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Louis "Sonny" Meyer Jr., one of the most accomplished and successful engine builders in Indianapolis 500 history, died Saturday, Nov. 9 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He was 89.

Meyer was the son of Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 as a driver. Sonny Meyer joined Meyer & Drake Engineering soon after his father and Dale Drake purchased the Offenhauser engine business from Fred Offenhauser in early 1946. Sonny Meyer was one of the quietest, most pleasant men in Gasoline Alley but spoke loudly through his instrumental involvement as an engine builder or chief mechanic in at least 15 Indy 500 victories.

The Meyers introduced the supercharged midget engine to Indy in 1949-50 with Tony Bettenhausen, and the younger Meyer worked on Bill Vukovich's crew in the early 1950s before becoming a chief mechanic for Bettenhausen in 1958 as he finished fourth at Indy in the No. 33 Jones & Maley Epperly/Offy.

When his father sold out of Offenhauser in 1964 to become a distributor for Ford's double-overhead-camshaft V8 engine, Meyer relocated to Indianapolis and became a mentor to many future chief mechanics. He also worked with his father on the Ford program, and a Ford engine powered A.J. Foyt to his third Indianapolis 500 win, in 1967.

Meyer built the engine that powered Gordon Johncock's first "500" victory, in 1973 in the No. 20 STP Double Oil Filter Eagle/Offy owned by Patrick Racing. The crew chief was Meyer's brother-in-law, George Bignotti, and Meyer also served as the team's fueler during pit stops. Meyer's tenure at Patrick Racing was followed by a stint at Vince Granatelli Racing and then several more years as development engineer on John Menard's potent V6 turbocharged Buicks.

Meyer was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2013. He is survived by his wife, Sue; daughter, Pam; son, Butch; and stepson, Scott Balch.

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For one night, second meant first.

Three champions were crowned in front of a sold-out Can-Am World Finals crowd on Saturday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte – and the two closest battles saw both champions finish second in their respective races to clinch their titles.

Kasey Kahne Racing driver Brad Sweet finished second to David Gravel in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature to win his first championship in the world’s most prestigious open-wheel dirt series. Sweet won the crown by four points over Donny Schatz – in the closest finish ever – to secure a second title for KKR and the team’s first since Daryn Pittman triumphed in 2013.

Mat Williamson snared his first Super DIRTcar Series big-block modified championship with a runner-up finish to Billy Decker. Williamson edged Matt Sheppard in a hard-fought showdown that came down to the final laps.

Jimmy Owens capped a thrilling night of racing by winning the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series feature.

Sweet and Schatz waged an electrifying duel for the World of Outlaws sprint title during both feature nights of the World Finals. Schatz had cut Sweet's points lead to a scant two after finishing second in Friday night's race, setting the stage for a scintillating final event.

Schatz passed Sweet for third place on the sixth of 30 laps, but Sweet rallied to retake the spot. Four laps later, Sweet moved into second and Schatz to third, and that's where the duo finished.

"I was going as hard as I could and just slipped off of (Turn) 2," Sweet said. "Did not surprise me to see the 15 (of Schatz) drive by me. But luckily got back up in the seat and was able to sneak back under him. I told myself, 'Don't do that again.' (Feature winner) David (Gravel) was super fast; I was cheering him on, telling him to go.

"I've never been so happy to run second in my entire life."

Sweet made a stellar move to miss the spinning car of Danny Dietrich with 10 laps to go, darting to the left off Turn 2 to preserve his spot. On the restart, Sweet began counting down the laps.

"It felt like the longest 10 laps of my life," Sweet said. "When (the flagman) held five to go, I thought, 'Are you sure that's not the white flag?' I just drove as hard as I could and hoped I held off Donny. It was the happiest second place we've ever had.

"It's a long grind running 80 races out here. There's a lot of ups and downs, and to finish it right here, it made me cry, for sure. It's a huge team effort to accomplish these championships. … We're happy to get our first one, and we're going to do a little celebrating tonight."

Schatz, a 10-time series champion, didn’t go down easy.

"We were racing to win," Schatz said. "That's what put us in that position a lot of time. My guys did a great job. We did everything we could, I drove it as hard as I could. … Just wasn't good enough. Those guys were pretty good.

"We're going to have to swallow hard: We ran second. It's happened before. This team has been a part of a championship battle for a lot of years. We're not done."

Gravel completed a sweep of the World Finals, dominating the sprint car A-Main for the second night in a row. Gravel won for the 51^st time in his World of Outlaws career and for the third time at Charlotte.

"Last night, the car was OK," Gravel said. "But tonight, it was freaking badass. I had the best race car tonight, hands down. I could go anywhere, top, bottom, and it showed. I felt like I got through lapped traffic really, really good, and my job was easy."

Williamson, of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, edged seven-time series champion Sheppard to become the first Canadian to win the Super DIRTcar Series title.

"This is everything I've ever dreamed of," an emotional Williamson said after the race. "I can't believe we got it done."

Sheppard took the lead just past the halfway point but lost the top spot to Billy Decker with 14 laps remaining and then slipped to third when Williamson got by. Sheppard ended up fourth behind Michael Maresca. Max McLaughlin finished fifth.

"That was tough," Williamson said of battling for position in the season-finale. "I really didn't know what to think when Matt got back on Billy there. I tried to keep my cool and stay with them. … Man, I'll take this second every day of the week."

