Category: Other Series PR

Stroud, ON – Gary McLean (No.8 McLean Industrial Design) never relinquished the lead after starting on the pole for the OSCAAR Modified tour 30-lap A-Main at Sunset Speedway on Sunday night. The win at Sunset was McLean´s second this season, and his second victory on the tour in 2013.

McLean never gave anybody in the 16 car field a chance to steal the lead, as the Conn, Ont. native held down the top spot from green to checkers and was challenged only on a couple of occasions.

“The car wasn´t perfect tonight by any means, but it was sure better,” said McLean. “We´ve sorted out a lot of the bugs from the wrecks we´ve had. We pulled it all together tonight and got it done.”

The 30-lap feature saw just four caution periods, with the first coming on lap three. Mike Westwood (No.91 Stryker Chassis) got in to Aaron McLean (No.47 Bowmanville Home Building Centre) in turn two, spinning the No.47 car.

The field ran green for 18 laps following the spin, with Gary leading championship points leader Brent McLean (No.7 Bowmanville Home Building Centre/RN Manufacturing) and Davey Terry (No.14 Wasteco/Castrol).

At the halfway mark, Max Beyore  (No.91N Beyore Racing) had worked his way in to the fourth spot with a move around Shane Stickel (No.39 MSD Machine Tool) who ran fifth. Beyore was making his first career OSCAAR Modified start in a brand new Jeff Hanley-built modified.

The second caution of the night came on lap 21 when Ryan Dick (No.88 Johnston Bros. Sand & Gravel) ended up facing the wrong way in turn two.

On the following restart, Terry laid down the power to get around Brent McLean for the second spot on lap 22 and began to chase down race leader Gary McLean for the lead.

Caution came out once more on lap 23 when Lane Zardo (No.38 H&H Off-Road) spun in turn two, capping off a frustrating night for the young Brampton, Ont. driver.

The ensuing restart proved disastrous at the front of the field. Contact was made somewhere between the top five drivers, which resulted in second-place runner Terry and third-place runner Brent McLean spinning in turn three. Fortunately for both drivers, no contact resulted and both drivers were able to continue.

Terry would battle his way back to fourth after the incident, but felt he would have been able to challenge the eventual race winner had he not been a victim of close-quarters racing.

“I´m a little bummed about, but I shouldn´t be. This was one of the best drives we´ve had all year,” said Terry. “I don´t think I would have been able to drive around (Gary), but I would have definitely been able to hold on to his bumper for the rest of the race.”

Gary explained he would have liked to battle Terry for the final eight laps of the race.

“They´ve worked so hard and the kid does a good job,” said Gary McLean. “It would have been a lot of fun. I´m looking in the mirror thinking `We´ve got Davey coming here´.”

“That´s a good thing in one way and bad in another,” explained Gary of the ultra-competitive Terry.

The spin involving two of the top three drivers allowed Beyore to jump to the outside of the front row for the restart, with Branden Bullen (No.67jr Alliston Transmission/RB Graffix) third.

Beyore challenged McLean on two final restarts, but the veteran was too strong for the first-time Modified runner.

“I´ve never driven anything that handled that well,” said Beyore. “It was really fast right away. It was just a great car.”

Bullen was able to hold down the third spot despite a late-race surge from Terry and Brad Pearsall (No.1B Plaza Kia) for his first career podium finish.

“It feels really good after the struggles we had the Don Biederman event,” said Bullen who battled back from a heat race incident that damaged most of the cars left-front suspension. “We made our way to the front and took our time. The last caution really helped us out.”

The OSCAAR Modified tour shifts to Peterborough Speedway on Saturday August 3 for the Chase for the Colours. The top two finishers from the event will be locked in to the front row for the Autumn Colours Classic. Stay tuned to www.oscaar.ca throughout the week for information regarding gate times and ticket pricing.

By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)

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Results: Sunset Speedway 30-Lap A-Main (July 28, 2013) – (Starting Position in Parentheses)

1. 8 Gary McLean (1); 2. 91N Max Beyore (2); 3. 67jr Branden Bullen (11); 4. 14 Davey Terry (4); 5. 1B Brad Pearsall (6); 6. 11 Dave Osborne (12); 7. 7 Brent McLean (2); 8. 91 Mike Westwood (15); 9. 88 Ryan Dick (8); 10. 48 Ted Patterson (14); 11. 19 Dean Scott (DNF) (10); 12. 47 Aaron McLean (13); 13. 39 Shane Stickel (DNF) (4); 14. 38 Lane Zardo (DNF) (15); 15. 79 John Harper (DNF) (14); 16. 13 Bobby Tolton (DNS).

