2017-02-10

Busy Offseason For NASCAR Touring Series

Busy Offseason For NASCAR Touring Series

New faces & some new rules in place for 2017

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2017) – With the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East opener just over a week away – marking the official start to the 2017 NASCAR touring series season – the attention will return to the exciting on-track action. While there hasn't been a race since November, it's been a busy offseason.

 

Beginning in December, NASCAR officials met with the car owners of all the U.S. and Canadian-based touring series, a move designed to further the dialogue between the sanctioning body and the teams. The conversations included covering some changes as well as an open discussion of how best to collectively grow the NASCAR touring series.

 

"We had overwhelmingly positive and productive discussions," said Brandon Thompson, NASCAR senior director of the touring series. "NASCAR has really great racing throughout our touring series, but there are always ways to work to toward cost efficiency, make the sport more cost-effective and increase the level of competition for all involved. As in the case of our national series, we always strive to have an open dialogue during the race season, but it's also a great benefit to meet away from the track and the daily demands of the race season. We received a lot of great feedback from all our owners and look forward to working together."

 

Highlights of the 2017 offseason include:

·         NASCAR announced today that Cherie Putnam will take over as the NASCAR Pinty's Series director. Putnam, a native of Windsor, Ontario, has been involved in the sport for over 25 years. She was part of a Sunset Speedway championship and two NASCAR Pinty's Series titles, and has worked the last five years as a NASCAR official. The NASCAR Pinty's Series, the national championship for racing in Canada, will open the season on its traditional Victoria Day Weekend (Sunday, May 21) at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

·         Chris Wright was appointed to be the series director of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Wright, who has been the director for the K&N Pro East since 2013, will oversee both the East and the West. In addition, Andy Mitchell will become the head technical inspector for both the East and West, as NASCAR continues to align the top developmental series. Jimmie Walker was named the race director for the K&N Pro West, while Les Westerfield will continue in that position in the K&N Pro East.

·         Following the format change set forth by NASCAR's three national series, NASCAR's four U.S. and Canadian-based series will switch from a green-white-checkered finish to an overtime line for its races. The location of the line will be determined on a track-by-track basis, and will typically be entering Turn 3 on ovals. If the event goes past the advertised distance due to a caution, on the restart, if the leaders reach the overtime line before another caution comes out, it will be considered official. If the caution comes out prior, the race will have another restart.

·         Starting with the K&N Pro Series East opener at Florida's New Smyrna Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 19, NASCAR announced the move to group qualifying on ovals. There will be single-car qualifying at select events, like the NASCAR Whelen Modified races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Qualifying groups will be set by practice times.

·         The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, and the NASCAR Pinty's Series schedules will feature a unique format for one of its events in each series: Twin 100-lap features. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will be first up at California's Irwindale Speedway. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will run twins at Virginia's South Boston Speedway, and the NASCAR Pinty's Series will do so at Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The starting lineup for the second 100-lap race will be determined by the fastest lap run in the first race.

·         The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West doubleheader is part of four races at three tracks in seven days to kick off the season that includes a $100,000 NAPA 500 Challenge bonus award if a driver wins all four races. The season opens at Tucson Speedway in Arizona on Saturday, March 18.

·         Earlier this month, the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series announced its 12-race schedule. Made up of six ovals and six road courses, the national championship for stock car racing in Mexico will open on Sunday, March 26 at Autódromo Monterrey, a 2.1-mile road course in Apodaca, Nuevo León. The series held an exhibition event in December following the announcement of a multi-year agreement with Old World Industries (OWI) to make PEAK the series entitlement sponsor.

·         The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced a date change for its race at the prestigious Hockenheimring. The American Fan Fest will now be held July 29-30 and conclude the series' regular season before its two rounds of playoffs. The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will open on April 8-9 at Valencia, Spain. The series, though, will have a number of drivers competing in the U.S. during Speedweeks, most notably two-time champion Anthony Kumpen in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway and 2016 Elite 2 champion Stienes Longin in the PPG/Tower Sealants Pro Late Model 100 as part of New Smyrna's 51st World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.

·         NASCAR has implemented mandatory pre-license drug testing for drivers in all its U.S.-based touring series as part of NASCAR's evolving substance abuse program.

·         Earlier this week, Safety-Kleen, the Official Environmental Services Supplier of NASCAR, was announced as entitlement sponsor for the first race of the new unified NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The race, at South Carolina's historic Myrtle Beach Speedway, will be the Performance Plus 150 for Safety-Kleen's new brand of high-quality, high-performance motor oil.

 

NASCARHomeTracks.com will continue to be the digital home of all the NASCAR touring & weekly series, including Spanish-language content of the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series. Fans can also follow the news and action on Twitter at @NASCARHomeTrack and through the designated series hashtags: #KNEast, #KNWest, #NASCARPeak, #NWES, #NASCARPintys, #NWMT and #NWAAS.

