The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars return to Perris Auto Speedway for one of the most coveted races in the series, the annual Glenn Howard Classic this Saturday night, September 23^rd.  The race honors the past racer, owner, official, and innovator who played a significant role in the original CRA, the formation of the SCRA, and the current USAC/CRA.  In addition to the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, the PAS Senior and Young Gun Sprints and the PASSCAR Super Stocks will also be in action.  

“It is hard to believe that we have been hosting this race so long,” Perris Auto Speedway promoter Don Kazarian said.  “Glenn was a huge part of the sprint car story here in California.  He was around forever and one who could always be counted on for advice.  Not only for drivers, but also crew chiefs, officials, and promoters as well.  Glenn, his wife Pat and sons Steve and Gary are major figures in the history of sprint car racing on the West Coast.  They are all sorely missed.“

“We started the Glen Howard Classic in 2008 after Glen passed away,” Kazarian said before the 2022 running of the event.  “At that time, virtually every driver in the series knew Glen.  Either as an official, car owner or through his business.  So, right out of the bag, this race was a big deal and everybody really wanted to win it.  These days, many of the drivers from the first few editions of the race are no longer competing.  Except for a handful of drivers who were racing back then, a majority of the field these days may not have personally known Glen.  However, a crew member or a parent may have been racing or been around him.  They have passed on the importance of the race to these younger drivers.  Thus, it remains one of the most significant and coveted races on our schedule.”

Garden Grove, California’s Brody Roa leads the USAC/CRA into Perris on Saturday night.  The veteran has won eight of the first 13 main events of the season driving for car owners Tom and Christy Dunkel.  He carries a three-race win streak into Saturday’s show and he has parlayed his wins into a commanding 151-point lead over Yucaipa’s Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm.  Corona’s Austin “The Big Game Hunter” Williams of Corona, who got engaged last weekend, and his brother Cody “The Cadillac” Williams are third and fourth.  The fifth spot is currently being held down by San Diego’s AJ Bender.

After Saturday’s show, there will only be four races left in the series in 2023.  On October 14^th the series will make its third visit of the year to Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway.  On November 3^rd and 4^th, the action will head to Cocopah Speedway near Yuma.  The series will wind up the campaign at Perris on November 11^th.

In addition to the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, the up-and-coming young drivers in the PAS Young Gun Series, PAS Senior Sprints and PASSCAR Super Stocks will also be in action.

In the Senior Sprints, Ed Schwarz has a comfortable 27-point lead over defending champion Dale Gamer with just two races to go.  Bob Suchy of Tustin is third.

Talented dancer Blake Hendricks of Simi Valley has a narrow seven-point lead over recent high school graduate Elexa Herrera in the Young Guns championship chase.  Apple Valley’s Cash Culp trails Herrera by one point.  Defending champion Stevie Rogers of Apple Valley and Brandon Nelson of Agua Dulce are tied for fourth, 19-points out of the lead.

With two races to go in the PASSCAR Super Stock season, four drivers have a realistic shot at winning the 2023 title.  Beaumont’s Ricky Lee leads the way with 119 points.  Chuck Becker of Yucaipa, a three-time Modified champion at the track, is only one point behind.  Defending champ Tyson Talkington of Riverside, who won the last race on August 14^th, is only five points out of first.  Fourth place is held by Buena Park’s Billy Griffin, who has three track titles to his name, including the 2021 Modified and Super Stocks championships.  He trails Lee by 13 points.

Spectator gates for the night of clean family fun and breathtaking sprint car action will open at 5:00 p.m.  The first race will take the green flag at 7:00.  Adult tickets to Saturday’s race are $30.00.  Seniors 65 and over get in for $25.00.  For kids 6-12 it is just $5.00 and children 5 and under are free.

Advance tickets for every regular race at The PAS are available until 7:00 p.m. on race day online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7 or by calling 1-800-595-4849.  For fans who do not wish to buy advance tickets, there will be plenty available for everyone at the ticket window each race night.

Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of the Southern California Fair), one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit on the Ramona Expressway, and go three miles east to the fairgrounds. For directions online, the address to enter is: 18700 Lake Perris Drive and the zip code is 92571.