Heat Race Winners: 14 Davey Terry, 8 Gary McLean, 7 Brent McLean, 39 Shane Stickel.

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.

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ST. EUSTACHE, Que. (July 27, 2013) – Scott Steckly returned to a familiar place on Saturday night, Victory Lane at Autodrome St. Eustache after winning the National 250 presented by Public Mobile.

Steckly, out of Milverton, Ont., staged a heated battle with J.R. Fitzpatrick as the two exchanged the lead four times over the final 65 laps of the race. However, a Lap 243 spin by Fitzpatrick in Turn 4, while racing side-by-side with Steckly, paved the way for the No. 22 Canadian Tire/Sylvania Dodge.

“It was a lot of fun racing with J.R.,” said Steckly, who led a race-high 54 laps. “We got into each other a little bit, but nothing serious. It was just great short-track racing.”

It was Steckly’s third consecutive NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 victory and the 14th of his series career. Additionally, it was his third win in five starts on the .4-mile Quebec oval.

The St. Eustache track had not been on the schedule since July 2010, but the two-time series champion was glad to see it return to the lineup.

“We were happy to see St. Eustache back on the schedule,” he said. “We’ve done well here in the past and the fan support is amazing. Anytime you can come to a race track and get the kind of support we get here, it’s great to come back.”

Rookie Alex Guenette crossed the line in the second position for his best finish of the season and now has top-10 finishes in three of his last four starts.

“We’re really happy finally to get the finish we deserve – I think,” said 17-year-old, who gave a lot of credit to car owner and spotter Dave Jacombs. “Dave was great on the radio. He kept me calm and kept reminding me to not overdrive the car.”

After recovering from the late-race spin, third-place finisher Fitzpatrick again was left with a feeling of what could have been. He seemingly has been in the mix for the win every race this season, but the breaks have yet to fall his way.

“It was about survival tonight, but third is good for us in the points,” said Fitzpatrick. “Scott and I beat and banged each other a bit there and there’s nothing wrong with that. It was just great hard-nosed racing. I thought we were going to get that win tonight, but that (No. 22) was fast.”

Ron Beauchamp Jr. finished in the fourth spot after winning his fifth career pole position earlier in the day while Jason White followed with a season-best finish of fifth.

Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, Martin Roy, Trevor Seibert, Dave Connelly and Noel Dowler completed the top 10.

D.J. Kennington holds the series record for consecutive wins at five, a mark he established a season ago en route to his second series title.

With the victory, Steckly took the lead in the championship standings from Kennington, who finished the race in 16th after battling mechanical problems early in the race. Steckly now holds a 10-point advantage over Dumoulin and has a 15-point edge on Kennington. It’s the first time this season that the standings lead has been in double-digits.

The National 250 presented by Public Mobile will premiere on TSN at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 4. The French-language telecast will air on RDS2 at 11 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 24 and at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 25 on RDS.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Sires presented by Mobil 1 is next on track on Sunday, August 11 for the JuliaWine.com 100 in the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres (Que.).

Contact:

Shon Sbarra

NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

(704) 309-5493

ssbarra@nascar.com

UNOFFICIAL

NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1-

National 250 presented by Public Mobile Results

Saturday

At Autodrome St. Eustache

St. Eustache, Que.

Lap length: 0.4 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (2) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 250 laps, 59.416 mph.

2. (6) Alex Guenette, Terrebonne, Que, Dodge, 250.

3. (4) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Ayr, Ont., Chevrolet, 250.

4. (1) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 250.

5. (16) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Dodge, 250.

6. (8) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que, Dodge, 249.

7. (3) Martin Roy, Napierville, Que, Dodge, 247.

8. (11) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 247.

9. (15) Dave Connelly, Arnprior, Ont, Dodge, 246.

10. (18) Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 244.

11. (10) Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que., Ford, 243.

12. (19) Paul Jean, St. Eustache, Que., Chevrolet, 241.

13. (14) Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que, Dodge, 239.

14. (13) Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont., Dodge, 219.

