Kenseth Looks To Prevail At Dillon Motor Speedway!!!
DILLON, SC, FEBRUARY 26TH, 2012: Ross Kenseth, son of 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth will visit ASA-sanctioned, Dillon Motor Speedway for the first time in his career on March 10 for the South Carolina Clash 150.
The Clemson University student juggles his racing career and his mechanical engineering studies on a weekly basis; an extremely difficult thing to do for a rising star. Ross has had huge success in the Midwest, but he has never clocked laps around the 4/10th mile egg-shaped oval in Dillon, S.C. He is visiting the area to compete in the annual Pro All Star Series (PASS) feature.
I'm really excited to go to a new place and race against some different guys I haven't raced with very often, Clemson University Student Ross Kenseth said. I think it will be a really good experience. I havent really raced with many of the drivers in the PASS Series, but Jamie has run well there with a few different drivers, so hopefully we will be able to be a contender.
Kenseth is always trying to learn new techniques to better his studies and knowledge of the race cars that he competes in. Thats a huge advantage for a young driver to learn the characteristics of his race car, and be able to relay the message back to the crew chief and engineers.
I just try to give 100% effort when I'm at school, and when I'm at the track I try to focus all my attention on learning about the cars and getting better each week, Kenseth said.
The PASS Series is one of the most competitive super late model series in the country. The cars have nearly 600 hp and fly around Dillon Motor Speedway. When PASS comes to town on March 10, fans will be treated to both the premier series as well as the limited series that will feature several local drivers.
For more information, please visit www.DillonMotorSpeedway.com or the Facebook and Twitter page. You may also call the race hotline at 843.496.4790.
The action heats up again at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, NC on Saturday, March 10th for our first annual Farewell To Frost 200. The event will feature Twin 50s for the Madhouse Modifieds plus the BGS Sportsman, BGS Street Stocks and the Walls Roofing UCAR Clash for Cash.
Admission will be $12 for Adults, $8 for Seniors 65+ and Students with ID, $2 for Kids 6-12 and FREE for kids 5 and under.
There will be an open practice on Friday from 12-6pm.
On Saturday, gates will open at 9am and the Green Flag will drop at 2pm.
Event Schedule
Friday March 9
Open Practice 1-7:30pm
Saturday March 10
8:00am Pit Gates Open
8:30am Registration and Inspection
10:00am-11:30am Practice
11:30am-11:45am Break
11:45am-12:25pm FINAL (1) Round of Practice
12:40pm- Drivers Meeting
1:00pm-Qualifying
Modifieds 2 laps
Sportsman 2 laps
1:45pm-Pre-Race Ceremonies
2:00pm-GREEN FLAG
Race Order:
Modified-50 laps
Street Stock-40 laps
Sportsman-40 laps
UCAR- TBA laps
Modified-50 laps
** Subject to Change**
SPEED.com has confirmed that Penske Racing will announce a switch from Dodge to Ford for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and beyond. Penske will make the formal announcement at 11:30 a.m. ET today. The timing of the blockbuster announcement is nothing less than shocking: Dodge is set to unveil its 2013 Sprint Cup Charger at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend, with Penske its only frontline team. Dodge representatives declined comment on the move. Penske Racing campaigned Fords in the Sprint Cup Series from 1994-2002, before switching to Dodges for 2003. As a team, Penske has won 71 Sprint Cup races in 1,503 starts dating back to 1971. Penskes first foray into NASCAR was with the now-defunct American Motors and its Matador coupe. The team also campaigned Pontiacs in the late 1980s and early '90s.
PKL, glad you were able to find out this was false. I just haven't had time to follow up but as always PKL did...Thanks
I have heard from a reliable source Dick Trickle had a massive heart attack. This has been confirmed to be a false rumor.
The soon-to-be new owners of Myrtle Beach Speedway are hoping that improvements on the track and the addition of a new program that allows fans to drive a stock car will lure new fans and bigger races to the area.
Speedway Group Inc. - which consists of Leonard Ray Watts, owner of Apex Homes, Inc., based in Cornelius, N.C.; Bob Lutz, president and CEO of the NASCAR Racing Experience in Concord, N.C.; and Marshall Biddle, president of the Biddle Law Firm in Carolina Forest - has a contract to purchase the speedway, located just off U.S. 501 near the Tanger Outlets, and the estimated 48-acre property from co-owners Nick Lucas and Billy Hardee.
The group is hoping to take advantage of Myrtle Beachs tourism market and the tracks rich NASCAR history to propel the speedway into a must-see attraction as it was back in the 1980s and 90s.
We want to be one of those destination tracks, Watts said. Itll be a good shot in the arm economically for the area.
One of the many highlights of the deal will bring NASCAR Racing Experience to the speedway. The Racing Experience allows fans to drive an authentic stock car formerly driven by one of their NASCAR heroes.
Theres a lot we can do with the facility, Lutz said. Itll surprise a lot of people.
There are plans to make several upgrades to the facility - Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers, new fencing, and the possibility of repaving the track - in an effort to draw more fans, drivers and possibly some of the top series in NASCAR.
Theres quite a bit that has to be done, Watts said. I think its going to cost a good bit of money. Were committed to getting after it.
It also means the end of an era for Lucas and Hardee. Lucas bought the speedway in 1968 and had the dirt track paved in 1974. Lucas brought on Hardee as a co-owner in 1987.
We had some good times and some bad times, Lucas said. I met some of the finest people in the world with the racing folks. But time goes along and you start getting that gray hair and its time to let somebody else handle it ... who has the time and has the money. Its been an experience.
Key players
Speedway Group Inc. has a licensing and leasing agreement until the close of the sale which is expected April 1, Watts said.
