HEADLINES: Full story at http://www.georgiastockcarracing.com 10/30: CRA, GAS SpeedFest 2010 at Lanier Jan. 30-31 10/31: Cook wins ROAD to DEGA event at Green Valley Speedway 11/2: Rescheduled All American Weekend in Nashville has Been Canceled 11/7: First time winners at South Georgia Motorsports Park 11/9: FASTRAK changes to Hoosier tires in 2010 11/12: Atlanta Motor Speedway Adds Southern Modified Tour Event 11/14: Golden Isles Superbowl 6 Jan. 28-30 11/14: Greshams hosts NASCAR Camping World Series East 8/28 11/15: Choquette wins the 26th-Annual World Crown 300 11/16: Post-tech: Kelley Collects Fourth World Crown 300 Title 11/16: Georgia Asphalt Series Sold to Fountain Motorsports 11/17: Casey Barrow captures Southern All Stars victory at Screven 11/20: World Crown 300 in the rearview mirror 11/22: Matt Linder, from Hoschton, GA, 6th in USCS points 11/28: JOHNSON DOMINATES NeSMITH FALL NATIONALS 12/2: Clint Smith switches to Rocket chassis for '10
Gary Fountain, of Florida's Fountain Motorsports, is the new owner of the Georgia Asphalt Series (GAS). Lanier Speedway owner Donnie Clack, the seller, had purchased the series from Paul Kegel a year ago when Kegel also sold Peach State Speedway to the Gresham family. The undisclosed sale price was the same in '08 and '09. Terry Roberts, who was GM of Lanier Speedway and of the GAS series, has left Lanier, and will continue to manage and promote the GAS series. His ties to Florida as former GM at New Smyrna are strong, but he and wife Liz have a home in Dahlonega which will be the GAS headquarters. Roberts says the series will definitely be racing at Anderson and South Georgia in 2010, and they hope to have shows at tracks in FL and AL too. The races will now be 150 laps, paying $3000 to win and $500 to start. Each race will have a mandatory pit stop at lap 100. They're switching to a harder Hoosier F45 tire, and each team can use up to six tires per race. A truck series, combining existing FL and GA rules and GM and Ford crate motors, will be added to GAS shows. At the start of 2009, five asphalt late model series were scheduled to compete at Georgia's four tracks - Lanier, Senoia, Watermelon Capital, and South Georgia. Only the seven-year-old GAS series survived, in part due to Roberts management, Clack's funding, and promotable young winners including Chase Elliott, Casey Roderick, and TJ Reiad. Senoia has now become a dirt track, but the old and tired Peach State Speedway returns as Gresham Motorsports Park, a jewel among short tracks anywhere. One of the secrets of a successful touring series is car counts, and some GAS races away from Lanier had low counts. Roberts says there are plenty cars for his series, pointing to the 72 entered at Pensacola's crate race this Saturday. Crate race teams will have few opportunities in this area other than GAS, and Roberts plans to stick with GM and Ford crate motors. "No 9-1 or 23-degree head engines," he says. "People are getting to know the GAS series, and it's our job to keep it growing," he says. A new website is just around the corner. GAS owner Fountain Motorsports sponsors the late model driven by Jeff Choquette, which has been a winner in the ASA-SAT Series and unsanctioned shows. Choquette won the recent World Crown at Greshams, but was DQ'd for an illegal transmission. http://www.fmsracingonline.com
NASCAR driver David Ragan will be the star attraction again for Lanier's Ice Cold Shriners Bowl Jan. 9-10. He'll be bringing his late model to run in the 100-lap pro LM feature, and he'll drive a two-seater truck, with a lucky bidder aboard, to start a truck race preliminary. The show is sponsored by the Shrine Club, with support from Local 72 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union. Numerous Shrine clowns will be entertaining too. Speedfest returns to Lanier January 30-31, with a major truck race Saturday. Sunday's show includes a CRA-sanctioned 250 lap super LM race and a 150 lap pro LM race. Kyle Busch is the defending champion of the CRA race. http://www.lanierspeedway.com
SNOWBALL DERBY SCHEDULE - Five Flags Speedway - Pensacola, FL < Friday, December 4th is WXBM Pole Night Super Late Model qualifying, features for Modifieds and Super Stocks. < Saturday, December 5th, with qualifying and the green flag for the 100-lap Allen Turner Snowflake 100 Pro Late Models feature. Last-chance qualifying events for the Snowball Derby Super Late Models. < Sunday, December 6th 42nd Annual Snowball Derby, 300 laps. (850) 944-8400 www.snowballderby.com.