15. (9) Ryley Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 204, engine.

16. (5) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 185.

17. (7) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 138.

18. (12) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 115, ignition.

19. (17) Howie Scannell Jr., Milton, Ont, Dodge, 26, overheating.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 1 hour 40 minutes 59 seconds

Margin of Victory: .652 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: R. Beauchamp, Jr. (83.203 mph, 17.307 seconds)

Caution Flags: 6 for 38 laps.

Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.

Lap Leaders: R. Beauchamp, Jr. 1-50; M. Roy 51-102; J. Fitzpatrick 103-132; J. Hathaway 133-175; J. Fitzpatrick 176-185; S. Steckly 186-230; J. Fitzpatrick 231-238; S. Steckly 239; J. Fitzpatrick 240-242; S. Steckly 243-250.

Standings: 1. S. Steckly, 272; 2. L. Dumoulin, 262; 3. D. Kennington, 257; 4. J. Hathaway, 254; 5. J. Fitzpatrick, 250; 6. M. Roy, 233; 7. R. Beauchamp, Jr., 229; 8. N. Dowler, 224; 9. J. White, 221; 10. R. Seibert, 215.

Race Notes:

• The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will be the 29th Indy car race at Mid-hio Sports Car Course and the sixth IZOD IndyCar Series event. Scott Dixon is the defending race winner. Will Power won the pole in 2012.

• CART and Champ Car held 22 Indy car races at Mid-Ohio from 1980-2003. Al Unser won the pole for the first Indy car race at Mid-Ohio in 1980. Johnny Rutherford won the race.

• Scott Dixon is the only driver to win at Mid-Ohio four times, winning the races in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. Emerson Fittipaldi won at Mid-Ohio three times, while Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Teo Fabi, Bobby Rahal and Al Unser Jr., have all won at Mid-Ohio twice. Past winners Dixon, Castroneves and Dario Franchitti (2010) are expected to compete in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

• There have been four different pole winners in the previous five races. Helio Castroneves won the pole in 2007 and 2008. Other pole winners entered in this year’s race are: Dario Franchitti (1998, 1999), Will Power (2010-12) and Scott Dixon (2011).

• Ten (10) drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984), Bobby Rahal (1985), Roberto Guerrero (1987), Teo Fabi (1989), Michael Andretti (1990 and 1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Patrick Carpentier (2002), Paul Tracy (2003) and Scott Dixon (2011).

• Twenty-three (23) drivers entered in the event have competed in Indy car races at Mid-Ohio. Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan (11) have the most starts at Mid-Ohio among the entered drivers. Tristan Vautier (0) has the fewest.

• Tristan Vautier will make their first attempt to start an IZOD IndyCar Series race at Mid-Ohio. Vautier had never competed in any race at Mid-Ohio until he drove in a Formula F race last weekend.

• Chip Ganassi Racing has won eight times at Mid-Ohio, including the last four races at the track. Ganassi’s winning drivers are: Alex Zanardi (1996-97), Juan Pablo Montoya (1999), Scott Dixon (2007, 2009, 2011-12) and Dario Franchitti (2010).

• Team Penske has seven wins at the track: Emerson Fittipaldi (1992-93), Al Unser Jr. (1994-95), Helio Castroneves (2000-01), Ryan Briscoe (2008).

Season to Date:

• Scott Dixon swept the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader to become the active leader in wins. The wins were his 31st and 32nd 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 30th 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 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 wins in 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 31st and 32nd 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 29th race to break a tie with Johnny Rutherford.

• Helio Castroneves needs two earned poles to reach 40 career poles 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 117, which is seventh on the all-time list. Franchitti recorded a pair of top-five finishes at Toronto.

• Helio Castroneves tied Rick Mears for ninth on the all-time list by recording the 111th top-five finish of his Indy car career at Toronto 2. 

• Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 210th consecutive start. Jimmy Vasser holds the all-time record of 211. Scott Dixon with 151 straight starts, Marco Andretti with 127 straight  starts and Ryan Hunter-Reay with 102 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. 2

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

3:30 -4:15 p.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)

Saturday, Aug. 3

10:30-11:15 a.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)

2 – 3:10 p.m. – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio qualifying for Verizon P1 Award. (Knockout qualifying/Firestone Fast Six)

Sunday, Aug. 4

11- 11:30 a.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series warmup

3:33 p.m. – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (90 laps/203.22 miles), NBC Sports Network (Live)

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich.—July 29, 2013 — Racing in two USAC national events at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on Saturday, July 27, provided Taylor Ferns a couple of benefits. First, it gave her double the amount of laps throughout the day and night at the 0.686-mile paved oval. And second, and more importantly, racing twice meant two opportunities to record solid finishes, which she did, coming home seventh with the Honda USAC National Midget Series and 10th with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series.

