Note: The American Flat Track Series is also scheduled to perform on at New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s 1/4-mile dirt track on the north side of the venue behind the Northeast Motorsports Museum on NH Rt. 106 North during the two week Laconia Bike Week in southern NH in Mid-June.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 24, 2020) – In accordance with the ongoing safety protocols recommended by the CDC, national and state officials, American Flat Track will postpone the May 30 Red Mile at The Red Mile in Lexington, K.Y.
As with previous events, fans who have purchased tickets in advance for the Red Mile will receive a credit valid for any AFT Events race within the next 18 calendar months. AFT will communicate its full updated race schedule following the release of updated federal social distancing guidelines expected at the end of April.
(Stafford Springs, CT)—With Stafford Speedway set to host the fifth round of the eStafford Speedway iRacing Series presented by All Phases Renovations tonight at 7pm, the series will be looking to add a fifth different winner in five events. Stafford regulars have won three of the first four races with Teddy Hodgdon, Bryan Narducci, and Michael Christopher, Jr. each recording a victory while Matthew Kimball scored an upset win on April 10. Kimball had to earn a starting spot in the Friday night feature with a victory in a preliminary race, which are presented by Horton Group, LLC., on Wednesday night.
With the first four races of the All Phases iRacing Series taking place with SK Modified® cars running 80-lap feature events, tonight’s race will feature Street Stocks racing for a feature distance of 50-laps. That will be followed by a 60-lap Late Model race on May 1, an 80-lap Tour Modified race on May 8, and an Invitational 80-lap Tour Modified race on May 15. Friday night winners will be automatically qualified for the Invitational race on May 15 and additional criteria for making the Invitational field will be announced.
Here are some thoughts from each of the four iRacing feature winners thus far.
Teddy Hodgdon: “We won the first race, finished second in the last race, and we’ve been right up there in all four races running with the best. It’s pretty cool to be able to see our driving skills translate from real life to the virtual world. The last race we ran second for most of the race and really never made a move for the lead and that’s on me, but you live and learn. Every Friday night in real life you have to take things one race at a time and I’m trying to do the same thing in the virtual world. It’s always good to have something else to run than the SK’s to get a new feel for a different type of car and maybe we’ll see some different drivers coming to the front in these different styles of cars in these upcoming races. It’s pretty cool that All Phases Renovations is putting up some purse money for us and it’s always a goal to win when there’s some extra cash on the line.”
Bryan Narducci: “It was really cool to win against good competition and against a wide variety of drivers. I hope we get back to real racing soon and I think it’s really cool that All Phases Renovations is putting up a purse for us to go racing for.”
Matthew Kimball: “The iRacing experience has been awesome. Not just to make it and be in the show but to have luck on my side and pull off a win! It was pretty nice to win some money from All Phases Renovations and I’m super excited for the upcoming races.”
Michael Christopher, Jr.: “I like that Stafford is putting these races on to give us something to do and give the fans something to watch even if it’s not real racing. I’ve been on iRacing for a while now so it’s pretty cool to see everyone jumping on that bandwagon right now to help promote racing. Winning the race was really cool and having All Phases Renovations putting up some money for us to win was awesome. I think doing iRacing for so long now kind of gives me a little bit of an advantage but other drivers catch on really quickly, especially the younger guys. I’m looking forward to the other races coming up, especially the Tour modified feature. With the Tour modified, you can really move around the track and try different lines and you have to really manage the tires.
The first four races of the eStafford Speedway iRacing Series Presented by All Phases Renovations have featured close and exciting races and finishes. Christopher was disqualified from a win on May 10 but he came back and executed a perfect last lap pass on Troy Talman to win Round 4 last Friday night. With Street Stocks on the menu for tonight’s Round 5, the action is sure to be just as exciting and intense as the first four races that were run with SK Modified® cars.
Round 5 of the eStafford Speedway iRacing Series Presented by All Phases Renovations kicks off tonight at 7pm. Be sure to tune to Stafford Speedway’s YouTube channel to watch all the action.
For more information, visit www.staffordspeedway.com, checkout Stafford Speedway on Facebook or Twitter, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
Source: Scott Running/Stafford Speedway
Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com
While on the surface, the F1 French Grand Prix is in line to finally kick off the Formula 1 season in June, it appears more likely that race will join a growing list of Formula 1 races that have either been postponed or canceled.
