was nervous on those last laps. It was tough but in the end I came away with the win and added my name to the long list of iconic drivers who’ve won here at Springfield. It’s very special.”

Poole was driving the No. 15 car which also went to victory lane last week at Berlin Raceway with Erik Jones behind the wheel.

“Last year I went into Springfield with the points lead and ended up breaking a drive shaft. It seemed everything after that just didn’t go our way. It was an unfortunate situation and pivotal moment in the season as I never got the lead back and ended up finishing third in the point standings,” added Poole. “That along with my dirt racing background just makes this victory that much better.”

Poole’s latest victory highlights his ‘diversified’ success, winning on virtually every style course ARCA competes; Dirt (Springfield), short-tracks (Elko & Salem twice) and Intermediate speedway tracks (Pocono & Michigan.)

Since winning his series debut at Salem Speedway in 2011, Poole has 26 career ARCA starts with Venturini Motorsports tallying five wins, 13 top-five finishes, 20 top-10’s and four Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell. Leading 584 laps in thirteen races Poole also earned the 2012 Hoosier Superspeedway Challenge Championship and finished third in last year’s overall ARCA driver Championship Point Standings.
 
Poole’s next and only other scheduled start in 2013 comes September 2nd on the ‘Magic” DIRT Mile at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.

The television broadcast of Sunday’s Allen Crowe Memorial 100 will air Friday, August 23rd at 11 p.m. EST on the NBC Sports Network.

The ARCA Racing Series returns to a short track next week with the Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 at Madison International Speedway in Wisconsin. It will be the 16th of 21 series races.

About Venturini Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, Miguel Paludo, John Wes Townley, Josh Richards and Johanna Long.

In 2012, VMS and the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano, among others.

After nearly two decades away from NASCAR, 2013 marks VMS’s modern day return to the series with John Wes Townley driving the team’s familiar No.25 in selective NASCAR Nationwide Series events.

Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com  |  Twitter: @VenturiniMotor  |  Facebook: Venturini Motorsports

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1.      If you missed it: INDYCAR Conference Call with Will Power

2.      Briscoe returns to Panther Racing

3.      Kellett, Pabst to move up for Baltimore

1. If you missed it: INDYCAR Conference Call with Will Power: Earlier today, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Will Power participated in an INDYCAR Conference Call to discuss the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. Selected quotes from the call are below:

Q: Will, with your past record at Sonoma, you have to be looking forward to getting back in your car for this weekend’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.

WILL POWER: Definitely. Especially the year we’ve had, I can’t wait to get back there. It’s a track I’ve had a lot of success on. Although the competition has definitely heated up this year, we still expect to be running right at the front.

Q: There have been nine different winners in the 14 races so far. Would you say that the races at Sonoma or Baltimore, where you’ve won as well, are your best opportunities to at least challenge for wins?

WILL POWER: I think the next two, for sure, are good tracks for me. Always quick there. Then you’ve got Houston, as well, and even Fontana, obviously I haven’t won on an oval for a long time. Sonoma is definitely a good chance for us. But you know, as you said, there have been nine different winners this year, so it’s really hard to predict how fast you’re going to be, and you know, who is going to be in the front and who you’re going to be challenging.

Q: You look at Ganassi, they seem to have sort of found something in the second half, especially Scott (Dixon), who is a little more aggressive than Dario (Franchitti).  When you look at Penske, you’re more aggressive than Helio (Castroneves).  Is there something you think that you can find that will allow you to be more aggressive, and that your driving style will kind of come to the car, or get to the car to come to your driving style?

WILL POWER: Well, actually, we did, we found something for sure at the last test at Sebring, which very much suited me. So we did get to work there, so I just wonder if it’s going to be possible on these lower grip circuits like Sonoma and Baltimore. But, yes, we are always aware.  We saw how dominant Ganassi was at Toronto and they were able to get their car to work very well there. I also think Honda has made a bit of a gain, definitely, but then Chevy has also made a gain recently, too. I think it’s obviously changing, but I’m hoping that at Sonoma we get our pace.

2. Briscoe returns to Panther Racing: Ryan Briscoe will be back in Panther Racing’s car for this weekend’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.