For Ferns, the seventh-place performance with the Honda USAC National Midget Series was her second straight finish among the top-seven with the series aboard her family-owned Motor City Transport Inc. Beast, following a fifth-place showing at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado last month. The 10th-place effort with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series was her best finish of the season with that series.

“We had a solid run in both cars,” said Ferns. “We qualified pretty well in each, which is very important, especially in the Silver Crown race. As a driver, you always want to finish a few spots higher, but we are making some good strides and are definitely headed in the right direction in the pavement races. I’m really looking forward to getting in the pavement midget again soon and continuing to build on the last couple of strong races we’ve had.”

In the Honda USAC National Midget Series event, Ferns lined up eighth, after finishing fourth in the second 12-lap Scramble, which determined the outside starting positions for the 30-lap Rich Vogler Classic. The 17-year-old ran among the top-10 for the duration of the race, which was slowed by a pair of cautions. She kicked-off the event by qualifying 10th-fastest in time trials.

Ferns opened the J.D. Byrider 100 for the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series by timing in ninth-fastest, which put her on the inside of the fifth row for the 100-lap contest. After falling back a few spots early in the race, the native of Shelby Township, Mich., worked her way back into the top-10 and ran as high as ninth in the late going. The 10th-place finish marked her second-career top-10 performance with the series in just a handful of starts.

With her seventh-place finish, Ferns moved to eighth in points with the Honda USAC National Midget Pavement Championship. She is just four markers out of the seventh spot. She will return to action with the series at the half-mile Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind., on Friday, Aug. 9, followed by a visit to Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill., on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Ferns will race this coming weekend with the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at the 2.5-mile Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The event will mark her fourth of seven ARCA starts this season for Venturini Motorsports. Ferns finished ninth in her ARCA debut back in March at Mobile International Speedway in Alabama.

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.

NEW CASTLE, Ind. — July 30, 2013— While he hasn’t raced at the Belleville High Banks in Kansas, in five years, Tracy Hines has turned plenty of laps at the famed half-mile in his career. All of those laps though have come in a midget. He’ll look to use that experience this week as he not only competes in the historic Belleville Midget Nationals for the Honda USAC National Midget Series, but also in the inaugural Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series event at the legendary high-banked, half-mile.

The trek to Belleville will begin for Hines with the running of the Chad McDaniel Memorial at Solomon Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kan., on Tuesday, July 30 for the Honda USAC National Midget Series. The event honors the former midget race who lost his life at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, in 2009. Solomon Valley Raceway is a semi-banked, quarter-mile oval in North Central Kansas.

“This is definitely a busy week with the travel out to Kansas and then all the racing,” said Hines. “Racing on a quarter-mile at Beloit (Solomon Valley Raceway) will be a big difference from racing at Belleville. We’ve run pretty well on the smaller tracks in a midget this year, so we should be pretty close when we unload.”

The 36th Belleville Midget Nationals at the Belleville High Banks will open for Hines, who pilots the Parker Machinery/Powered by Toyota Spike, on Thursday, Aug. 1, with a full racing program for the Honda USAC National Midget Series Dirt Championship, along with practice for the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series. On Friday, Aug. 2, the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series will take to the track for the Hustle on the High Banks event. The 40-lap Belleville Midget Nationals finale is set for Saturday, Aug. 3.

Hines last competed in the Belleville Midget Nationals in 2008, finishing fifth in the 40-lap main event. He opened that night by winning the third eight-lap heat race. On the opening night of the 2008 Belleville Midget Nationals, Hines turned the 12th-fastest lap in time trials of the 32 entrants. He finished fourth in the fourth eight-lap heat race and 15th in the main event.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve raced at Belleville (High Banks), but that’s a place you always remember,” he noted. “It’s all about horsepower and keeping your momentum up around the banking. The Belleville Midget Nationals have so much history and for a midget driver, that’s an event that every wants to run. I’ve been close there in the past, and we’ll give it our all this week and see what we can do.”