The series has already had nine postponements, including two cancellations (Australia and Monaco) in the 22-race season. The June 28 race at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France is next on the schedule.Related Story
However, France is still in lockdown due to the novel coronavirus until at least May 11, and the French government has suggested that the ban on large gatherings there will continue through at least mid-July.
France’s other major sporting event of the summer, cycling’s Tour de France, was originally scheduled to begin on June 27. That event has already been postponed until Aug. 29-Sept. 20, and Cycling News is reporting this week that even the August-September timeline is looking unrealistic.
One option that is gaining a little traction would be to run the F1 French Grand Prix without spectators. Race organizers are saying that the only way they would even consider that option would be to tear up the original race sanctioning deal and come up with a new contract for less money.Related Story
“Today, we are obviously in contact with the promoter,” Nicolas Deschaux, president of France’s Federation Francaise de Sport Automobile, or FFSA, told radio outlet Europe 1. “We are in the evaluation stage and looking at various possible scenarios, but also awaiting details of the measures that have been announced.
“For the promoter, in this case the GIP, the very basis is the contract signed with FOM (Formula 1 Management) the main revenue is from the ticket office. So except to review the model, it is difficult to see that a local promoter could hold a Grand Prix behind closed doors.”
MADRID — Formula One organizers are open to renegotiating hosting fees for races that may take place without fans this season because of the coronavirus pandemic, the general manager of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya said.
Joan Fontsere told The Associated Press that Liberty Media is “conscious” that if races need to go on without fans the contracts with event promoters will have to be somehow renegotiated.
“They are conscious that this is an exceptional situation,” Fontsere said. “We are obviously on the same page. If they want to keep some races on because of the TV rights, because of the teams … they know that our income (will be reduced), they realize that this year it will be like that, so for sure we are on the same page.”
He said Spanish Grand Prix organizers at this moment are not even considering a race with fans in Barcelona. He said it’s not only ticket sales that would be affected if the event goes on with empty stands and no hospitality suites.
“When the Catalan government invests in F1, it’s not only for the tickets that we sell, it’s also for the financial impact that the event has in the country, in Catalonia,” Fontsere said. “The economic impact for the country will be very reduced. It means no income for taxis, for hotels … so that changes completely the agreement between the two parties.”
Liberty Media did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Spanish GP brings in more than 160 million euros ($173 million) to the region, with the total of its financial impact during the year nearing 300 million euros ($325 million), according to data from the track. The attendance for last year’s race-weekend surpassed 160,000 people.
Fontsere said he received a couple of phone calls from F1 CEO Chase Carey to discuss possible solutions for the Spanish GP. He said Carey said the series is trying to run as many races as possible, but it was still too early to know when the season would actually resume, whether it would be in the summer or only in the fall.
Nine of the 22 races have already been postponed or canceled, and F1 recently put half of its staff on furlough until the end of May. Some teams also took similar actions to reduce costs.
F1 organizers have said they hope to hold between 15 and 18 races this year. The Australian GP and the Monaco GP have already been canceled.
Fontsere said the Spanish GP is “completely at the disposal” or organizers and is open to all proposals, be it doubleheaders, shortened weekends or almost anything else other than running on a reverse layout, as that would require too many complex changes to the track and could pose safety concerns.
Among the ideas reportedly being discussed in F1 is to have two or three consecutive races at the same circuit and to use fewer days of on-track activities. There were also talks about changing the format of qualifying and even races.
“We need to reduce two things: costs and risks,” Fontsere said. “So the fewer people we move, the smaller the risk, and the fewer days we use and the fewer activities we do, the lower the costs. It’s an exceptional season and exceptional decisions need to be taken.”
He said it is key to have as many races as possible this year in order to have a strong 2021 season, but he would understand if the Spanish GP was eventually left off the calendar. He was optimistic with its chances, though, considering its tradition, infrastructure and location.
Fontsere said he can get the Barcelona-Catalunya track ready for a race in “two to three weeks” and expects the Spanish GP to be among the first to resume.
“As soon as we can restart the season, I’m sure that it will be with European races,” he said, “and we will be around there.”