USAC/CRA races from Perris Auto Speedway are not streamed online.

Fans can stay up to date on track and driver news on The PAS social media efforts at the links below. 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/113876798686480?ref=hl 

Twitter: Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrisautospeedway/ 

Website: http://perrisautospeedway.com/

Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank the following corporate partners. Ahern Equipment Rentals, Anderson Chevrolet, Battery Systems, Bud’s Tire, Tire Choice Auto Service, Chris’ Hauling, City of Perris, Communication Innovations, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Ed Moore Bullet Proof Driveshaft, Flowdynamics, HD Industries, Heimark/Anheuser Busch, Hoosier Tires, Inland Rigging, Living Water’s Hospice, LKQ Pick Your Part, Luke’s Transmission, Moose Racing, Pepsi-Cola, Performance Online, Pole Position Raceway, PrintItNow.com,  Rainbow Bolt & Supply, Rene’s Bar & Grill, Rugged Radios, Shaver Specialties, Square H, Sunoco Race Fuels, Trench Shoring, Upland Rock, Varner Construction and Vista Paint.

DVDs of all the PASSCAR/IMCA racing and Nights of Destruction at The PAS are available from Fourvideos.  For more information call (714) 225-9500.

PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY 2023 SCHEDULE  

              September 23^rd             Heimark Distributors/Anheuser Busch Presents the  "GLENN HOWARD CLASSIC" AMSOIL       USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS PAS Senior/Young Guns Sprint Cars, PASSCAR Super Stocks

                 October 12                 So Cal Fair - PASSCAR Street Stocks & American Factory Stocks at the Southern California Fair

                 October 13                So Cal Fair – PASSCAR Super Stocks at the Southern California Fair

                 October 14                So Cal Fair – NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION - Figure 8 Racing and Mni Stocks on the Road Course at the Southern California Fair

                 October 15                      So Cal Fair – NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION – Demo Cross and Double Deckers at the Southern California Fair

                 October 21^st              LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION VII – DEMO CROSS. FIGURE 8S, Demo Cross, MINI STOCK FIGURE 8’s, MINI STOCKS, AND INSANE DOUBLE DECKERS 

               October 28^th               Jerry Dodd Champions Night – PASSCAR Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks, PAS Modifieds And IMCA Sport Compacts 

               November 11^th           Heimark Distributors/Anheuser Busch Presents the AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS (30 LAPS), PAS Senior/Young Guns Sprint Cars And Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars

THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

PAS PR

Double the series. Double the action. Double the fun!

That’s how the agenda rolls each year in late September at Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway when the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National join together for a rare doubleheader.

The best of both worlds is presented this Thursday night, September 21, at the Hoosier state 1/4-mile dirt oval during the fifth edition of the James Dean Classic.

Gas City has hosted two of the best finishes of the entire USAC National season with Logan Seavey’s late-race heroics with the midgets in June and Justin Grant’s last turn photo finish triumph in July with the sprint cars.

Gas City never disappoints. Gas City always delivers. And we’ve got the goods two times over this Thursday night.

Here’s six storylines fit for the silver screen. Six storylines in honor of Jimmy Dean. James Dean. Rock on!

SEAVEY’S GAS CITY TURNING POINT

Logan Seavey’s streak of 11 consecutive top-five finishes with the USAC National Midgets started right at Gas City in June during Indiana Midget Week.

Entering the Gas City round three months ago, Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) was mired an astonishing 110 points out of the championship lead and stood sixth overall in the standings.

After leading the final two laps of a 30-lap racelong duel with Emerson Axsom, Seavey scored his and Abacus Racing’ first ever USAC victory. Since that point, the team has been nearly unstoppable, winning four, finishing second on three occasions, taking third another three times and once finishing fourth.

All of it has boosted Seavey to a whopping 171-point lead entering his return to Gas City this Thursday.

SEE SAW STORY: GRANT & BACON SPRINT CAR TITLE FIGHT CONTINUES

Between Justin Grant and Brady Bacon, the pair have captured each of the last three USAC National Sprint Car driving titles with Grant attempting to defend his 2022 championship while Bacon aims to reach the top for a fifth time after previous crowns in 2014-16-20-21.