The native of New Castle, Ind., finished a career-best third in the Belleville Midget Nationals in 1996 and matched that performance again in 2000. He has a total of four career top-five finishes in the finale of the fabled event at the high-banked oval.

Hines has made one start on the dirt with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series this season, in the Lightfoot Racing Beast, finishing third in the season-opening Hoosier 100 at the Indiana Fairgrounds in May. He opened that event by qualifying in the third spot. He has made a total of four starts in 2013 with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series, with three of those coming in pavement events.

“Racing a Silver Crown car at Belleville will definitely be a unique experience,” Hines said. “We race at Eldora, which is the steepest track we race those cars on and Belleville is even more banked. It will be a challenge to set the car up, especially with a full fuel load to get around Belleville, and on top of that you are always turning there with the shape of the track.”

Entering the Belleville Midget Nationals, Hines is sixth in the Honda USAC National Midget Series Dirt Championship standings on the strength of sixth top-10 finishes. With the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series, the 2000 series titlist is fourth in points. He has three top-five finishes in four starts.

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Hansen’s Welding Inc., Parker Machinery, Motor City Auto Transport, 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.

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

1. IZOD IndyCar Series fresh engine update

2. Dixon rounding into title-winning form

3. Servia returns to Panther for Mid-Ohio

4. Rahal’s helmet to honor Hanna

1. Dixon rounding into title-winning form:  In 2003, a 22-year-old Scott Dixon won three races and, despite five DNFs, earned his first IZOD IndyCar Series championship with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Wiser and more experienced in 2008, Dixon again claimed the series title punctuated by his first Indianapolis 500 victory.

Now five years later, Dixon has won the last three IZOD IndyCar Series events and is aiming for his third win in a row at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Is there a five-year championship pattern developing? Dixon, the longest-tenured driver for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, would like to believe so.

A perennial contender who finished third in the 2012 standings, Dixon has vaulted to second in the championship courtesy of a win at Pocono Raceway and his double-header sweep at Toronto. He’s 29 points behind Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves heading into the Aug. 4 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, a race he’s won four times overall.

Prior to the July 7 race on the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway tri-oval, he was seventh in the standings (92 points arrears).

“We don’t intentionally start the season bad, though we typically seem to somehow,” said Dixon, who has won at least one race in nine consecutive seasons. “It’s so competitive. With how many different race winners we’ve had this year, the points are jumbled up, people have made strides at different points in the year.

“I suspect there’s going to be four, five, six people that are going to be fighting for it at the end of the year. Hopefully we’re one of them. Hopefully we dig deep enough and maybe it goes our way.” 

Dixon, who earned his 32nd Indy car victory just ahead of turning 33 on July 22 to move into seventh on the all-time list, might just be reaching his prime. He’s also made 150 consecutive starts.

“Racing is still in my veins and hopefully my career is a long one and something that I can enjoy for a long time,” he says. “As you go on through your career, you have good races, bad races, lots of ups and downs. You cherish Indianapolis 500 victories and championships a lot more. I don’t know whether you know you won’t do it in 10 more years or what but the drive is still there. I still wake up every morning wanting to go to the track and race cars and hopefully win some more races.

“I think the championships in 2003 and 2008 — there were five years in between — that the ups and downs make you realize it’s not that easy to win races.”

Following the victories at Homestead, Pikes Peak and Richmond (the latter back to back), Dixon posted six top-five finishes – including five runners-up – in the final nine events of the 16-race season.

“In 2003, it was a strange deal – the first time I ever ran an all-oval series,” he recalls. “It’s fair to say I was a little reluctant to start with but also very young. I didn’t really know what I had achieved at that point. It was still a hell of an accomplishment.”

Dixon dominated in 2008 with six victories and leading 11 of the 17 races (899 of total 2,860 laps). He led 115 of the 200 laps in the Indianapolis 500 in winning from the pole.

“2008 was an all-around great year,” Dixon adds. “We won six races, won the Indy 500. It was one of those dream years. For me to look back at that stage in my career it was very cool to look back and see what we had achieved that year.

“It’s strange to have championships that far apart and look at the differences and see how you were different at those times.”