It won’t be on a national scale or in a major metropolitan area. If the race goes off as planned, it will occur in the farthest southeastern corner of South Dakota near Sioux City, on a spur of real estate wedged between Iowa and Nebraska.
Without a state executive order to prevent large gatherings, Park Jefferson Speedway will hold the Open Wheel Nationals on Saturday, April 25. The race will allow fans in attendance, making it one of the only sporting events since mid-March with a crowd.
The race has the potential to be a test case for how a dirt track might be able to resume operations.
It also has the potential to be a cause célèbre for both sides in an argument about how and when to relax social distancing.
This will not be a standard weekend. The 3/8ths-mile dirt track in North Sioux City, South Dakota (pop. 2,731 as of 2016), has a grandstand that holds 4,000.
Promoters have capped the sale of tickets at 700 to allow for social distancing. Cars counts for the sprint and modified classes are typically much higher for this race, but they, too, will be limited to 32 in each division.
The track quickly sold out its tickets. The modified division maxed out their entries with notable NASCAR veterans Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader scheduled to be part of the field. The sprint car field still had five slots open as of Wednesday.
“We intend to go overboard on following CDC guidelines,” race track promoter Adam Adamson told the Argus Leader earlier this week (the track didn’t respond to interview requests from NBCSports.com). “We’re just a small racetrack in rural South Dakota trying to give some entertainment and a little bit of a break from some of this madness that’s going on right now. We think we can do so in a safe environment.”
All tickets have been pre-sold and the track will operate on a cashless basis. Concessions will be available with the use of a credit card only, and the single building on the property capable of holding more than 10 people will be closed for Saturday’s event.
“I can encourage people not to go,” Noem said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for them to attend. I still recommend that we follow the plans I have laid out for South Dakota where we don’t gather in sizes of over 10 and that folks continue to social distance.”
“There is a lot about my job that I chose not to take personally, but I am going to strongly recommend to the people of South Dakota that they not go and that they stay home,” Noem said. “It is wise and smart to continue on the plan that we have laid out for South Dakota for several more weeks.”
South Dakota does not have a stay-at-home order in place. Union County commissioners also said there is nothing they can do to prohibit the track from racing.
“We did, during the legislative session, attempt to bring a bill that would give counties some of the authority cities would have, but the legislature did not support that bill,” Noem said. “I think the county is probably accurate in saying they wish they had a few more tools to deal with the situation. But from the state level and what I’m recommending is that people not go.”
Wallace spent much of Tuesday engaging people on Twitter about why he decided to race Saturday.
Park Jefferson Speedway officials just called me.. Governor of South Dakota and all county officials including the sheriff. Say that the race this Saturday, April 25. WILL GO ON .. The race is SOLD OUT.. You can watch on @SpeedShiftTV ..
Only 300 miles north on Interstate 29, World of Outlaw sprint car driver Donny Schatz will not be in attendance, and the Fargo, North Dakota, resident said he couldn’t race because he’s a World of Outlaws platinum member.
“I do not have any plans (to race at Park Jefferson) whatsoever,” Schatz told NBCSports.com emphatically earlier this week. “I’m contracted to the World of Outlaws … we’re not sitting home not racing because we don’t want to. We’re doing it because it’s what we have to do. It’s out of our hands. It’s not even an option. We put our status as platinum members in jeopardy.
“I’m curious to see how it goes because the last time I looked, there were no gatherings of more than 10 people, and it sounds like that is not within the realms of what (the race) is actually going to be.”
As of Wednesday, South Dakota reported fewer than 2,000 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases with nine fatalities. Union County accounted for seven cases and two fatalities.
The track’s geographic position makes the track easily accessible to Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota (which does have a stay at home order). And as the only race happening this week, it is garnering a lot of attention.
After racing on Saturday, Wallace, Schrader and other modified drivers will make a short drive north to Jefferson, South Dakota where the IMCA Modifieds will headline a $600-to-win race at The New Raceway Park.
“If this goes well, if the governor and state doesn’t find a way to try and put the kibosh to it, I think we’re going to see it spread across the country and have people coming in and watching and seen and reporting how this went,” track promoter Steve Kiraly said on SpeedSport.com. “I would think it could have a positive impact to get this type of activity going again.”