It’s readily apparent that the same two vets will be duking it out to the finish line once again in 2023 with Grant holding on to a nine-point edge over Bacon with five races remaining starting Thursday at Gas City.

Grant (Ione, Calif.) owns the bragging rights at Gas City this year, already having won the Indiana Sprint Week round in July. Furthermore, Grant is a past James Dean Classic victor in 2020. Bacon owns winning experience at Gas City too, collecting the USAC Sprint Cars’ springtime appearance in 2015.

Grant and Bacon also are the two winningest drivers in USAC National Sprint Car competition this season with Grant taking nine and Bacon seven of his own. Either is clearly capable of hitting double-digits in the win column, something that hasn’t been done with the series since Tyler Courtney in 2018.

DOUBLE DOUBLE, IN-N-OUT OF TWO DIFFERENT RIDES

The fun part of a USAC doubleheader on the fan side is getting to watch drivers tackle multiple disciplines of racing on one track on one night.

For drivers, it gets busy with double the workload, but also presents a chance for a rare opportunity to not only race a sprint car and midget on the same night, but also the chance to win in both on one night.

At least four drivers are set to compete in both ends of Gas City’s doubleheader: Logan Seavey, Justin Grant, Thomas Meseraull and Daison Pursley.

Seavey and Grant have both been victorious in USAC National Sprint Car and USAC National Midget racing at Gas City in their careers. In fact, Seavey has already experienced the joy of winning two USAC National features in one day this past August when he scored a Silver Crown win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds during the day and with the National Midgets during the night at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.

Meseraull (San Jose, Calif. has twice been a track champion at Gas City and has won with the USAC Regional Midgets there as well. Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) has found himself in victory lane behind the wheel of sprints and midgets in his young career but is eying a first points victory of the season this Thursday.

BUDDY ON THE GAS ONCE AGAIN

No driver has won three career USAC National Midget features at Gas City I-69 Speedway, but Buddy Kofoid will be taking his shot at that record this Thursday night in a fifth Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports machine.

Fresh off a pair of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car wins over the past couple weekends in his home state of California, Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.) has made four USAC Midget starts in 2023, winning twice during USAC Indiana Midget Week at Lincoln Park Speedway and at Circle City Raceway while also finishing second and fourth in his other two appearances.

Kofoid’s two victories in USAC National Midget competition are tied for the most all-time alongside Shane Cottle, Darren Hagen and Kyle Larson.

KAYLEE, JADE, TAYLOR & HOLLY

Four of the most successful women ever to compete in the USAC National Midget ranks will be on hand to race with the series at Gas City this Thursday night, aiming to make some history of their own.

Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.) equaled the best ever finish by a woman in a USAC National Midget event during the 2022 James Dean Classic at Gas City when she led a race-high 18 laps and finished as the runner-up. This Thursday, she’ll make her season debut with the series in the CB Industries No. 89.

Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.) is among the group, and has finished as the runner-up multiple times in her career with the series, both this season. She scored a second in her Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports ride at the Belleville (Kan.) Short Track in May and notched another second during the most recent round at Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway in early September.

Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Okla.) finished eighth in her lone visit to Gas City this season. Reimer’s most recent outing with the USAC National Midgets resulted in her leading a race-high 16 laps en route to a fifth-place finish at Angell Park.

Holly Jones (nee Shelton), a veteran of 53 career USAC National Midget feature starts, returns to the series after a five-year absence to drive for Bundy Built Motorsports, and owns a best career series finish of third.

MOLES BACK UP TO SPEED

It wasn’t long ago that Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) found himself on the sidelines, dejected after a string of major crashes through the months of July and August.

In the four races since that point when he missed the entirety of the three-night Sprint Car Smackdown XII due to a concussion suffered during a major incident on the opening night of event, few drivers have been more productive than the second year USAC Sprint Car driver.

Down south at Texas’ Devil’s Bowl Speedway, he raked in a ninth, followed by a fifth at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway. Moles swung into Indiana last weekend and recorded an eighth at Circle City Raceway and a fourth at Tri-State Speedway.

