2015-01-22

Thunder Road Stars Ready to Head South


Thunder Road Stars Ready to Head South

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                       ACT-012215-6

Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour roster for the events at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida on Sunday through Tuesday, February 15-17 features several drivers from Barre's Thunder Road International Speedbowl. East Montpelier's Emily Packard, Montpelier's Josh Demers and Milton's Eric Chase will all make the journey south in just under a month.

Veteran Thunder Road Late Model competitor Chase is the only one of the three with experience at the fast half-mile. Back in 2008, Chase claimed a feature win at New Smyrna in the opening event of the "World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing." He was also competed in the first time ACT visited New Smyrna Speedway in February of 2011.

Packard is coming off of her second full season of Late Model competition at Thunder Road and her first full season on the ACT Tour. Her success on the Tour, highlighted by her 4th place finish in the final standings shows her talent in the long distance events and her abundance of experience at the Devil's Bowl and Airborne half-miles should help her with the learning curve at New Smyrna.

Former Tiger competitor Demers claimed second in the Late Model Rookie Standings in 2014. He had a tremendous rookie season highlighted by a podium finish in just the third event of the season. The length of New Smyrna will be an adjustment, but he should feel right at home on the highbanks. 

The American Canadian Tour will run three 100-lap events at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach Florida. The first will be a stand alone race on Sunday, February 15, along with the season opening K&N East Series event. The American Racer Challenge Cup is still a two-day event with twin 100-lap races held on Monday and Tuesday, February 16-17, 2015. Combined finishes from the Monday and Tuesday events will decide the overall American Racer Challenge Cup winner.

For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963, media@acttour.com, or visitacttour.com. 

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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 22.1.15 0 comments

Nick Robinson Moves To PASS South Super Late Models Full-Time In 2015

Nick Robinson Moves To PASS South Super Late Models Full-Time In 2015

 

-      For Immediate Release

 

CHARLOTTE, NC (January 22) – Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Pro Late Model veteran Nick Robinson plans to make the move up to compete full-time in the PASS South Super Late Model division in 2015.  The move comes following a solid year in 2014 which saw Robinson score his first career PASS Pro Late Model win at Hickory Motor Speedway in September and finish fifth in the final standings.

            "Our goals for 2015 are to finish in the top-10 throughout the year and run consistently at each track," said Robinson, who is still seeking additional sponsorship for his family owned team.  "I know I will be running against some tough competition and I can't wait to be a part of it all."

            The 13-year-old native of Clayton, NC, has shown consistent improvement since he started competing in the PASS Pro Late Model division in 2012.  Despite several strong runs early in 2014, Robinson was plagued by a variety of problems that kept him out of victory lane.  That all changed in September at Hickory with a dominating performance as Robinson captured his first career checkered flag.  An emotional win that proved not only popular with Robinson's friends and family, but his competitors as well.

            "The win at Hickory was big to me and my team because we were consistently fast at all of the races leading up to Hickory, we just never had them finish out the way we wanted them to," says Robinson.  "When the race was done, it was an awesome feeling to wave the checkered flag and celebrate with everyone who made it happen."

            Prior to that event at Hickory, though, Robinson actually made his PASS South Super Late Model debut at South Boston Speedway in August.  Robinson qualified well and was knocking on the door of the top-10 when a mechanical problem sidelined him and relegated him to a 24th place finish.

            "Well the biggest difference to me was the power and weight of the car," said Robinson.  "I could definitely feel the difference in the speed at South Boston, which is an awesome track to have my debut at.  Last year was a great learning experience for me.  I had fun learning how to set up my car and make the proper changes to improve the car at the track."

            The Nick Robinson Racing team recently purchased a brand new chassis from Robert Hamke of Hamke Race Cars & Parts and plans to begin testing in the coming weeks.

            The PASS South Super Late Model division will be kicking off the 2015 season on Saturday, March 7 at Dillon Motor Speedway as part of the 10th Annual South Carolina Clash.  Please visit ProAllStarsSeries.com for more information.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America's premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway and PASS South's Easter Bunny 150 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway.  For technical information concerning all PASS divisions please send questions to passracing@roadrunner.com.  For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039or alandietzpass@live.com.  And, don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 22.1.15 0 comments

Ingersoll Rand Expands Relationship With Racing Community, Becomes ‘Official Power Tools of NASCAR’

Ingersoll Rand Expands Relationship With Racing Community,

Becomes 'Official Power Tools of NASCAR'

Multi-Faceted Agreement Makes Company an Official Partner of IMSA /

Contingency Sponsor in NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 22, 2015) — NASCAR® and Ingersoll Rand, a global leader in reliable and innovative power tools, today announced a multi-year partnership designating Ingersoll Rand as the "Official Power Tools of NASCAR." An innovator in tool technology, Ingersoll Rand products have been a staple in NASCAR garages for more than 50 years.

 

The multi-faceted agreement also designates Ingersoll Rand as an Official Partner of the International Motorsports Association (IMSA) and as a contingency sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series.