The track has limited this race to 500 fans with 30 cars racing allowed in the modified class. Everyone in attendance will be required to have the temperature taken with no-contact thermometer and wear face masks. Drivers will not have to wear face masks while in their cars.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has extended the state’s stay-at-home orders by nine days but also appeared to indicate race teams could work in their shops.
“From the information that I have now, already under our state executive order they can begin working in their garages as an essential business defined under our executive order,” said Gov. Cooper on Thursday afternoon. “(Teams) are still in contact with local health departments. Local governments may have some different health restrictions.”
NASCAR’s plans to return to racing remain undefined, although officials recently stated hopes of being able to return sometime in May and different tracks have begun expressing interest in hosting a fan-less event.
“I’ve been in contact with NASCAR officials, track owners, team owners (and) they have come forward with a plan to try to protect their employees,” said Gov. Cooper when specifically asked about NASCAR. “Right now, our public health officials are examining their proposals, they’re also talking to local governments there, their garages in several counties around Charlotte … about how they would run their garages and to get the cars ready, they need a couple of weeks ahead of time.
“We’ll be coming forward with an announcement on that pretty soon, after we’ve had more conversations with public health officials and with NASCAR officials.”
I will be heading to Daytona this coming winter to chase a new goal as we will be going through the steps needed to qualify for the NASCAR/ARCA event which will take place during Speedweek.
This is a personal endeavour with a car that was acquired from Mr. And Mrs. Schrader. I want to thank them both for going very far out of their way to make this something I could do. I cannot begin to express how humbled I have been by the generosity I have recieved. With Kenny’s support along a car that will be prepared by Donnie Richeson who will also be available for support I feel as though we will go there lacking for nothing. The car is the best of the best equipment.
I also want to announce that we will have a partner in marketing in Speedway Illustrated magazine in which we will be offering marketing packages that will include space of the car as well as space in the magazine. Karl Fredrickson was a large part of making this deal possible for me. He is the most generous man I have ever met in motorsports and I cannot thank him enough for everything him and his magazine has done for my career.
We are currently working on marketing plans to persue sponsorship once it is appropriate to do so and racing is once again our priority. My personal goal is to race three speedway races next year. Anything past Daytona will depend on sponsorship dollars though. I am excited to have this opportunity to go to work and try to find a way to make this into something even bigger. Sue Kluth Lewis and I are already on the job and getting things in order.
I want to thank Steve Mendoza for coming along for the road trip to North Carolina on Monday and for his involvement which will include much of his Nascar pit equipment. I would also like to thank Roderich Grape for always being supportive of my racing career and for what will be a place of experience on the team. I also want to thank Joe Skotnicki for taking me around PRI when I was younger to meet all the people I would be calling on the phone all these years later when I needed help to do this. I also want to thank my family, mainly my mom for all of their support in doing this.
Lastly I want to thank Andy Seuss who recieved the most cell phone harassment by far while I was trying to figure all of this out. He was very helpful not only with advice and ideas but also as an example in the racer that he is and all that he has achieved in racing through hard work. He made me feel like stuff like this was doable.
Its all sort of crazy. I cannot say I am not nervous. It is certainly a big risk for me, but to steal a quote from a good friend, “sometimes when you are running out of time you need to make the leap and hope you can figure out how to build a parachute on the way down”. I am just excited to have this oppertunity and I cant wait to get to work…and feel what 190 mph in the draft feels like!
More news to come when the time is right. Thank you everyone and stay safe.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, 2019. Photo by Matt Litwin.
Due to “ongoing health concerns” related to the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance have canceled the premier event on the automotive calendar for the first time in 60 years and only the second time in the event’s history, a decision that has triggered other Monterey car week cancelations.”Some of our overseas entrants were nearing the point of putting their cars on boats and planes, and their own travel arrangements have long been made,” Sandra Button, the chairman of the concours, said in a statement. “The same is true for many of our international cadre of judges.”