Only Moles, Justin Grant and Kyle Cummins have finished inside the top-10 in each of their past four USAC National Sprint Car feature starts entering Gas City.

RACE DETAILS

The fifth running of the James Dean Classic features the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship.

Pit gates open at 2pm Eastern with the grandstands opening at 4pm, drivers meeting at 5:45pm and cars on track at 6:15pm with qualifying and racing immediately following.

General admission tickets are $30. Kids 12 & under are free. Pit passes are $30 for members and $35 for non-members.

The full event can be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/40w7aPg.

USAC PR

Car owner Tim Bertrand and Bertrand Motorsports will travel west December 1-2 for Davey Hamilton, Jr.’s Open Wheel Showdown, bringing three Midgets for the $10,000-to-win feature in Las Vegas. A wide-variety of Midgets from all over North America will challenge for the strong purse at the .375-mile Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Bertrand will field Midgets for his brother Todd of Brooklyn, CT., multi-faceted driver Nathan Byrd of Phoenix, Ariz., and USAC Silver Crown standout Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. Swanson leads the Bertrand brigade into Vegas as one of the few drivers with a victory at the speedway. Swanson won a USAC Western States Midget race there in 2010.

“Kody has run Vegas before and he even won there. Another advantage to working with him is he knows a lot about these cars and places he’s run in the past,” Bertrand said. “Our history in Midget racing on pavement is Winged Midget racing in the Northeast. We’ve won 12 or 13 championships. But Non-Wing is something we are a bit newer at. When we hired Kody to drive for us, that was our time to get serious.”

Bertrand Motorsports has made waves in the winged Northeastern Midget Association, scoring its 105th career win last Saturday night with Todd Bertrand at the controls. The team is just one win shy of the all-time owner’s record in the esteemed series. Bertrand Motorsports also teamed up with Swindell SpeedLab to win the 2023 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals with driver Logan Seavey.

Swanson will drive the No. 47 Midget powered by a Stanton SR-11x at Las Vegas. Swanson drove the one-of-a-kind car formerly owned by Jerome Rodela in May at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Swanson will drive the car again on October 14 before it heads west with Bertrand Motorsports.

“The current plan is to run IRP in October and then we are going to leave the cars out there,” Bertrand said. “David Byrd has a tractor trailer lined up that we think can fit seven or eight cars. We’re trying to build a cost-effective way to get everyone out there.”

Swanson will also be one of several drivers planning to race in both the $50,000-to-win Winged Sprint Car feature and the Midget feature. His Winged Sprint Car entry will be for Doran Enterprises in the No. 77 Diablo-Chevrolet.

The Californian is one of the most accomplished drivers in pavement open wheel history. Seven USAC Silver Crown championships are joined by three Little 500 triumphs and countless wins across Silver Crown, Sprint Cars, and Midgets.

Registration is moving quickly for the inaugural Open Wheel Showdown, with just 75 spaces available for the Winged Sprint Car division. Drivers can learn more at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com

Tickets are also on sale though the Las Vegas Motor Speedway ticket office and online. Details can be found at both www.LVMS.com or the Open Wheel Showdown website.

The event will be telecast through Speed Sport TV and on the new Speed Sport 1 channel. More broadcast details will be announced soon.

Open Wheel Showdown PR

No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet driver Ross Chastain knows he has some work to do beginning Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

Chastain begins the three-race Round of 12 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs just three points outside the transfer position to advance to the Round of 8. He'll have Sunday's 500-mile race on the ultra-fast, 1.5-mile oval, followed by Oct. 1 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, and the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 8 to climb into the top eight.

"Every week its a grind to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep advancing. Whether that's from a physical aspect on my end with my workout routine, getting enough rest and making sure I'm doing everything I can. And making sure everything on the technical side with the car and setup is giving us the best chance to keep advancing."

After the Round of 8, the playoff field will be reduced to four remaining drivers who will run in a winner-take-all championship race on Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. Last year, Chastain made it to the final round and finished runner-up to champion Joey Logano.