Pollard Motorsports has a busy weekend ahead at the 42nd Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola this week. Not only will Pollard compete in Sunday's Snowball Derby 300 for Super Late Models, Pollard has also entered Saturday evenings Alan Turner Hyundai 100 for Pro Late Models. "It's going to the a tough weekend," said Pollard. "We usually run very well there and we are hoping for two wins." In Sunday's event, Pollard will be driving the Thrifty Nickel Classifieds/Pollard Disposal Company machine. "We destroyed our primary car at Gresham Motorsports Park a couple weeks ago and we'll be driving a back up car," added Pollard. Pollard will be driving the PitBoxes.com/HRI/Ronnie Sanders Motorsports Chevrolet Impala in the Snowflake 100. "Mr. Ronnie (Sanders) always has me a good car when I drive for him," said Pollard. Pollard won in the car in October at Five Flags in October.
Chase Elliott, who turned 14 over the holiday weekend, will make his first attempt to qualify for the 300-lap Super Late Model race, considered by many as the “Daytona 500” of short track racing. The young driver will attempt to make it an exciting double header, as he also plans to enter the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model companion event. “Our main goal at the Snowball Derby is to first of all make the race and then to be competitive and have a good showing ,” said Elliott about the prestigious event. While crew chief Ricky Turner will be calling the shots from the pits for Elliott this weekend, his name also graces the impressive list of past winners as the 2002 Snowball Derby champion. Elliott made his first career Super Late Model start at Five Flags Speedway during the August 7th Blizzard Series event and finished 18th. His other SLM start at Five Flags came on September 25th; after qualifying third and running up front, a failed engine relegated him to a disappointing 21st place finish. The young driver had a strong run in his lone Pro Late Model start at Five Flags, starting and finishing third during the October 9th Night of Champions race. www.ChaseElliott.com
On RaceTalkRadio.com Saturday 7pm ET Snowflake 100; Sunday 1pm ET 42nd Annual Snowball Derby
TJ Reaid, of Acworth, is looking forward to a win in the Alan Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 Saturday evening at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Reaid is coming off of two top five finishes at the 1/2 mile oval in 2009. They included a 3rd place finish when the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour was in town in March and a 2nd place finish in the Night of Champions 100 in October. "We've run consistently good at Five Flags," said Reaid. "I know that the best of the best Pro Late Model drivers in the country will be there and we will need to have our act together to get a win." Reaid has finish 3rd in series points in both the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour and the Georgia Asphalt Series in 2009. "We've had a pretty good year," said Reaid. "I think we had an opportunity to win those two series championships, but one series closed down and the other cancelled its last two events."
Georgia will have a large contingent of teams at the Derby this year. In addition to Blizzard regular Bubba Pollard, Tyler Milwood, Shane Sieg, Dwayne Buggay, David Hole, Justin Wakefield, and Max Gresham are entered. Then there is Chase Elliott, who set the world on fire in his first full season of Pro and Super Late Model racing this year. The 13-year-old won in PASS South, Georgia Asphalt Series, and ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour competition this year.