The announcement came on Wednesday, the same day that California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that no timeline exists for reopening the state and that, even when the state does start to reopen, it will do so slowly—certainly avoiding mass gatherings such as those that descend on the central California coast during the annual Monterey car week.According to Button’s statement, organizers of the concours—originally scheduled for August 16—recently completed their car selection process and sent out invitations to car owners, all of whom will now be automatically entered in next year’s concours, scheduled for August 15, 2021. “The acceptance letters stressed that these cars were invited to appear at the 70th celebration—even if it was delayed,” the announcement noted Featured classes for the 2021 concours will remain the same as the 2020 event: a selection of past winners, Pininfarina-bodied cars, Porsche 917s, Talbot-Lago Grand Sports, Miller racing cars, Iso cars, early electrics, and cars of La Carrera Panamericana.
All tickets purchases in advance for the 2020 concours will now be valid for the 2021 concours.Other Monterey car week cancelations and changes of plan announced this week:* Gooding and Co., the official auction house of the Pebble Beach concours, has announced that it has canceled its Pebble Beach auction, originally scheduled for August 14-15.* Organizers of Legends of the Autobahn, the Monterey car week show focused on German carmakers, had announced the cancellation of their 2020 show, originally scheduled for August 14, prior to the Pebble Beach announcement.* On Thursday, following the Pebble Beach announcement, organizers of The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, announced that they would suspend their event, scheduled for August 14, and their rally, scheduled for the two days prior; officials at Bonhams, which holds an annual auction in conjunction with The Quail’s event, announced that they will schedule an alternate auction in California to replace the Quail Lodge auction.* Also on Thursday, organizers of the Concorso Italiano canceled their event, originally scheduled for August 15, citing “the uncertainty of events being permitted by state officials and the California Governor.”* Organizers of the McCall’s Motorworks Revival postponed their event, originally scheduled for August 12.* Worldwide Auctioneers has postponed its Pacific Grove Auction to 2021.* Organizers of the Concours d’Lemons have canceled their 2020 Monterey event.As of this writing, organizers of other shows and auctions that make up Monterey car week have not announced similar cancellations or changes of plan.
The Pebble Beach concours, which was supposed to celebrateits 70th anniversary this year, has only been canceled once before, in 1960 due to inclement weather. Organizers of the show at the time rescheduled it for the following spring.
Curious to know how Novi, Michigan received it’s name? Ever wonder how large the gas tank is in the 1948 Kurtis Novi? Want to know what the highest finish was for the 1948 Kurtis Novi? IMS Museum Historian, Donald Davidson, has the answers to these questions and many more on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum YouTube channel as part of our “Featured Cars” playlist. ADOPT-A-CARBECOME A MEMBER
Source: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation | 4750 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222
\ PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Joe Bolger, a 2004 inductee into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, died Tuesday, April 21, from complications resulting from a fall at his Barre, Mass., home, his family said.
He was 90 years old and had been in failing health the past few months.
“He was always happiest when he was in his shop,” his son, Brent Bolger, said. “He could handle all sorts of problems with engines, and people came here to get their engines fixed. He loved helping people.”
Mr. Bolger was a five-time New England Scrambles Champion in the mid-1960s and the 1970s.
He also was a self-taught designer and engineer who worked in metal and wood in a small shop behind his home.
In 1974, Mr. Bolger created a linked, rising-rate, long-travel suspension that was put into production as the OSSA BLT, meaning “Bolger Long Travel.”
He also designed an “equalizer” that reduced or eliminated chain flex, which was often the downfall of the early motocross machines with long-travel suspension.
Also among the many patents he held was one for a bead breaker for those troublesome big tires on small ATV wheels.
Mr. Bolger was born in Charlottestown, Prince Edward Island, Canada in January 1930.
Although still a Canadian citizen, Bolger served in the U.S. Army from 1951 through 1953 and was stationed in Germany and France.
Mr. Bolger started racing in 1956 aboard a 500cc AJS. He was a proficient racer and won the New England scrambles championship in both 1964 and 1965. As an organizer, he was instrumental in establishing popular Northeast vs. Canada off-road racing events in the 1960s.
With his specialty-part design and manufacturing business growing, in 1972 Mr. Bolger sold his interest in the retail shop to devote himself fulltime to engineering and design. He designed special tools made to work on particular parts of motorcycles, several of which were picked up by Honda and made available to dealerships.
During his storied career in motorcycling, Mr. Bolger also was a contributing editor for Cycle World and Cycle Sport magazines.
About the American Motorcyclist Association Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.
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