Chastain will have some extra supporters at the track on Sunday when he makes his seventh start at Texas. He'll carry the livery of Dallas-based Worldwide Express.

The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. 

USA Network will broadcast Sunday's race at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Trackhouse Racing PR

Special Guests 

Toledo Speedway played host to a number of special guests at the Glass City 200, paying tribute to both the history of the tracks marquee event as well as the return of the ASA brand to Northwest Ohio.

Headlining the list of honorees was three-time Glass City 200 winner Bob Senneker, the 1990 American Speed Association Champion who also won the 1992 ASA National Series event at Toledo. ARCA President and Toledo Speedway Track Owner/Promoter Ron Drager presented Senneker with an ARCA Gold Card lifetime membership during pre-race ceremonies. In addition, Sennekers 1979 “Bluebird” vintage race car was on display at the speedway.

Joining Senneker as a special Guest of Honor was ASA standout Scott Hansen, a three-time winner at Toledo Speedway in the original American Speed Association. A 26-time winner in the ASA National Series in the 1980’s and 1990’s, he has been called the best ASA racer to never have won a championship. The Toledo appearance marked the fifth and final time Hansen would be honored as a Guest of Honor at an ASA STARS National Tour event.

Other former Glass City 200 winners honored during the event included Dennis Strickland, Tim Ice, Dave Kuhlman and Terry Senneker Jr.

2024 Rules and Procedures 

Officials from Track Enterprises have announced that the 2024 ASA STARS National Tour rulebook will be released during the Winchester 400 weekend on October 13-16. Competition Director Freddie Query spoke at both the morning crew chief meeting and the driver/spotter meeting in Toledo during the Glass City 200, indicating that the ASA STARS rulebook was near completion and would be available at Winchester. Rules for the three ASA Regional Tours (ASA/CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour and ASA Southern Super Series) will be released in the near future.

Safer Barriers, Toledo Style 

Toledo Speedway utilizes foam blocks in the corners to minimize impact as a safety element. The Glass City 200 was red-flagged on two occasions Saturday evening after on-track incidents in turn one. The first occurred on lap 39 when Michael Simko made hard contact with the foam barriers after making contact with the front-stretch wall near the start/finish line. On lap 137, Kyle Krump also made hard contact with the barriers in turn one. While both cars were heavily damaged, both drivers walked away from the incidents.

Seven Drivers in Top-Ten Have Best ASA STARS Results

Jesse Love and Chase Burda earned best-career finishes with the ASA STARS National Tour at Toledo, with Love winning the race and Burda finishing in third.  They weren’t the only ones to earn their best results with the series, as a total of seven drivers in the top-ten earned or tied their best finish.  The others to do so were Andrik Dimayuga (5^th in his debut), Austin Nason (6^th), Billy VanMeter (7th, tied with Anderson), Scotty Tomasik (8^th), and Logan Bearden (10^th).

Up Next

The ASA STARS National Tour heads to Winchester Speedway on Sunday, October 15 for the Winchester 400. The race will also serve as the season finale for the ASA/CRA Super Series. Tickets are available for purchase by contacting the speedway office at 765-584-9701 or at the gate on race weekend.

For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).

ASA STARS PR

A record-high field of 37 USAC Silver Crown drivers and cars are entered for the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway this Friday-Saturday, September 22-23.

That’s the most ever for a USAC Silver Crown event at the Rossburg, Ohio half-mile dirt oval dating back to the first running in 1981.

The previous highest car count of 36 champ cars at Eldora occurred in both the 1996 and 2001 runnings of the 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO.

This weekend’s field includes four past Eldora 4-Crown Nationals USAC Silver Crown winners, including Jerry Coons Jr. (2007 & 2014), C.J. Leary (2018), Brady Bacon (2019) and Logan Seavey (2021-22).

Seavey leads the USAC Silver Crown National Championship point standings by a single point entering the Eldora round this weekend.

The USAC Silver Crown portion of the program encompasses two nights at Eldora this weekend. On Friday, USAC Silver Crown practice will be held, followed by two-at-a-time USAC Silver Crown qualifying in which the top-20 fastest on time will be locked into Saturday’s feature.