“I’m obviously very happy to be back with the team and in the National Guard car,” said Briscoe, who suffered a fractured wrist in Race 1 of the Honda Indy Toronto on July 13. “My wrist held up pretty good during the (Aug. 13) test, although the (wrist) brace was a bit of a nuisance. But we made good progress during the test and worked through our program really well. I was pleased with our pace and definitely looking forward to coming back to find more speed.”

Briscoe is the defending race winner at Sonoma and has finished in the top five each of the past five visits to the track. He started on the front row last year next to then-teammate Will Power, who has won the past three poles at the track.

“We knew Ryan was a tough guy and would bounce back from his wrist surgery quickly,” Panther Racing owner John Barnes said. “He looked great at the test we had last week and you don’t have to do much research to see how well he’s done historically at Sonoma Raceway. Thankfully, we’ve got even more time to work on the National Guard car in practice and we’re all really excited to have him back in the seat this weekend.”

Briscoe has competed in seven IZOD IndyCar Series races this season, with a best finish of 12th in the Indianapolis 500 with Chip Ganassi Racing. He replaced JR Hildebrand at Panther Racing for the doubleheader race weekend in Detroit the next week.

3. Kellett, Pabst to move up for Baltimore: Pabst Racing will add a Firestone Indy Lights entry and will make its series debut with Dalton Kellett at the Grand Prix of Baltimore, team officials announced Aug. 19.

“As a team, you always dream of moving up the ladder to bigger and better things,” said team owner Augie Pabst, who has been a USF2000 entrant since 1996. “Competing in the Firestone Indy Lights has always been on our radar, and now that it’s finally going to happen, we couldn’t be more excited to get rolling.”

With its focus on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Pabst Racing and Kellett opted to enter their first Firestone Indy Lights race at Baltimore, the only non-conflicting road course event left in 2013. Team owner Pabst said that the team’s goal is to lay a strong foundation and focus on experience for Kellett as they prepare to field a two-car team in 2014.

“Our goal is to provide Dalton with a solid and consistent race car that will allow him to progress in his pace and get as much experience as possible,” he said.

Kellett, a 19 year-old Canadian  who has already competed in both USF2000 and Pro Mazda in 2013, is currently in his second season of USF2000. He will drive the No. 17 Pabst Racing, K-Line Insulators USA car at Baltimore.

“Being able to compete in a Firestone Indy Lights race will be a great addition to my current season with Pabst Racing Services,” Kellett said. “I cannot thank them enough for their support. The opportunity to become accustomed to the Indy Lights car will be very useful moving forward, as I am looking to the series as a possible move in the future.”

***

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 25 at Sonoma Raceway. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by NBC Sports Network and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Baltimore 100 on Sept. 1 on the streets of Baltimore. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 1 p.m.

NEW CASTLE, Ind.— Aug. 19, 2013— When a driver gets in a groove they usually try to keep things as simple as possible and repeat what has led to that success. Tracy Hines is in the midst of a streak of top-10 finishes in each of the three USAC national series that dates back to last month and he extended that string to 11 consecutive races this past weekend with a runner-up finish during Cornfest at Angell Park Speedway in Wisconsin, with the Honda USAC National Midget Series and a fourth-place effort at the Illinois State Fairgrounds with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series.

In his second start of the season at Angell Park on Sunday, Aug. 18, Hines lined up fourth for the 30-lap main event. After falling back a spot in the early going, he charged back forward and used lapped traffic to his advantage to close in on leader Bryan Clauson in the late going. A caution flag with three laps remaining took the lead pair out of traffic on the final restart. Hines would wind up finishing second in the Parker Machinery/Powered by Toyota Spike.

“You never want to finish second, but we’ll take it,” said Hines. “I think I was better in traffic than he (Bryan Clauson) was, but I couldn’t get off the corner too well, with a right rear (tire) going down. I really never have seen Angell Park like that before, so I just had to move around and try some different lines to be fast. We’re close with our dirt midget program and have some more changes in the fall to see if we can get a few wins before the season is over.”