 

Contact:                                                                                                                               

Jason Christley

NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications


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Stu Robinson Jr. Books a Ticket to Bristol Motor Speedway

Stu Robinson Jr. Books a Ticket to Bristol Motor Speedway

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

Ask any driver at your favourite weekly short track and you'll probably find that they all have a place where they'd love to race. Maybe its because they've seen an event there in person, or know someone who has raced there before. Whatever the reason, they have put the venue on their bucket list. For some it might be Daytona or Talladega, but for Stu Robinson Jr., the race track that satisfies his hunger is the legendary Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

The popular second-generation speedster from Beaverton, Ontario – who finished in the runner-up spot of the championship standings and was named the top first year driver with the Ontario Modifieds Racing Series in 2016 – will head to the World's Fastest Half Mile for the Short Track U.S. Nationals, Friday and Saturday, May 19th & 20th. Even though he's raced at some of the best-known venues across the province throughout his career, he says there isn't one that compares to Bristol.

 

"That place is its own beast," said Robinson Jr. with a smile. "We'll be running the same car from Robert James Racing in Bradford, Ontario that we had on the OMRS tour. The body needed to be changed to conform to their rules and we'll run a different engine, so we're not taking a knife to a gun fight. I'm excited, just a little bit nervous but hoping we'll have a strong showing. Once we get to run some laps during practice we should be able to find a set-up that'll work during race conditions."

 

Robinson Jr. says its hard to predict the number of entries, but based on the NASCAR numbers, there could be more than 30 of the powerful open-wheeled modified machines in the starting field, but only one from north of the border. Officials with Robert James Racing – the team that fields the OMRS rides for Robinson Jr., his teammate Connor James and the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup Series car of Donny Beatty – say it's a wonderful marketing opportunity to fly the Canadian Colours at one of NASCAR's most popular tracks.

 

"Here at home, we've complied 3 championship calibre programs under the same umbrella," said team principle Robert James. "Donny Beatty won the OMRS title in 2015 and Stu Robinson Jr. was second-best in the same series last year. We've put together a strong package for this one event and we'll head into Bristol with the same dedication, focus and attention to detail as we do when fighting for a checkered flag at tracks like Peterborough, Sunset or Flamboro."

 

To learn more about advertising opportunities and partnering with Robert James Racing driver Stu Robinson Jr. May 19thand 20th at Bristol Motor Speedway, call 905.751.8855 or e-mail robertjames@live.ca.

 

Photo attachment: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

Robert James Racing will change over the car Stu Robinson Jr. ran at last year's Autumn Colours Classic, then head to the Short Track U.S. Nationals – May 19th and 20th – at Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media


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PROSTATE CANCER CANADA THE OFFICIAL CHARITY OF TORONTO’S MOTORAMA SHOW





PROSTATE CANCER CANADA THE OFFICIAL
CHARITY OF TORONTO'S MOTORAMA SHOW

March 10, 11 & 12, 2017 at Toronto's International Centre

 



TORONTO, ON // FEBRUARY 10, 2017 • A perennial supporter of the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo presented by Mothers, Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) has been named as the 'official charity' of the biggest car show of its kind, in Canada.

 

For the 2017 edition of Motorama – which runs March 10, 11 & 12 at Toronto's International Centre – Prostate Cancer Canada will again have a booth staffed by PCC representatives, many of them cancer survivors, prepared to discuss and inform show visitors about this most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian men.

 

"Our support group has long targeted the car hobby, finding places where we can connect with the 'boys and their toys'," explained Prostate Cancer Canada spokesman Jim Dorsey. "The best place to find men, and the ladies who care about them, is around cars. We've found that the wives and girlfriends are often the best sales people we have."

 

One in eight Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Although the mortality rate has noticeably decreased over the past 15 years due to improved testing and better treatment options, an estimated 4,000 Canadian men succumbed to prostate cancer last year alone.

 

"The key to surviving prostate cancer is early detection. Getting tested on a regular basis can save your life," continued Dorsey. "That's the message that we're trying to get across at Motorama."

 

David Weber, one of the principal partners of Motorama echoes a similar message. "As a prostate cancer survivor myself, I know firsthand how devastating a positive diagnosis can be. I also know firsthand that early detection can mean the difference between life and death, and in my case I was very lucky to find my cancer early.Motorama is pleased to be able to partner with Prostate Cancer Canada at this year's show."

 

Although the primary objective of the appearance of Prostate Cancer Canada is to increase awareness of this painful disease and to encourage regular testing, Motorama and PCC organizers will also be making efforts to race funds for cancer research. Prostate Cancer Canada pledge forms and a donation box will be available to exhibitors and sponsors in the show office, with other donation locations for show visitors spread throughout the Motorama show area.

 

Prostate Cancer Canada will be located in Booth # 136, in the northwest portion of Hall 1.

 

ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER CANADA: Prostate Cancer Canada's vision is to be a global leader in the fight against prostate cancer, earning the enthusiasm and support of Canadians through integrity, compassion, and innovation. PCC is the leading national foundation dedicated to the elimination of the most common cancer in men through research, advocacy, education, support and awareness. For more information, visit www.prostatecancer.ca or see them on Facebook at:www.facebook.com/prostatecancercanada.

 

ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The third annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo Presented by Mothers takes place March 10, 11 & 12, 2017 at The International Centre, across from Toronto's Pearson International Airport. The show features more than 300,000 square feet of custom cars, hot rods, racing vehicles of all kinds, tuners, displays and exhibitors. Motorama is Canada's biggest late-winter celebration of automobiles and motorsports. For information about the show, including tickets, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more, call (416) 962-7223, email info@MotoramaShow.comor visit www.MotoramaShow.com.

 

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