2. IZOD IndyCar Series fresh engine update: INDYCAR is providing an update today regarding the status of fresh engines remaining for each team for the remainder of the IZOD IndyCar Series season. The update can be viewed and downloaded by clicking the following link. FRESH ENGINE UPDATE

3. Servia returns to Panther for Mid-Ohio: Oriol Servia will return to the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

The Spaniard will make his third start of the season for Panther and his ninth at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (six top-10 finishes). He last drove the team’s car at Iowa Speedway on June 25 (finished seventh). He’ll participate in the Open Test on July 31.

“Iowa was my last race, and while I love ovals I’m really looking forward to getting back on a road course,” Servia said. “Mid-Ohio is a very technical track and a (road course) specialist track, but I feel like everybody in our paddock is becoming a specialist because there are so many strong guys out there. We have a test day before the race that will be a big help for us fine-tuning the car, and especially for me to knock off a little rust. I’m looking forward to being competitive this weekend and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be.”

Servia’s best finish at Mid-Ohio was fifth place in 2008 while driving for KV Racing Technology. He finished 10th in the No. 22 Panther DRR car last August.

“Oriol’s part of our family so it’s very seamless for the National Guard crew to get him back in the No. 4 car,” Panther owner John Barnes said.

Ryan Briscoe drove the car in the first race of the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader but suffered a fractured wrist that continues to heal following surgery July 15. Firestone Indy Lights championship points leader Carlos Munoz drove in the second race.

“We didn’t want to rush Briscoe back from surgery and obviously Oriol is a great IndyCar driver and does a phenomenal job working with our crew,” Barnes added. “The test day on Wednesday will be a big help and we’re looking forward to a great weekend with our friends from the Ohio National Guard.”

4. Rahal’s helmet to honor Hanna: Graham  Rahal will use a specially designed helmet in his home race at Mid-Ohio to honor his godfather, animal expert Jack Hanna.

Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, will be the grand marshal of the IZOD IndyCar Series race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio road course Aug. 4.

“I am so honored to have been invited to attend the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. I have known the Rahal family for almost 30 years and am so proud of my godson, Graham. He has done so much to support the Columbus Zoo, and I can’t wait to come to the track to cheer him on,” Hanna said.

Rahal, driver of the No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course have partnered to offer special Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio race tickets with partial proceeds benefiting the zoo in honor of Hanna’s 35-year association with the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and Aquarium.

The tickets include free zoo admission, an autographed Rahal hero card and an entry to win a VIP experience at the track and zoo. Ticket information is available at midohio.com/zoo.

Additionally, Rahal will auction some of his race-worn gear, including the special “Jungle” Jack Hanna helmet, to the zoo to auction.

***

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised live at 3 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 Mid-Ohio 100 on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 2 p.m.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich.—July 25, 2013 — Taylor Ferns has only raced three times at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis during her young career, but she knows the track like the back of her hand. She has turned countless laps in testing at the 0.686-mile paved oval over the last few years in three different types of race cars, including a Silver Crown car and a Midget. She’ll have a chance to race those two types of machines this weekend in a doubleheader at the historic track with both the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series and the Honda USAC National Midget Series.

As part of the doubleheader at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Ferns will compete in the J.D. Byrider 100 for the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series on Saturday, July 27. Time trials will precede the main event to determine the starting field. The 2011 USAC D1 Midget Series champion will also compete with the USAC Honda National Midget Series that same night, contesting the 30-lap Rich Vogler Classic, which follows time trials and a pair of scrambles to set the grid.

“Getting to race both cars on the same day is always good, because it gives me twice as many laps on the track,” said Ferns. “We were fast in both cars at Pikes Peak (International Raceway) last month and had some bad luck running out of fuel in the Silver Crown race, so hopefully we can make up for that. We’ve found a few things in the midget since the last time we raced at Lucas Oil Raceway, so that should help as well.”

Ferns raced at Lucas Oil Raceway in her family-owned No. 55 Motor City Transport Inc. Beast earlier this season in the Night Before the 500 on May 27. The 17-year-old finished 13th in that feature event, on a night that was plagued by rain, but all 30 laps of the race were completed. Earlier in the night, she finished seventh in the second scramble. Ferns opened the evening by timing in 17th-fastest in qualifying.