While the terms of the deal have not been made available, the new ownership group credits former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer with making it happen. Watts said Bauer helped broker the deal.
He wants to bring economic development to this area, Watts said. He is all about trying to bring tourism dollars to the area. He deserves a lot of credit for this.
Bauer, a candidate for the 7th Congressional seat, is a lifelong racing fan and attends several races a year. Last year his campaign sponsored a car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway.
Bauer said he got more involved in NASCAR several years ago when he was serving as lieutenant governor, in part because of how much money it spends with the state.
Its a huge deal, Bauer said. What its going to do is provide a great source of entertainment and elevate us as far as NASCAR. Its going to mean millions of dollars for this community. This will bring jobs and this will bring investments. Thats what Myrtle Beach needs.
Bauer said he introduced Watts and Lutz at a dinner and that they put together a great concept.
I went out to the track with them [last week], Bauer said. This is going to be a fun place to go. They have two guys who are willing to spend money and do it right.
Watts also has racing is in his blood. His father, Gary, raced stock cars in South Carolina and North Carolina before NASCAR started, Watts said.
I spent a lot of Friday and Saturday nights on a racetrack, he said.
Watts, a real estate developer, said he has developed homes in such Myrtle Beach area subdivisions in the Myrtle Beach area as Myrtle Woods, Cypress Bay and Azalea Lakes among others.
Lutz founded the Richard Petty Experience before selling it in 1998. A noncompete agreement kept him out of stock car racing schools for five years. But during that time he started the open-wheel Mario Andretti Racing School at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Lutz then founded the Jeff Gordon Racing School in 2005. When Lutz and Gordon were both pursuing race careers in the late 1980s, they were roommates in North Carolina.
In 2009, the former Jeff Gordon Racing School was rebranded into the NASCAR Racing Experience.
Its amazing. Bob doesnt do anything half way, Bauer said. This is a great opportunity for him. Bob is a marketing genius. He has done very well.
Bauer hopes that many NASCAR drivers will come to Myrtle Beach as the Racing Experience gets started and the upgrades are made to the facility.
Every one of the drivers knows Bob on a first name basis, Bauer said. I think you will see a lot of celebrities here.
Aiming high
Part of the plan is to bring top-level racing back to Myrtle Beach. Watts said he and Lutz spoke this week to Robin Pemberton, vice president for competition of NASCAR, about the new track ownership.
He is wildly excited about Myrtle Beach being a destination, Watts said. Hes excited about the potential. It could bring a lot of money here. We will not be able to get in all in the next year. The bigger races will be next year, if we can. We still have some hurdles, for sure.
The last NASCAR upper-tier race was the Busch Series race in 2000.
But to bring a huge race to Myrtle Beach - whether its a NASCAR Craftsman Truck race or an ARCA Series race - significant upgrades will need to be made to the track and the facility. SAFER barriers and new fencing around the track will need to be in place before a top series will return here. Upgrades will need to made to the bleachers, luxury boxes and infield technology center. The new owners also are determining how much it will cost to have the track repaved.
The improvements to the track are on the top of the list, Lutz said. All of this is happening fast.
Grass roots
The new owners stressed that while they are looking to new ways to lure fans to the track, that their No. 1 goal is revitalize the weekly series that races from April to November.
Car counts in the five series at the track have dwindled in recent years. In 2011, the NASCAR All-American Whelan Late Model Series, the top series at the track, was forced to run with the Limited Late Model class in an effort to have car counts in double digits.
Biddle said the new ownership plans to increase the size of the purse for the drivers, make transponders available to help teams track lap times, and streamline the communication between the drivers and track officials.
We want the drivers and the teams to have a voice, Biddle said. We dont want to add another level of bureaucracy.
And despite all of the renovations and upgrades that are expected, new ownership isnt expecting any major changes in prices for fans to attend.
Its going to be a price point that families will be able to afford, Lutz said. So many of the shows that exist in Myrtle Beach are so pricey. They are over $100, $125, $150 for a family. We need to be in the range of $35 to $40 for family.
The season is expected to start during the middle of April.
Looking back
The speedway opened as Rambi Raceway and as a dirt track in 1958. Lucas bought the track in 1968.
From what I understand it was closed for four years before that, Lucas said. I had never even attended a race. So you know Im crazy.
Lucas had the track paved in 1974 during a renovation project. Hardee became a co-owner in 1987 and was the more visible owner at the speedway for the last decade.
The track has plenty of history with drivers with the last names of Earnhardt, Jarrett and Petty among others turning laps at the .538-mile semibanked oval.
In the early 80s I could call up Bobby Allison and make a deal that hed come run, or Richard Petty and Cale Yarbrough and it didnt cost an arm and leg to get them there, Lucas said.
Myrtle Beach Speedway hosted the NASCAR Busch Series races - now the Nationwide Series - until 2000. More than 15,000 fans jammed into the speedway areas for the annual race.
At first the Busch Series was great, but then we had to fill the stands to make a purse, Lucas said. It got to be too much.
But even during the tough economic times in the last 10 years, Hardee and Lucas kept the track open and allowed local drivers to show off their talents.
They kept that track going when I dont think anyone else would have, Biddle said. I told both of them they are welcome at that track anytime and they never have to buy a ticket. They are ready to let the new guard take over and move on.
S.T.A.R.S. Radio tonight will be talking to Jennifer Varner Campbell from Concord Speedway to find out more about the changes at Concord Speedway, we will talk to Jason Atkins to find out what Flag to Flag is about and Kevin Parsons son of Benny Parsons to find out about his new Truck Series he has put together. Thursday February 23rd 2012 at 7pm EST LIVE on www.racersreunion.com or www.zeusradio.com
