The fiercest competition on 4-wheels this summer is at Orange County Fair Speedway in the “H.O Penn 358 Small Block Modified” racing division!  Most Saturday night OCFS events in 2021 will feature the H.O. Penn 358’s as the headlining division. What happened to the Big Blocks you may be asking? They haven't gone anywhere! Big Block Modified racing remains a staple at OCFS, with 2021 introducing a new 12 race series with special format events on Thursdays AND some Saturdays, allowing weekly racing to shine a bigger spotlight on our co-headlining Small Blocks. Oh, and with a bigger presence, comes A BIGGER PAYOUT for 358’s! 

Last year OCFS hosted an average of over forty 358 Small Block drivers weekly (with over 70 showing up for Eastern States Weekend). With the growing popularity of the 358 Small Block division (and its affordability compared to Big Blocks), it's become common for many OCFS Big Block drivers to run both Big Blocks and Small Blocks pulling double duty on many Saturday nights (Anthony Perrego, Jerry Higbie, Mike Mahaney, Tyler Boniface, Bob McGannon and more!), making competition in the Small Block events just as star studded and exciting as the Big Block division ever was.  Though the 358’s represent a drop off in sheer engine power, their reduced weight makes them only tenths of a second slower than their big block brethren, producing incredibly competitive side-by-side racing. 

If the fact that most big block drivers also already have a Small Block too wasn’t enough to produce a competitive field of drivers in 2021, the 358 Small Block purse will certainly solidify that. 2021’s Saturday night Small Block races will pay out $2200 to the race’s winner, with $200 to start the feature.  With this healthy purse, OCFS hopes to see drivers from other classes move on up to what will now be a co-headlining division at OCFS.    

When asked “why the increased emphasis on the Small Block division”, OCFS Director of Motorsports, Brett Hearn declared “Todays SB modified creates a more economical option for teams and owners. This series with the money that’s being offered will give the incentive for top drivers to get excited as well as creating interest for drivers to move up from other classes.” 

With a raise to the Small Block purse also comes a raise to their point fund.  2021’s points champion will walk away with an impressive $10,000 prize.  The season starts with April 10th's Regular Season Opener (following April 3rd's Big Block Series Race “The OC Oval Kickoff”) and ends on Champions Night (also the “Big Block Final 4” in their points series) on August 28th after 11 races.  Unlike the all-new Big Block championship series, the 358 Small Blocks will retain a traditional points series structure and handicapping. To help out our drivers who hope to compete in 2021’s Bristol Dirt race, our 358 Small Block race scheduled against it (April 24th) will be for show up points only.  For those drivers who stay in Middletown, they’ll be competing for an enhanced $3,000 to win on that night! 

358 Small Block drivers, do you want to test your mettle on America’s most historic speedway? 2021 at OCFS is calling, come add your name to the long list of legendary feature winners! This season marks the start of a new era for the H.O. Penn 358 Small Block Modifieds!

Nine transporters, several chartered jets and a colorful mix of rental cars arrived in Monterey Sunday as a prequel to what this year’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey will look like in September. Four teams competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES are spending every minute of today to afford drivers valuable track time on the technically-challenging WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, while engineers tweak the chassis, engine and Firestone tires to fine tune the car’s setup to achieve optimal performance.
 
Teams and their drivers participating today are Dale Coyne Racing (Ed Jones and Romain Grosjean), Meyer Shank Racing (Helio Castroneves and Jack Harvey), Ed Carpenter Racing (Rinus VeeKay), and Arrow McLaren SP (Juan Pablo Montoya, Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist). Former Formula 1 racer Romain Grosjean is making his debut at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
 
“The entire business community enjoys welcoming INDYCAR athletes, their crews and owners to Monterey,” commented John Narigi, president and general manager of Monterey’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “It is exciting to see and hear the finely tuned race cars on track, and to witness the intensity in the pits, even in the non-race environment.”
 
The paddock and grandstands are closed for today’s testing, yet there are still some INDYCAR fans who paid the day-use fee to watch the sessions from the surrounding hillsides. For campers, the INDYCARS provide another unexpected benefit of camping in the Laguna Seca Recreation Area.
 
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Indy Lights teams, headed by Andretti Autosport will be in Monterey conducting private tests in preparation for their season.
 
The track rental program is possible through a welcomed adherence to the strict health and safety protocols that were put into place last June. This includes registration logs at the gate, temperature checks at the paddock entry, face coverings, physical distancing, and contact tracing procedures.  
 
Complete ticket packages and camping for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, September 17-19, are on sale by visiting www.WeatherTechRaceway.com, sending a message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling the Tickets and Accommodations specialists at 831-242-8200.

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and Sunoco Race Fuels announce a multi-year partnership renewal that will see Sunoco Race Fuels continue as the official fuel of the IHRA.

For decades, Sunoco Race Fuels have been associated with racing excellence. As the largest manufacturer of racing gasolines in the world, Sunoco Race Fuels has a 40-year track record of winning performances. With an expanded product line, Sunoco Race Fuels of­fers drivers more choices than ever before. For the performance your engine is designed to deliver, con­sistently choose Sunoco Race Fuels.

“We appreciate the opportunity to continue our partnership with Sunoco Race Fuels, a company that has set the standard in the race fuel industry,” said Dana Landry, senior director of corporate partnerships, IRG Sports + Entertainment. “Sunoco Race Fuels offers many high-quality fuels used by IHRA racers helping them achieve peak performance on and off track.”

As part of the partnership Sunoco Race Fuels will reward racers who use Sunoco Race Fuels in Top, Mod, Sportsman and Junior Dragster classes at IHRA Sportsman Spectacular, IHRA Summit Team Finals, IHRA Junior Dragster Team Finals, and IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals through IHRA round prize program.

For more information about Sunoco Race Fuels products visit SunocoRaceFuels.com.

For more information about the IHRA visit IHRA.com or call (561) 337-3446.