Also on Friday night, a 12-lap qualifying race will be held for all those who are not locked into the feature. From that field, the top-six finishers will transfer into the Saturday’s 50-lap feature.

RACE DETAILS

On Friday, September 22, at Eldora, the BeFour the Crowns program will feature the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC Silver Crown Qualifying & Qualifying Race and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars. Spectator gates open at 2pm Eastern with the drivers meeting taking place at 5:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $35 for adults and free for ages 12 and under. Reserved tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.

On Saturday, September 23, at Eldora, the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals presented by NKTELCO features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, All Star Circuit of Champions and the USAC Silver Crown National Championship. Spectator gates open at Noon Eastern with a driver autograph session taking place from 3-4pm in the Fan Zone. The drivers meeting will take place at 4:30pm and cars on track at 6pm.  General admission tickets are $40 for adults and free for ages 12 and under. Reserved tickets are $45 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.

ELDORA USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST: (37 CARS & DRIVERS)

07 (R) JOHN TOSTI/High Ridge, MO (John Tosti)

08 KYLE STEFFENS/St. Charles, MO (Gordon Steffens)

3 (R) TIM SIMMONS/Cabot, AR (Tim Simmons)

4 (R) MARK BITNER/Columbus, NJ (Henry Yeska)

5 (R) MATT MITCHELL/Yorba Linda, CA (DMW Motorsports)

6 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Klatt Enterprises)

7 KYLE ROBBINS/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)

9 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (Chris Dyson Racing)

10 JAKE SWANSON/Anaheim, CA (DMW Motorsports)

11 (R) TREY BURKE/Alvin, TX (Davey Hamilton Racing/SRG)

12 (R) WAYNE JOHNSON/Oklahoma City, OK (Two C Racing)

18 TRAVIS WELPOTT/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)

20 (R) EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Nolen Racing)

22 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports)

24 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (John Haggenbottom)

26 (R) KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Sam Pierce)

31 DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)

32 GREGG CORY/Shelbyville, IN (Williams Racing)

34 (R) GARY DUNKLE/Lincoln, NE (Gary Dunkle)

44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)

49 BRIAN RUHLMAN/Clarklake, MI (Brian Ruhlman)

51 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)

52 CARMEN PERIGO/Stoystown, PA (John Stehman)

53 SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Five Three Motorsports)

54 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (Westfall Motorsports)

55 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Patty Bateman)

57 DALLAS HEWITT/Troy, OH (Dallas Hewitt)

69 CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (Pink 69 Racing)

77 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Doran-Binks Racing)

81 (R) TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (BCR Group)

86 (R) CHASE DIETZ/York, PA (Bruce Lee)

91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)

92 MARIO CLOUSER/Auburn, IL (Kazmark Motorsports)

97 (R) MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, CA (Hans Lein)

99 (R) ZACH HAMPTON/Mooresville, IN (Armstrong Racing)

111 TOM PATERSON/Argos, IN (Tom Paterson)

555 TAYLOR FERNS/Shelby Township, MI (Taylor Ferns Racing)

(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender

USAC PR

Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y., raced his way to his first-ever Race of Champions victory this past Sunday at Lake Erie Speedway in North East, Pa., in the 73^rd Annual Race of Champions 250. The race was telecast on live on MAVTV.

Emerling fended off the challenges of eight time race winner Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., to earn the victory.

Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, N.Y., who was the last winner of the “250” finished third.

George Skora, III of Eden, N.Y., and Paulie Hartwig, III of Galloway, N.J., rounded out the top-five.

“This was a big one for us,” offered Emerling in victory lane. “It is absolutely incredible to win this after trying so many times.”

Nik Welshans of West Seneca, N.Y., captured the Race of Champions Street Stock event while Nick Robinson of Waverly, N.Y., captured the Race of Champions FOAR SCORE Dash Series victory as well as the Dash Series Triple Challenge along with the Fred Rounds Cup. Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, N.Y., won the WNY Mighty TQ Midget feature.

The Series now shifts to it’s final two races of the season with the conclusion for the Modified Series this week where Zane Zeiner of Bath, N.Y., looks to clinch the Series championship.