“We had a few things we were battling with the car earlier in the year at the pavement midget races that we have figured out now,” Ferns noted. “Now we can focus on making the most of the laps we’ll have in practice in the afternoon and really work on race set-up for the qualifying race and the feature. We were able to move forward and consistently run up front last race and we’ll look to do that again and hopefully get a finish that we can be proud of.”

In her most recent start with the Honda USAC National Midget Pavement Championship, Ferns finished a career-best fifth at Pikes Peak International Raceway, after qualifying ninth. She worked her way into the top-five just past the halfway point of that 30-lapper on the one-mile paved oval. Ferns has made four midget starts on the pavement this year, with the first pair of those coming at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida in February.

“Earning a top-five finish at Pikes Peak (International Raceway) definitely boosted my confidence,” shared the native of Shelby Township, Mich. “We showed what we are capable of at Pikes Pike, especially in the midget race. Anytime you can go into a race carrying a little bit of momentum that can go a long way. We haven’t had a lot of pavement races lately, so it will be good to get back in both cars this weekend.”

With the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series in 2013, the winningest female driver in USAC history, has made a pair of starts for Team 6R Racing in the No. 35. On the pavement, she competed at Pikes Peak last month, finishing 11th after running as high as third, before running out of fuel in the late going. Ferns made her first-career start on the dirt with the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis in May. She raced at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis last season with the Silver Crown Series, coming home 15th in the 100-lap event.

“Lucas Oil Raceway is not quite as big as Pike Peak (International), but it is a bigger track, and some of what worked there in the Silver Crown car should work this weekend,” she shared. “I’m getting used to the bigger tracks in the Silver Crown car and you definitely have to approach the tracks and those types of cars different than you do a midget.”

Ferns has also raced three times on the pavement this season with the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. She finished ninth in her debut in the series back in March at Mobile International Speedway in Alabama, after qualifying among the top-five. She also took to the track at Toledo Speedway in Ohio with ARCA and Elko Speedway in Minnesota. Ferns has four more ARCA races on her schedule this season, including next weekend at Pocono (Pa) Raceway.

Entering the Rich Vogler Classic for the Honda USAC National Midget Pavement Championship, Ferns is 10th in points. She is just nine points out of the ninth position. A total of eight races comprise the Honda USAC National Midget Pavement Championship campaign in 2013.

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.

Concord, NC (July 25, 2013) – Caracas, Venezuelan native Nelson Canache will make his triumphant return to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in the Barbera’s Autoland 150 presented by Driven Racing Oil this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park behind the wheel of his familiar Venezuelan Tourism Toyota with Venturini Motorsports.

Canache, winning driver at the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona (GX-Class) with the Napleton Racing Porsche Cayman team and three-time Venezuelan driving champion made his stock car debut during the 2012 ARCA Series campaign with Venturini Motorsports finishing 8th overall in the championship point standings.

Canache competed in all 20-races on the schedule with his best performance coming at Chicagoland Speedway where he qualified third and finished seventh.

Since returning to road-racing, Canache’s driving career has flourished with numerous victories and podium finishes in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. In addition to claiming glory at Daytona in the Rolex 24, Canache is currently leading the driver point standings in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT Challenge Class driving for the perennial high-powered ‘Flying Lizard’ ALMS race team out of Sonoma, California.

Already with multiple victories in 2013, Canache backed up his Daytona victory (Grand AM Rolex Sport Car Series) with his first career ALMS victory just two weeks ago at the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Motorsports Park. In addition to his victory at Lime Rock, Canache has earned runner-up honors at the12-hours of Sebring, Long Beach Grand Prix and most recently on July 18th at the Grand Prix of Mosport at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Hoping to parlay his recent success, Canache will pilot his No.15 Venezuelan Tourism Toyota around the 2.3 mile paved Thunderbolt road course with veteran crew chief Kevin Reed leading the charge.

Practice for the Barbera’s Autoland 150 presented by Driven Racing Oil is Saturday, July 27 from 11:20 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. with final practice afterwards from 1:40 p.m.-2:40 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows final practice at 4:30 p.m.. Sunday’s race will commence with the green flag at 1:00 p.m. EST.

ARCAracing.com will feature live timing and scoring of all on-track activity as well as live flag-to-flag audio coverage of the race.

The ARCA event will co-exist with a jam-packed weekend of racing to include Porsche Club of America, U.S. Drift, and the SCCA’s Fidelity Power Systems Pro IT Series.

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