Saturday's feature is the Snowflake 100 for crate-motored cars. Georgia entries include: Car No Driver Location 0 David Hole Cumming, GA 08 Beau Slocumb Juliette, GA 09 John Wes Townley Watkinsville, GA 18 Bubba Pollard Senoia, GA 23 Paul Kelley Pendergrass, GA 31 Tyler Millwood Kingston, GA 36 Rodney Benefield Flowery Branch, GA 38 Shane Sawyer Braselton, Ga 40 Taylor Satterfield Commerce, GA 41 T J Reaid Acworth, GA 45 Dwayne Buggay Canton, GA 9 Chase Elliott Dawsonville, GA 73 TOTAL ENTRIES
The racing forums are alive with info about a new Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, GA - seven miles west of I-75 exit 49 (that's 49 miles north of the FL State line.) Posted pictures show a 90-foot-wide 3/8s mile dirt oval, with 9-11 degree banking all the way around. First race will be in early 2010. Near-by tracks include Cordele's Watermelon Capital asphalt track at I-75 exit 104, and Adel's South Georgia Motorsports Park at I-75 exit 32, which has a nearly new half-mile asphalt oval and a concrete drag strip. The Albany quarter-mile dirt track is less than an hour away. http://needmorespeedway.com
In NSSN, Keith Waltz has a couple great points: "The group that plans to reopen North Wilkesboro must not be paying attention to the crowds at Rockingham." "There should be a statute of limitations on failing to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Each driver should have five years, or 180 races, to win a Cup race. If they don't, they drop back to the Nationwide Series where they must win before they become eligible for another Cup ride. This would force car owners to give more promising young drivers an opportunity ... www.nationalspeedsportnews.com
Thoughts on media coverage: the Atlanta newspaper totally ignored the opening of Gresham Motorsports Park and the World Crown Weekend, in spite of good efforts by the track and media guy John Close. A Google News search for the race produced 7490 hits. On the other hand, and perhaps reflecting the future, a Google News search for the Thanksgiving Weekend drifting show at Greshams produced 298,000 hits. 2010 SCHEDULE (announced to date) Saturday, March 27 - USARacing Pro Cup Stock Car Event Saturday, August 28 - NASCAR Camping World Series East Stock Car Event Saturday, October 23 - USARacing Pro Cup Championship Stock Car Event
How was the opening World Crown weekend at Greshams? "racer33" posted his opinion: "Great show in EVERY FREAKIN DIVISION. Can't wait to go back." http://www.trackforums.com
Brad York and Marty Lance invite EVERYONE to the 2009 Hartwell/Lavonia Points Championship banquet, 7pm on Dec 5th at Hill’s on the Square in Carnesville. Dinner will be $10 a person for all you can eat BBQ, Stew, Cole Slaw, bread, chips, dessert and drink. Prior to the Banquet there will be a rules meeting held at the same location beginning at 5:30PM for ALL DRIVERS. This meeting will be for both Hartwell and Lavonia Speedway and will include all seven classes.
New Senoia Raceway Switches Backs to Dirt For 2010 Season New Senoia Raceway (GA) will switch back to dirt for the 2010 racing season. The track has new ownership in Tim Moses, Tony Moses, and Jack Mills. Over the winter the track will be converted back to dirt and a new 1/4 mile Go Kart track added to the facility. Classes, rules, and schedule will be announced in the near future. Jack Mills has been a driver at Dixie and the old Seven Flags Speedway in the support classes.
There was a new face in Victory Lane at Lanier Sat. - Sean Rayhall, 14 yrs old, from Winston, GA. His resume includes: Racing Formula Cars (open wheel) for 2 yrs GT Sports cars for 6 months 1st and 3rd place in the Skip Barber National Series at Road Atlanta 10/1/09. Skip Barber was a supprt race for the Petit Le Mans. Some of Seans records to date; Youngest to win an open wheel car race in North America, at age 12 (Sebring 07) Youngest to win an open wheel series, at age 12 Youngest to podium an F3 car in the world, at age 14 (Infineon 09) Youngest to win a 3 hr Enduro in a Gt Car (Miami Homestead) This was Rayhall's first Legends race. His family purchased the car Casey Roderick drove to victory at Gresham's World Crown Weekend.
Other Georgia Winter Series Race #3 at Lanier Winners: Bandits: Nick Hazelwood Young Guns: Parker Barnes Outlaws: Garrett Smithley Semi-Pro: Mike Weed Masters: Phillip Young Pro: Donald McIntosh Roadsters: Dale Ackridge Next: Saturday at the Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele. Gates will open at 11am, Practice at 12 and racing at 1:30pm.
Andrew Smith, former Legends National Champion and Golden Wheel Award winner of the Humpy’s Heroes Driver Development Program, was in the desert at the 1st Annual INEX Turkey Leg Race at the Silver State Road Course at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After finishing second in his heat, Andrew started the ten lap feature race on the inside of the second row, and won in his very first trip to the Nevada track. “This place is stupid, scary fast”, said Andrew.
Trak-Star Race Cars, built by Boland Performance of Cuba, AL, is the 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Chassis Manufactures Champion with 51 wins by 15 different drivers this season. “This is the first award we’ve received since we started building Trak-Star Race Cars in 2005, and we’re really proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Boland Performance Owner Mike Boland said. www.trak-starracecars.com
The FASTRAK Racing Series will host the 2nd annual driver/team meeting for teams in the SC, NC, GA, TN area December 19 in Carnesville GA. Meeting Date: Saturday December 19th Time: 12:00 Noon Address: 8077 Royston Road, Carnesville GA 30521 FASTRAK Corporate Office (Tractor trailer beside building. Can't miss it). Lunch will be served (BBQ)
A racing fix for the off season: www.weekendwarriorstv.com This internet based tv show covers everything from latemodel races from Hickory, Pro Cup Races from Rockingham, and Super Lates at the Lowes Dirt Track plus much much more! The Dec. 2 shows feature Josh Richards and Austin Dillon.