The veteran driver opened the night at Angell Park Speedway by turning the third-fastest lap in time trials of the 27 entrants that took to the one-third-mile for the event, which was tri-sanctioned by the Honda USAC National Midget Series, the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series and the Stark Automotive Group/Mid-State Equipment Badger Midget Series. He charged from the sixth starting spot in the third heat race to pick up the win in that 10-lap contest and punch his ticket into the main event, where he lined up fourth.

Hines finished fourth in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 for the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield on Saturday, Aug. 17, piloting the Lightfoot Racing Beast. The 2000 series champion started seventh on the one-mile dirt oval and moved into the top-five in the early going. Hines ran as high as third in the 100-lapper, which took a couple of starts to get going. The final caution flag of the day flew with 19 laps remaining, giving the native of New Castle, Ind., another shot to close in on the lead trio. Hines opened the event by recording the seventh-fastest lap in qualifying of the 18 drivers that posted times.

“It’s always a challenge to pass on the mile tracks, especially in day races,” said Hines. “We were able to make up some ground early and had a couple of cautions that bunched the field up a bit as well. I think we found a few things that should help us when we go to DuQuoin. We have a couple of races left and we’ll keep plugging away.”

With his fourth-place finish in the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series event, Hines continues to lead the series standings by 10 markers with two races remaining. The series will return to action on Labor Day weekend at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois, with the running of the Ted Horn 100.

In the Honda USAC National Midget Series Dirt Championship points, Hines is third, 43 markers out of second. He has 10 top-10 finishes with the series this season. The versatile driver will return to action later this week at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in the Second Annual Sprint Car Smackdown for the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series.

“Over the last few weeks we’ve raced in each of the USAC divisions and on both the pavement and dirt and really have hit on a few things,” said Hines. “We’re headed to Kokomo this week and that’s one of my favorite tracks and we always seem to run good there, so it should be a fun week. When you are running good you definitely want to race as much as you can.”

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Hansen’s Welding Inc., 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.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich.—Aug. 19, 2013 — Taylor Ferns had never raced a full-bodied stock car on a one-mile dirt oval prior to this past weekend, and in fact, she had only raced once on that type of track, with that coming in a Silver Crown machine back in May. The 17-year-old didn’t let that slow her down, as she earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the historic one-mile dirt oval at the Illinois State Fairgrounds last weekend. Ferns finished ninth with the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in the Allen Crowe 100 and came home 10th in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series.

“The Springfield Mile is a pretty unique track and I really enjoyed racing there,” said Ferns. “It was a lot of fun and I think our results showed that. We feel like we are finally getting our luck turned around this year and have had some solid finishes lately. Racing twice definitely helped and both races were just about at the same time each day, so we kind of knew what to expect weather-wise and track condition-wise.”

Ferns took to the mile oval for the Allen Crowe 100 for the ARCA Series on Sunday, Aug. 18, beginning the day with a practice session in the morning, followed by qualifying. She turned the fifth-fastest lap in time trials of the 33 entrants, but had to start the rear of the field following an accident after her qualifying lap, with the team making quick repairs before the drop of the green flag.

“My mindset was to get to the front of the field and I knew I had 100 laps to do it,” she explained. “We took it one lap at a time and one car at a time and were able to pass quite a few cars. We wanted to finish the race and run all the laps. That was our main goal as a team and we achieved it. We haven’t had best of luck this year, so to finish in the top-10 was great, especially considering where we started.”

Starting at the rear of the 33-car field, Ferns quickly began her march forward in the No. 55 Motor City Transport Inc./National Auto Placement Toyota for Venturini Motorsports. She worked her way into the top-20 in the first half of the 100-lapper and found herself among the top-15 as the race wore on. She made a trio of pit stops over the course of the 100-lapper, with her crew continually making adjustments on her car. Ferns crossed the finish line 11th; following a late race restart that extended the race to 104 laps, and gained two more positions after a couple of drivers were penalized for jumping the final restart. The ninth-place finish matched her best ARCA finish of the season.

“It definitely helped running the Silver Crown car the day before, because I knew how the track would change,” she shared. “Running on Saturday also helped me learn how to change my driving style as the day and the race went on. I think that helped me know what was coming and I was ready for it and that really showed on Sunday in the ARCA race.”