The Race of Champions Sportsman Modified; Race of Champions Super Stock; Race of Champions FOAR SCORE Dash Series and Race of Champions Rocket Performance 602 Sportsman Modified Series have to wait until “Shootout Weekend” at Wyoming County International Speedway to wrap up their championships on Saturday, October 14.

The next and final race of the 2023 season for the Race of Champions Modified Series is this Sunday at Lancaster (N.Y.) Motorplex with the traditional running of the US Open “125”.

Where: Lancaster Motorplex, Lancaster, N.Y.

When: Sunday, September 24, 2023

Directions: The track is located at 57 Gunnville Road in Lancaster, N.Y., just North of Route 33 and minutes from the New York State Thruway.

What: “The US Open” – Race of Champions Modified Series

More Information: www.rocmodifiedseries.com / www.lancastermotorplex.com

ROC Mods PR

With 7 top-5 finishes in only 11 starts over the last 2 seasons, Danbury native Teddy Hodgdon has quietly established himself as a serious contender any time Monaco Modifieds or Open Modifieds take to Stafford Speedway.  The 2019 SK Light track champion and driver of the #55ct Montanari Fuel Troyer car comes into the Saturday, September 23rd NAPA Fall Final with a 4-race streak of finishing in the top-4. 

“Honestly I think just having the experience of the last 4 seasons of SK Light and SK Modified® competition translated a lot to the open car,” said Hodgdon.  “Getting a great engine from Mike Pettit has also been a key to our performance.  We went to New Smyrna in 2022 and finished third in the points and then coming to Stafford and getting some top-5 finishes in 2022 along with the consistency we’ve shown this year is just an evolution of what we’ve learned and what we’ve put into our program.  Big thanks to Montanari Fuel, Chris Garcia, Pete Matton, Business Time Motorsports, Creative Racing, Don Barker, Pettit Racing Engines, Williams Race Gears, the Benedict Family, Robert Todd, all the crew guys Max, Kyle, Ray Smith and Lou DiLisio from the #28 SK team, my spotter Lucas, and of course my father, he’s the backbone of this whole operation.”

Hodgdon recorded a second place finish in the CBYD 81 back in May and he followed that performance up with a fourth place finish in the June Casella 80 and two third place finishes in the July GAF 80 and the August Lincoln Tech 80.  Hodgdon is still looking for his first win behind the wheel of a full blown modified and thinks his chances of obtaining that first victory are very good come this Saturday, September 23^rd for the NAPA Fall Final at Stafford.

“Absolutely, I think we’ve got a real shot at getting our first win this weekend at the Fall Final,” said Hodgdon.  “We’ve been consistent, we’ve led laps, and we’ve had good short run and long run speed so now we just need to put everything together.  At the last open race the pit stops kind of hurt us but we’ve looked at the tape and we’ve gone over everything with everyone.  We’ve had good segments of every part of the race throughout the season and if we can put together a complete day, I think we should be right there.  The Sizzler and the Fall Final haven’t been the greatest of races for me so far but this one feels totally different for me.  I don’t think I’ve ever been as prepared for a race as I am for the Fall Final.  We have a huge notebook of things we’re going to work on and I think we’ll be right there as long as we can keep our nose clean and complete all the laps.  To win at the Fall Final would be the biggest win of my career for sure.  All the top modified drivers are going to be at this race and to be able to beat them would be surreal.”

While Hodgdon may not have the experience that many of the drivers in the NAPA Fall Final field will have when it comes to racing a full blown modified car, he can lean on his years of SK Light and SK Modified® weekly competition to help give him and the #55 team a boost when they show up to race at Stafford.

“I think my SK Light and SK Modified® experience helps because you can see in the SK car just how much the track evolves each week,” said Hodgdon.  “You can see through the year how the track reacts and what the car will give you which helps you get a knowledge bank in the back of your mind on how to predict how the car will react to the track the following week.  Except for the tire scuff session, the Fall Final race format will be very similar to the open races at Stafford so we’ll take the same approach and try to not do anything differently than we normally do.  The last open race we made some adjustments to the car that really helped put us over the hump to be a legitimate contender and we’ve got 4 good races under our belt, so if we can go from there, we should be alright.”