Casey Barrow, of Savannah, captured his first ever O'Reilly Southern All Stars Series victory at the Screven Motor Speedway. John Henderson of Aiken, SC finished second, ahead of Ray Cook, Shane Clanton and Tony Knowles. Southern All Stars - Screven Motor Speedway - November 13, 2009 A-Main Top 10: 1. 98 Casey Barrow 2. 22 John Henderson 3. 53 Ray Cook 4. 25 Shane Clanton 5. 26 Tony Knowles 6. 15 Ethan Hunter 7. 27 Ben Faircloth 8. 49 Jonathan Davenport 9. 116 Randy Weaver 10. 31 Scott Creel
In his first full-time season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, John Wes Townley amassed six top-20 and 12 top-25 finishes. He finished 23rd in driver points and seventh in the Rookie of the year battle. Townley will move to Richard Childress Racing for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. www.teamrab.com
The Wood Brothers had an outstanding year with driver Bill Elliott, making the most of their limited schedule with six top 20 runs in 13 starts. Taking a look back on the year, the driver couldn't be prouder of a team he'll return to for another limited schedule of events in 2010. "Absolutely [this was a successful season]," he said. "Last year we couldn't finish in the 30s, and this year we were consistently in the top-20s. I mean, we're out-running teams that are mega-bucks, and that's what we need to continue to do." - Tom Bowles www.frontstretch.com
At Lanier's 2009 Championship Banquet, Kristen Wallace got the third place trophy for the speedway's Super Truck division, and the the LNS Rookie-of-the-Year award for her accomplishments behind the wheel of the All Seasons Construction truck. She got her first win as well. In 2010, Kristen will be competing in the Georgia Asphalt late model Series, as well as other select events. www.kristenwallaceracing.com
The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) 2010 schedule includes Gresham Motorsports Park June 5 and Oct. 2 and the recently resurrected North Wilkesboro (NC) Speedway Sept. 3-4. PASS makes its’ first trip to Florida for PASS Winter Fest at New Smyrna Speedway. The 150 lap January 29-30, 2010 event will award PASS National Championship points only. www.racewithpass.com www.proallstarsseries.com
Brandon Williamson, from Powder Springs, got the three-peat, taking fast qualifier and winning both Pro Challenge 40-lap events, at the Thanksgiving Showdown at the Watermelon Capital Speedway. Other Georgians: 5th - John Morgan Tullis - Georgia 6th - Kyle Mitchell - Georgia 7th - Jacob Wallace - Georgia 9th - Anderson Bowen - Georgia 14th - Jonathon Chandler - Georgia 17th - Jesse Hoek - Georgia - DNS http://www.southernprochallenge.com
Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt revealed last Monday that he has prostate cancer and expects to have surgery in January. Hunt pastors First Baptist Church of Woodstock, a 172-year-old church that has over 14,000 members. He's well-known to many race fans for his pre-race messages at Dixie Speedway most Saturdays.