The native of Shelby Township, Mich., has a pair of ARCA top-10 finishes this year in a limited number of starts. She is scheduled to compete in three more races with the series this season, including on another one-mile dirt oval, as well as on the pavement at Iowa Speedway and Kentucky Speedway.

In the Tony Bettenhausen 100 for the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series on Saturday, Aug. 17, Ferns lined up 16th and worked her way forward, finishing 10th, earning her second straight top-10 finish with the series. She opened the day by timing in 16th-fastest aboard the No. 35 Toyota-powered Beast for Team 6R.

“It’s a lot more work racing 100 laps on the dirt in a Silver Crown car than it is on the pavement,” Ferns shared. “It was definitely a long race, but I had a lot of fun out there. We persevered through the problems we were having in the race and made it to the end and came away with a top-10, which was a respectable result.”

Ferns will return to action on Labor Day weekend at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois, again pulling double duty in 100-lap events for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series.

Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing would like to thank their valued partners: Motor City Auto Transport Inc., National Auto Placement, FK Rod Ends, Lucas Oil, K&N Filters, Lansing Sanitary Supply (LSS), Simpson Race Products, Indy Race Parts, ButlerBuilt, Allstar Performance,Stanton Racing Engines, Hoosier Tire Midwest, Lyn St. James Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation, Race4Girls and Racing2Cure.

Keep up to date
For the latest news, results and information on Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing and to view a full 2013 schedule, visit TaylorFerns.com. Follow Taylor on Twitter at @TaylorFerns and like her on Facebook.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — August 19, 2013— The 2013 edition of the Gerdau Ameristeel Northern Tour in North Dakota and Minnesota was pretty good to Kraig Kinser. In four starts, he finished sixth or better three times and had an average finish of seventh. The third-generation driver wrapped up the four race mini-series on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Nodak Speedway in Minot, N.D., with a sixth-place showing in the Mesilla Valley Transportation/Casey’s General Store/King Racing Products Maxim.

Kinser took the green flag for the 35-lap event at Nodak Speedway in the 14th spot and after a yellow and then red flag led to a pair of complete restarts, he found himself in 10th. Kinser would run just outside of the top-10 for the first 15 laps of the feature. He used a strong restart on the 16th circuit to power his way from 11th to eighth. Kinser worked his way into the top-five on lap-23 and ran in that position for the next five laps, before losing one spot to finish sixth.

The native of Bloomington, Ind., opened the night 12th in trials of the 32 drivers signed in, which put him on the outside of the front row for the four heat race. He had a spirited battled with his father Steve for the second position and a spot in the dash, coming up just short, finishing third to earn a spot in the A-Feature.

“The car really came on in the middle of the feature,” said Kinser. “We’ve always run pretty well at Minot (Nodak Speedway). That track seems to fit my driving style and we have a good baseline set-up for there. A couple of the restarts definitely helped us and we were able to gain quite a few spots.”

At River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., Kinser finished 11th on Friday, Aug. 16, in the third round of the Northern Tour. After starting 12th, he lost a couple of spots early in the race. He battled Casey Mack for several laps to take the 13th spot on the eighth circuit. Kinser then set his sights on Kerry Madsen, who ran 12th. He would take that position on the 14th go-around. Just two laps later, he would get by Chad Kemenah for 11th and would run in that spot for a number of laps before getting by Bill Rose to move into the top-10. Paul McMahan slipped by Kinser in the late going, with the latter ending up 11th.

“To run 40 laps non-stop was a little surprising, with how tight the quarters are at River Cities (Speedway),” noted Kinser. “That goes to show you the caliber of drivers on the tour and the guys we race against. It might have helped to maybe have had a caution or two, but it didn’t work out that way and we just kind of maintained throughout the race.”

Kinser began the night at River Cities Speedway by recording the sixth-quickest lap in time trials of the 43 drivers that took a time. Kinser started third in the second heat race and finished in that same spot to punch his ticket into the 40-lap main event.

At Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., on Tuesday, Aug. 13, Kinser ran eighth for most of the race, before engine problems with just six laps remaining relegated him to an 18th-place finish. He started the night by timing in 11th-fastest, which put him on the pole of the second eight-lap heat race. He finished second in the heat to earn a spot in the dash, where he came home ninth. Kinser lined up on the inside of the fifth row for the 30-lap A-Feature and moved up to eighth at the drop of the green flag and ran there until the engine woes forced him to the pit area.

Kinser is back in action this coming weekend at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the running of the annual Oil City Cup. He is currently 13th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings on the strength of 24 top-10 finishes.

“It will be nice this week to have a couple of days to regroup, because once we get to Skagit (Speedway) at the end of the month, we’ll be racing a bunch,” said Kinser. “We always enjoy this time of the year and get to go up north and see a lot of fans we only get to see once a year.”

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.

Junction Motor Speedway, River Cities Speedway & Nodak Speedway Results

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/kraigkinser11k and receive live updates from the track each and every race night.

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

Komoka, ON – Justin Demelo (No.82 EMCO Waterworks) did everything right at Delaware Speedway on Saturday afternoon, including leading all 50 laps, to finally earn a win with the OSCAAR Modified tour at his home track.

“I thought the third time was going to be the charm,” said an excited Demelo in victory lane. “But the fourth time, why not? It’s awesome.”

The London, Ont. driver set a blistering pace in time trials on Friday night where he erased Barry Newman’s (No. 1 Vipond Fire Protection) track record set in 2007 with a lap of 18.513 seconds, nearly a full four-tenths of a second quicker than the previous mark.

Demelo’s lap was just four-thousandths of a second off the all-time late model track record held by D.J. Kennington.

Klotz Canada qualifying heat races were lined up on Friday night based on time trials, with odd number qualifiers in heat one and even number qualifiers in the second heat. Both Demelo and Gary McLean (No. 8 McLean Industrial Design) won from the pole to earn starting positions on the front row.

Come feature time on Saturday afternoon, Demelo wasted little time jumping out to an early lead and held down the initial spot as he forced McLean to stick to the high lane.

The first caution of the race came at lap two when Mike Westwood (No.91 Stryker Chassis) spun in turn two. The caution would also end Dean Scott’s (No. 19 Little Track’s Petting Zoo) night as he pulled to the main pit area with what appeared to be radiator problems as the car leaked water.

The field was back up to speed for a long 20-lap green flag run where Demelo continued to pace the field. A great battle developed for the second position between McLean and Demelo on the run, but McLean was able to thwart the efforts of his challenger.

Davey Terry (No.14 Wasteco) and Shane Stickel (No. 39 MSD Machine Tool) were hard at work in a battle for the sixth spot. The two Troyer race cars battled until a caution at lap 22 for a Branden Bullen (No.67 Alliston Transmission) spin in turn two.

The field raced three more laps until a competition caution on lap 25 to allow drivers to refuel and change one tire. The five minute break in the action allowed drivers to make any changes they would be allowed to make on a regular pit stop. Drivers returned to the speedway in the same running order.

Matt Barton (No.2 MDB Racecars/The Merit Group) ended his race at the competition yellow, despite running fifth. Barton explained the grilled opening had shrunk after some early race contact, which began to overheat the motor.

The ensuing restart saw Demelo jump out to a lead once again, while Newman got the better of McLean and ducked beneath the veteran for the second spot.

Demelo opened his lead considerably as the final 25-lap went caution free, and McLean and Newman battled one another for second.

“After last night’s race, the ISMA (Super Modifieds) put down some wicked rubber for us, so that’s why we were all so fast today.”

The most interesting battle in the closing laps was for the sixth spot between Stickel, Ryan Dick (No.88 Johnston Bros. Sand and Gravel) and John Harper (No.79 Grisdale Racing Products).  Stickel held off a hard charging Harper for over 20 laps, while Dick made an impressive last lap pass around Harper to steal the seventh spot on the final corner.

Demelo, however, was in a league of his own on this day to win his first OSCAAR Modified race at Delaware in four starts.

“We’re going to try and hit as many races as we can this year,” said Demelo. “We’re going to Autumn Colours at Peterborough and maybe a couple more. We’re debating a full-season next year. It’s pretty promising.”

