USAC’s Bill Smith Passes Away
Bill Smith, a long time USAC supporter passed away on October 3, 2017 at the age of 87 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Smith served as USAC’s National Midget Series publicity representative in the early 1970s. He also officiated many events, served as chief announcer at multiple racing venues, worked in motorsports insurance, and published motorsports chronicles. In 1995 he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and he was also a member of the National Midget Hall of Fame. In 2007 he was inducted into the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame.
JEGS Automotive, Inc. Announces New CEO
Columbus, OH- JEGS Automotive has announced that effective October 16, 2017, Jeffrey R. Hennion has taken over as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Hennion brings nearly 30 years of corporate and e-commerce experience with him, most recently Hennion was EVP, Chief Marketing and E-Commerce officer of GNC Holdings, Inc. Hennion has also worked with Dick’s Sporting Goods, Branding Brand and Alcoa and has been a member of the Board of Directors of Briggs and Stratton Corp since 2015.
For more information on JEGS Automotive visit www.jegs.com
Hartford Speedway Up for Sale
Hartford, MI- Hartford Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt track located in Hartford, Michigan. Track owner Tim Dibble has made the decision to sell the race track in order to focus on his day job and his son, who is 6 years old and battling leukemia. Hartford Speedway sits on 42 acres of land that includes three concession stands, 18 suites, multiple out buildings, equipment and a large four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment above the pit barn. Dibble has owned Hartford Speedway for four years and has added eight suites, installed a new scoreboard and converted the track from a half-mile to a 3/8-mile. The asking price is $549,000 but Dibble is willing to entertain reasonable offers. Dibble is willing to stay on as a consultant/promoter.
For more information on Hartford Speedway visit www.hartfordspeedway.net
TJ’s Motorsports Warehouse Rebrands as SRI Dirt and Drag
Denver, NC- TJ’s Motorsports located in Denver, North Carolina has rebranded as SRI Dirt and Drag. Greg Fornelli purchased TJ’s in May of 2015, and has since acquired the chassis parts division of CV products and Roush Yates Performance Products and has merged the companies together to form SRI Performance. TJ’s falls under that umbrella but they have changed the name to SRI Dirt and Drag as it will specialize in dirt racing and drag racing.
SRI Dirt and Drag was founded as Tommy Johnson’s Motorsports Warehouse in 1979 by drag racer Tommy Johnson Sr. to serve his fellow racers. SRI Dirt and Drag will continue Tommy Johnson Sr.’s vision to be a by-racers, for-racers company. SRI Dirt and Drag carries industry leading brands like Allstar Performance, Five Star Bodies, Weld Wheels, Tiger Rearends, Draco Springs, Hoosier Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Impact Racing and many more.
For more information on SRI Dirt and Drag visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sridirtanddrag/.
Roby Helm Returns to NeSmith Late Model Series
Cartersville, GA- Long time Public Relations Director and Touring Division Announcer Roby Helm has returned to the NeSmith Racing/Crate Racin’ USA Organization. Helms joins current NeSmith Racing/Crate Racin’ USA announcer Wesley Outland. NeSmith Racing is incorporating both announcers to provide a unique perspective for their touring special event programs. Helm will be announcing from the booth while Outland covers Victory Lane interviews, trackside and fan interactions.
For more information about the NeSmith Racing/Crate Racin’ USA visit www.nesmithracing.com
Mansfield Motor Speedway Announces Dirt Million
Mansfield, OH- Mansfield Motor Speedway track promoter, Cody Sommer has announced that the Dirt Million is scheduled for August 24-25, 2018. Super Late Model drivers will compete for a minimum of $100,000 to win and $2000.00 to start for the inaugural Dirt Million in 2018. A unique format will allow dirt racing families, friends, sponsors, fans and teams to contribute to the events purse. Drivers registering for the race will become a part of the event’s contribution system though a profile page at DirtMillion.com. Patrons buying a ticket to the race, event merchandise, making a cash contribution directly to the purse or even paying a driver’s entry fee or pit pass can specify the driver they would like to contribute to and the driver who receives the most support will receive benefits including a possible provisional starting spot for the A main event.
In addition, a portion of every ticket, camping reservation, VIP suite and pay-per-view package sold will go directly to the purse. The more fans that attend, the bigger the purse will be, which also provides incentive for drivers to promote, endorse and support the race. More details will be announced in the next few months. For more information about the Dirt Million at Mansfield Motor Speedway visit www.DirtMillion.com
National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Announces 2018 Inductees
Union, KY- The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame has announced the 2018 class of inductees. The 2018 class will be inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in August 2018 in conjunction with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series North-South 100 at Florence Speedway in Union, Kentucky. The 2018 Inductees will be Steve Barnett from Indiana, Don Hoffman from Iowa, Jimmy Mars from Wisconsin, Steve Shaver from West Virginia, Wendell Wallace from Arizona. Contributors include Lee and Dottie Byers, The Cook Family and Tony Hammett.
Steve Barnett began racing in 1975 and is one of the most accomplished short track racers in Indiana. He has twenty-two track and series championships along with two hundred plus victories in his career. Steve Barnett has recently retired from racing.
Don Hoffman was one of Iowa’s all-time winning drivers and has won many titles at Mason City, Webster City and Iowa State Fairgrounds. Hoffman has collected many victories in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota.
Jimmy Mars has been racing since 1985 and has won the Dirt Track World Championship, The Dream at Eldora, the USA Nationals, the Topless 100 and the National 100.
Steve Shaver was a top STARS circuit member for years. Shavers career highlights include victories at the North-South 100, the Hillbilly 100, the Commonwealth 100, the Big Kahuna event, and multiple East Bay Winter Nationals during Florida Speedweeks. Steve Shaver retired from racing a few years ago.
Wendell Wallace has twenty-six victories with the Hav-a-Tampa Dirt Racing Series as well as victories at the Dirt Track World Championship, the Topless 100, the Show-Me 100, the Cedar Lake Masters and the Magnolia 100.
On the contributing list:
Dottie Byers and her late husband Lee own the Dependable Carburetor Shop kn Chicago and have fielded many race cars across the Midwest on dirt for years driven by some of the sport’s top drivers.
The Cook Family of Northern Wisconsin built Cedar Lake Speedway on their farm property in the 1950’s and operated the track for 43 years.
Tony Hammett from Woodruff, South Carolina is the 2nd photographer to be inducted into the NDLMHoF. Hammett served as the Hav-a-Tampa Dirt Racing Series official photographer and had his photos showcased in just about every racing publication there is.
The post Racing Around – October’s Short Track News! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.