Paul Kelley was looking for his fourth World Crown 300 victory at Gresham Motorsports Park. How he found it proved to be a bit of a surprise to the Pendergrass driver. "Heck yeah, I was really surprised when those guys got disqualified," said Kelley after finishing third in the 26th-annual event only to find out later he was the winner when first- and second-place finishers Jeff Choquette (transmission) and Max Gresham (heads) failed post-race technical inspection. "I was just happy to finish third. I never expected that the top two finishers would get thrown out. When that happened, I got really nervous because I knew they were checking the cars really tight. I was pretty certain that we would pass tech, but you never know when they are checking as tight as they were Sunday." "We had an interesting weekend," said Kelley. "The track was totally different than when we tested here. We made some changes before qualifying and the track changed again, so we wound up 18th at the start. Fortunately, we were able to work on the car again and got it right for the race. My crew did an amazing job. It was great to drive though the field. I liked the old track a lot, but this place is awesome now. I could drive my car anywhere I wanted to." He also won the World Crown 300 in 2001, 2006 and 2007. Kelley wheeled his way from the middle of the 38-car field to contend for the win in the late stages of Sunday's 300. The 29-year-old driver got as high as second in the running order before apparently settling for third at the checkered flag. Young guns Austin Hill and TJ Reiad both contended, before wrecking in the last 50 laps. Bubba Pollard brought out the red flag, after connecting with the inside wall of Jersey barriers and flipping in turn one. www.GreshamMotorsportsPark.com www.bubbapollard.com GMP Photos: http://www.greshammotorsportspark.com/album.php?id_gallery=23&id_photo=285
Atlanta Motor Speedway has added a NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race to follow Georgia Power Qualifying Night for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Friday, March 5. It's a 150-lapper format on the Speedway’s quarter-mile “Thunder Ring.” Distinguished by their wide bodies and large tires, the race will place 24 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified cars in close quarters for a hotly-contested clash to the checkered flag. www.atlantamotorspeedway.com
Superbowl 6 Schedule - Golden Isles Speedway - Brunswick, Georgia Jan.27 - Practice Jan.28 - Southern All Stars Super Late Model $7,500 to win, NLMS $3,000 Jan.29 - SAS Super Late Model $10,000, NLMS $3,000 Jan.30 - SAS Super Late Model $12,000, NLMS $3,000 Racing just two classes every night. http://www.goldenislesspeedway.com/http://www.nlmss.com
Clint Smith might not be Santa Claus, but he helped spread some holiday cheer over the Thanksgiving weekend as the grand marshal of the Christmas parade Saturday night in Haralson, Ga., a quiet hamlet about 40 miles south of Atlanta (population 144 as of the last census). After spending four years exclusively running GRT cars, Smith debuted a Rocket Chassis mount in October and will focus his '10 efforts on campaigning cars built by the Shinnston, WV, manufacturer. He returned to the Rocket fold with assistance from West Virginia's Ernie Davis, who owns the No. 25 cars that 2009 WoO LMS champion Josh Richards drives in most of his non-Outlaws starts. Being part of the Rocket Chassis ‘team' while on the road appeals to Smith, who is coming off one of the most frustrating seasons of his career. The chassis switch allows him to share technical and setup information with the army of traveling drivers in Rocket cars. “It's time to try something different. It can be tough being the only GRT out there at a lot of shows. If I learn something better, I'm better than everybody – but if I don't, I can be a 15th-place car," said Smith. He wants to erase memories of 2009, which saw him win six features but none in WoO LMS action. Just two years removed from a 2007 season that saw him win four times and finish a career-high third in the WoO LMS points standings (after leading the points race for almost half the campaign), Smith struggled mightily in 2009. He managed just four top-five finishes in 40 A-Main starts en route to placing ninth in the points standings. Smith won just a single heat race on the 2009 WoO LMS. But that victory came behind the wheel of his new Rocket car in the season finale on Nov. 7 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. – a prelude to his solid sixth-place finish in the evening's World Finals 50-lapper – and thus gave him a much-needed boost of confidence heading into his busy off-season. www.worldofoutlaws.com
Josh Richards, ‘Kid Rocket', received a $100,000 check as well as a custom-made championship ring and trophy for becoming the sixth different champion of the WoO late model series. Richards earned $286,170 on the WoO LMS in 2009, plus much more in non-WoO events. 6th - Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. ($25,000) 9th - Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. ($22,000) Roger Slack, the 2007 National Sprint Car Promoter of the Year and the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Promoter of the Year, has joined WoO management team as Executive Vice President of Events. www.worldofoutlaws.com
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series is adding a Super Dirt Car Series that will provide a level playing field for the GM Performance CT525 All-Aluminum Spec Engine to compete with open engines in super late model competition for one-fourth the cost. Both types of engines will be used in the new traveling super dirt late model series. Details, including purse structures, rules and scheduling will be announced later. “We want to make sure that competitors understand that the new NeSmith Chevrolet Super Dirt Car Series will be a separate traveling series, and has nothing to do with the other two series we already have in place,” NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Founder and Director Mike Vaughn said. “Nothing will change for 2010 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour, or the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series.” Like the GM Performance 604 and 602 Spec Engines, the GM Performance All-Aluminum CT525 Spec Engine, costing $9000, is sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. www.gmperformanceparts.com www.nesmithnow.com www.nesmithracing.com.
Alabama 200 from Montgomery Motor Speedway: Augie Grill wins the race and the Show me points winning the $5000 bonus plus lap money. Pro Late Model 1. Augie Grill 2. Jason Young 3. John Bolen 4. Hunter Robbins 5. T.J.Reaid (Fast qualifier New PLM track Record)
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