In the closing laps with Gary McLean glued to the back bumped of Newman, the two came upon the lapped car of Westwood. McLean made an impressive move to the outside of Newman, which pinned ‘the Bear’ beneath Westwood. McLean was able to make the pass and hold the second spot until the checkered flag.

Following the race, McLean admitted he has sized up the opportunity for the pass a few laps in advance.

“I had been eyeballing it, and Barry’s car was getting really loose,” said McLean. “I knew I was going to have to make the move there. I timed it out well. I got to the outside of him going down the front chute. Second-place isn’t bad considering were showing up and playing in their playground.”

Series regular Brent McLean (No.7 Bowmanville Home Building Centre) entered the event second in the standings. Brent ran inside the top-five in the early laps, but on lap 8 fell off the pace and pulled to the infield. Brent later explained the rear-end broke and dislodged the driveshaft from the transmission.

The OSCAAR Modified tour takes a two week break before returning to action on September 7 at Flamboro Speedway in a rescheduled event following a power outage on July 20. They will be joined by the OSCAAR Super Late Models and Flamboro’s weekly divisions.

Justin Demelo’s Victory Lane Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68MxCRcBTO8&feature=youtu.be

—

Results: Davis and McCauley Fuels 50 – Delaware Speedway (August 16-17, 2013) (Starting Position)

50-lap A-Main Results

1. 82 Justin Demelo (1)

2. 8 Gary McLean (2)

3. 1 Barry Newman (3)

4. 39M David McCullough (5)

5. 14 Davey Terry (8)

6. 39 Shane Stickel (10)

7. 88 Ryan Dick (12)

8. 79 John Harper (15)

9. 91 Mike Westwood (13)

10. 67 Branden Bullen (16)

11. 62 Darryn Wright (14) (DNF)

12. 2 Matt Barton (9) (DNF)

13. 75 Wayne Pilkey (11) (DNF)

14. 47 Brian McLean (4) (DNF)

15. 7 Brent McLean (6) (DNF)

16. 19 Dean Scott (7) (DNF)

Klotz Canada Heat 1 Results (10 Laps)

1. 82 Justin Demelo

2. 1 Barry Newman

3. 7 Brent McLean

4. 2 Matt Barton

5. 91 Mike Westwood

6. 79 John Harper

7. 75 Wayne Pilkey

8. 19 Dean Scott (DNF)

Klotz Canada Heat 2 Results (10 Laps)

1. 8 Gary McLean

2. 39M David McCullough

3. 47 Brian McLean

4. 14 Davey Terry

5. 39 Shane Stickel

6. 88 Ryan Dick

7. 62 Darryn Wright

Time Trial Results

1. 82 Justin Demelo (18.513 seconds)

2. 8 Gary McLean (18.649)

3. 1 Barry Newman (18.906)

4. 47 Brian McLean (19.086)

5. 19 Dean Scott (19.121)

6. 39m David McCullough (19.190)

7. 7 Brent McLean (19.215)

8. 14 Davey Terry (19.276)

9. 2 Matt Barton (19.397)

10. 39 Shane Stickel (19.190)

11. 75 Wayne Pilkey (19.494)

12. 88 Ryan Dick (19.625)

13. 91 Mike Westwood (19.995)

14. 62 Darryn Wright (26.193)

15. 79 John Harper (N/A)

16. 67 Branden Bullen (N/A)

The OSCAAR Modified tour is presented by a number of dedicated sponsors throughout Ontario, including: Knightworks Design, Hoosier Racing Tire, Klotz Synthetics Canada, Race2way.ca, Dave Franks Photos, Dickson Printing, Finishline Fabrication, McColl Racing Enterprises, McGunegill Engine Performance, Stefko Racing Engines, VP Racing Fuels, OntarioOval.com, RaceTime Radio, Inside Track Motorsport News, Jenco Equipment, Midas of Orangeville, Reinhart Trailer Sales, North Toronto Auctions, and South Shore Services.

Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)

OSCAAR Media and Public Relations

Contact: oscaar.media@gmail.com

Photo Credit: Dan Little Jr.