The NAPA Fall Final is set for Saturday, September 23rd and tickets are available now online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and tickets will also be available for purchase at the admission gates.  Tickets for the NAPA Fall Final are priced at $30.00 for adult general admission, $10.00 for kids ages 6-14, kids 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult, and reserved seating is priced at $35.00 for all ages.  Pit passes are $45.00 with a valid 2023 Stafford Competition License and $50.00 without a Stafford license.   If you are unable to attend the event, tune into the live stream on FloRacing, the official streaming partner of Stafford Speedway.

For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.

Stafford Speedway PR

After winning his opening 11 races of the season at Langley Speedway, 26-year-old Connor Hall captured his first NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship.

The championship is the first for a Langley Speedway-based driver in the top division of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series in the 73-year history of the track. The late Shawn Balluzzo won the Division II national title in 2011.

Hall’s opening series of wins included 10 Weekly Series Late Model Stock events, and the CARS Tour event on June 3. He would go on to tally 18 total wins in 26 Weekly Series races at Langley (14 of the wins), Hickory Motor Speedway (three wins) and Southern National Motorsports Park (one win), recording 23 top-five and 24 top-10 results overall.

The championship is a full-circle moment for Hall, who got his start in racing at the age of eight with the Hampton Roads Kart Club at Langley. He competed in Karts for seven years before trying his hand at arena racing and then Legends cars. He began racing Late Models in 2014.

“Connor had a storybook path to a title, winning the championship by racing out of the track where he first got his start as a young child,” said Joseph Dennewitz, NASCAR Managing Director, Touring Series. “And as NASCAR wraps up its 75^th Anniversary season, it’s especially meaningful to have a grassroots champion from one our most historic short tracks win the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series title.”

Hall is a professed Late Model Stock Car fan, running home from school on Mondays as a kid to watch local highlight videos on YouTube that recapped the exploits of drivers such as Lee Pulliam, Phillip Morris and Josh Berry at tracks like South Boston Speedway and Motor Mile Speedway. This makes winning the Weekly Series championship that much sweeter for the Virginia driver.

“The biggest thing for me is I grew up as the biggest Late Model Stock Car fan,” said Hall. “I thought these guys were way cooler than the top guys in NASCAR, I have always been obsessed with it. I grew up thinking I would never get to race Late Models, so when I got my first Late Model, we were so bad, but we were so happy to do it at the time.

“That was eight years ago, and to see where we are now, it’s just crazy.”

The magnitude of the championship is just beginning to sink in for Hall, who marked a special anniversary in his Late Model racing career last weekend at Langley when he ran his last race of the points season.

“This past Saturday, that same day six years ago, I got my first win at Langley when I was 20-years old,” said Hall. “To be there six years later and having the national title wrapped up…sitting here talking about it now and where I was six years ago, gives me goosebumps.

“I started Late Model racing in my dad’s garage and we won a national championship out of the same garage.”

In addition to winning the Weekly Series national championship, Hall also won the Southeast Region title.

“From all of us at Advance, we congratulate Connor and his race team on becoming NASCAR champions,” said Samantha Avivi, Advance’s chief marketing officer. “Winning the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship requires talent, consistency and passion, all of which Connor demonstrated in his incredible, record-setting season. Connor has proven his status as an elite competitor, and we’re excited to follow along as he advances in his racing career.”

The complete list of regional and state Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champions and Jostens Rookie of the Year awards, as well as the champions of the other national divisions, will be released in the coming days.

Hall next takes to the track this weekend at Martinsville Speedway in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the nation’s biggest, richest and most prestigious NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race and the final race in the Virginia Triple Crown finale, on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7:00 p.m. Practice and qualifying begin at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22.  

Two-time Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion (2005, 2021) Peyton Sellers, as well as Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, the 2023 Triple Crown points leader and winner of the opening 2023 Triple Crown race at Langley Speedway will also be featured in the race. 2023 South Boston Speedway track champion Carter Langley is also slated to compete.

NASCAR PR