Decker dominated Friday's feature but had a left-rear tire and was forced out of the lead. But he had no such bad luck Saturday, winning his first race of 2019 and first at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

"When that (car) came out of the box, it was a rocket ship," Decker said. "It's fun to be a part of (World Finals). Last night, we felt like one got away from us, and it had be down pretty hard. But we came out swinging today. What a great race car. It finally feels good to get a win here at the World Finals."

Owens held off a late charge from Ricky Weiss to win his seventh World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series race at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Dale McDowell was third, with Mike Marlar fourth and Chris Madden, who won Friday's feature, fifth.

"Man, it was an extremely fun race," Owens said. "It's great to be back in victory lane. (Our car) was a little bit too tight. When I'd move up a lane, I couldn't steer as good as I wanted to. So I either had to go all the way to the top or toward the middle. … But we were able to hold him off and come home with a win."

Series champion Brandon Sheppard, who clinched the title before this weekend, finished 11^th. Sheppard tied a series record with 18 victories in 2019.

"It was just a phenomenal year," Sheppard said. "I can't even say enough about my team, my guys. They're the best group of guys you could ever work with, and they do such a phenomenal job on this race car. It's a dream to drive, and it's a dream come true to drive for Mark Richards and Steve Baker. That's what it's all about, that's what my season is all about – those guys. I couldn't do it without them, for sure."

Race fans from all 50 states and nine countries – as far away as Tanzania and New Zealand – attended this weekend’s three-day spectacular of dirt-flying, championship-deciding excitement.

TICKETS:
Fans can renew Can-Am World Finals tickets and purchase tickets to upcoming speedway events by shopping online or calling 800-455-FANS (3267).

KEEP TRACK:
Connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and stay up to speed with all the happenings at the speedway, The Dirt Track and zMAX Dragway by following on Facebook, Twitter or on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s mobile app.

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As an international audience enjoys the championship-deciding, dirt-flying spectacle that is the Can-Am World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, speedway and World of Outlaws officials have announced that reserved grandstand seats are sold out for the 11th consecutive year.

For those still looking to attend the race, standing-room only tickets as well as pit passes are still available. Fans are encouraged to call 800-455-FANS (3267) to buy and then pick up at will call. Pit passes are available for race fans 18 years of age and older.

The Can-Am World Finals features heart-pounding, clay-slinging action on Charlotte’s lightning-fast, four-tenths mile oval. The renowned event brings together the top series in the sport – the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series and the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds – for a full weekend of racing culminating in Saturday’s crowning of all three series champions.

Fans from all 50 U.S. states have joined attendees from as far away as Tanzania and New Zealand to make the Can-Am World Finals a truly world-class showcase of speed, excitement and championship drama.

TICKETS:
To purchase tickets or pit passes as well as renew tickets to next year’s Can-Am World Finals, call the speedway ticket office at 800-455-FANS (3267).

KEEP TRACK:
Connect with The Dirt Track at Charlotte and stay up to speed by visiting The Dirt Track on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheDirtTrackatCharlotte and by following on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thedirttrack.

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As Ford Championship Weekend approaches, the list of pre-race dignitaries is growing. Marc Buoniconti will be the Grand Marshal for the Ford EcoBoost 300. Buoniconti will recite the most famous words in all of motorsports, “Drivers, start your engines!” just before the green flag waves for the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Ford EcoBoost 300 championship race on Saturday, November 16.

The son of former Miami Dolphin and Pro Football Hall of Famer, the late Nick Buoniconti, Marc played college football at The Citadel before he was paralyzed from the shoulders down during a game in 1985. Since suffering his injury, Marc has created two nonprofit organizations, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.  Through those organizations, more than $450 million has been raised for research and treatment for spinal cord and brain injuries. Each day Buoniconti continues to change the lives of those who battle paralysis.

“It is an honor to have Marc Buoniconti join us for this year’s Ford EcoBoost 300” said Homestead-Miami Speedway President Al Garcia. “With the impact he makes on the community, it will go hand and hand with the work we strive to do off of the racetrack.”

“Everyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of all things racing, and all things Miami. To serve as Grand Marshal for the Ford EcoBoost 300 is a thrill for me. This honor is another way to help showcase The Miami Project and Buoniconti Fund’s accomplishments as part of South Florida’s premier race weekend,” said Marc Buoniconti.

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ISM Raceway announced today that grandstand seats are sold out for the Bluegreen Vacations 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Semi-Final race on Sunday, November 10. This marks the second consecutive semi-final weekend sell-out at ISM Raceway since the conclusion of the modernization project.

“Sunday’s grandstand sellout is a perfect lead-in to the historic 2020 season at ISM Raceway, culminating with NASCAR’s Championship Weekend this time next year,” said ISM Raceway President Julie Giese. “The anticipation is palpable and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s in store for the city of Avondale, The Valley and the entire state of Arizona.”

Race fans who still want to attend the Bluegreen Vacations 500 can purchase an INfield Only package for the event, which include admission through the gates and access to the INfield Experience, allowing unparalleled access to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garages, Gatorade Victory Lane, driver appearances, O’Reilly Auto Parts Pre-Race Party and exclusive food and beverage options.

INfield Only packages are $139 for adults and $65 for juniors 17 and under, and can be purchased online at ISMRaceway.com, by phone at 1-866-408-RACE (7223) or in person at the ISM Raceway ticket office. General admission Hillside tickets are still available, as well as grandstand seats and INfield access for Friday evening’s Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Semi-Final and Saturday’s doubleheader featuring the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series Semi-Final and the Arizona Lottery 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship.

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