 

"Ingersoll Rand has been rooted in racing for decades and this renewed relationship celebrates the tireless work of pit crew mechanics and passionate race fans across all levels of racing," said John Evans, president of power tools at Ingersoll Rand. "We know how important tool performance is in racing – if your tools perform, your vehicle performs. We are now putting high-performance Ingersoll Rand tools into the hands of the best auto technicians in the world while engaging fans who have a passion for cars." 

 

NASCAR technicians are recognized as being among the most qualified in the automotive industry, and they demand high performance tools. According to a recent study commissioned by NASCAR and conducted by Research Now, more than half (52 percent) of automotive professionals (i.e. technicians, service managers, etc.) are NASCAR fans. The same study also revealed that more than half (52 percent) of automotive professionals associate NASCAR products with high performance.

As part of this integrated partnership, Ingersoll Rand will be at the track each weekend providing expert tool support, service, new tool demonstrations for pit crews and will offer fans the opportunity to try tools first hand. Additionally, Ingersoll Rand will launch its Home Tracks Text-to-Win contest for fans at tracks throughout the season. Fans will have opportunities to win an Ingersoll Rand prize pack and meet-and-greets with pit crews and other high-profile racing and automotive personalities.

"Ingersoll Rand, a global brand that has a rich history in NASCAR, understands how to utilize our sport to effectively connect with the racing community," said Jim O'Connell, chief sales officer, NASCAR. "The new partnership reinforces their desire to engage fans across all levels of our sport and we are proud to welcome them to our family of Official NASCAR Partners."

The NASCAR contingency programs foster strong relationships between competitors and the high-quality, performance-driven brands in the program, by providing prize money for each race and at the end of each racing season. Competitors become eligible for the money by displaying partner decals on their race vehicles. As a sponsor of the contingency program, Ingersoll Rand will celebrate and reward the work of pit crew mechanics each week during the NASCAR Sprint Cup season and at select Home Tracks throughout the year with prize money and tools.


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 22.1.15 0 comments

JEFF GORDON WILL RUN FINAL FULL-TIME SEASON IN 2015

Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday morning that this will be Jeff Gordon's final season competing for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

The four-time champion announced the news to his No. 24 team Thursday, saying he hesitated using the word "retirement" as he enters his 23rd and final full-time season.

"As a race car driver, much of what I've done throughout my life has been based on following my instincts and trying to make good decisions," Gordon said in a release provided by the team. "I thought long and hard about my future this past year and during the offseason, and I've decided 2015 will be the last time I compete for a championship. I won't use the 'R-word' because I plan to stay extremely busy in the years ahead, and there's always the possibility I'll compete in selected events, although I currently have no plans to do that."

Gordon, 43, signed a lifetime contract in 1999 with team owner Rick Hendrick, who first brought him into stock-car racing's big leagues at the end of the 1992 season. He scored four victories in last season's resurgent campaign, bringing his career victory total to 92, third-most on NASCAR's all-time list. The rest of his stellar portfolio -- including three Daytona 500 wins and a record five Brickyard 400 victories -- boasts all the credentials for automatic first-ballot induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Gordon had joked ahead of the 2014 season that he would retire on the spot if he were to claim his fifth title, but his rejuvenating run deep into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs seemed to quell any retirement buzz. On Thursday, Gordon said that while his driving days may be coming to a close, he'll continue to stay active in the sport.

"I don't foresee a day when I'll ever step away from racing," said Gordon, who is a part-owner of Hendrick's No. 48 team driven by teammate Jimmie Johnson. "I'm a fan of all forms of motor sports, but particularly NASCAR. We have a tremendous product, and I'm passionate about the business and its future success. As an equity owner in Hendrick Motorsports, I'm a partner with Rick (Hendrick) and will remain heavily involved with the company for many years to come.

"It means so much to have the chance to continue working with the owner who took a chance on me and the incredible team that's stood behind me every step of the way."

Gordon first caught Hendrick's eye in what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series in March 1992 atAtlanta Motor Speedway, with the veteran team owner marveling about the young driver's car control, even as he seemed on the brink of losing control. Eight months later, Gordon made his debut for Hendrick at the same Georgia track in what signaled a passing of the torch in the NASCAR driver ranks. King Richard Petty said farewell in his final NASCAR start, and Gordon -- who cut his teeth through the sprint-car circuit -- said hello to the world of stock-car racing, paving the way for what became a dynasty for the rest of the decade.

"There's simply no way to quantify Jeff's impact," Hendrick said in the team release. "He's one of the biggest sports stars of a generation, and his contributions to the success and growth of NASCAR are unsurpassed. There's been no better ambassador for stock car racing and no greater representation of what a champion should be. I will never be able to properly express the respect and admiration I have for Jeff and how meaningful our relationship is to me. I'm so grateful for everything he's done for our company and my family, and I look forward to many more years together as friends and business partners."


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 22.1.15 0 comments

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