MPD Racing

The Fast Lane with Jarett Andretti

scott — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:39:39 +0000

The Fast
Lane with Jarett Andretti
Vol. 1, February 2013

JARETT’S
JOURNAL

Hello everybody,
I appreciate you taking the time to read this newsletter. We hope to keep everybody informed on what I am doing as the season progresses of what is shaping up to be a great year.
Last week I got to meet Chad Melchi, President of Superior Auto, and show him around the Andretti Autosport shop. He also picked up the show car which he plans to have at various Superior Auto dealerships and other promotions this summer. Nearly all the pieces to the cars are in stock with everything getting coated now, thanks to Calico Coatings. The chassis are set to arrive on March 1 so Jake will have his work cut out for him!
This week my father and I have been working on other programs including a pavement sprint car and super late model program. Both opportunities have come onto the radar in the past few weeks. Still working hard to get to a 60-70 race schedule across a variety of series.
Once again, thanks for reading and hope to see you at a race track this summer!

Jarett’s season is gearing up and he is looking forward to bringing some new faces with him to the track. Veteran sprint car mechanic Jake Argo has joined the Andretti Short Track effort and will help prepare the car for Jarett’s rigorous racing schedule. Argo is a nearly a 10-year veteran of open-wheel grassroots racing and has helped prep midgets and sprint cars for USAC aces Josh Wise, Dave Steele, Nic Faas and others. His experience will be aimed to lead Andretti to wins and consistent growth this summer.

“Jake brings a ton of experience to our race team,” commented Jarett. “He’s worked with Tony Stewart Racing, Dave Steele, Josh Wise and some other great teams and drivers. His record of wins and top finishes speaks for itself. He’s a great person to have in my corner. I believe he can help the team immediately step up a level.”
In addition to the hiring of Jake Argo, Andretti has announced that he plans to start the season at with ‘double duty’ at Madera Speedway, making his winged supermodified debut as well as racing in the USAC Midget race that same night.
The following weekend is the kick off of the Sprint Car season with the No Way Out 40 at Brownstown Speedway on March 30th. April’s schedule encompasses first-time trips to Bloomington Speedway and Lawrenceburg Speedway as well as regular appearances at Gas City I69 Speedway and Lincoln Park Speedway.
Be sure to keep up with all of the action by following Jarett and his supporters on Twitter. Jarett can be found keeping his tweeps up to date under the name @JarettAndretti and you can follow Superior Auto Racing on Twitter with @Superior_Auto_.

Tyler Wolf Tribute Show

scott — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:12:14 +0000

In light of recent events “KWS Tonight” this week features a tribute to Tyler Wolf with footage from this year, along with an interview we did following his Silver Dollar Speedway championship last season. We also share our thoughts on Tyler among other things. The video can be seen at http://www.kwssprints.com

Top Gun Sprint Car Series Points

scott — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:28:01 +0000

Car Driver Points

1. 92 Matt Kurtz 2002

2. 83 Mark Ruel Jr. 1854

3. 6S Robbie Smith 1802

4. 38 Tony Agin 1776

5. 3A A J Maddox 1768

6. 82 Danny Martin 1704

7. 12 Collin Cabre 1500

8. 8 Rich Alexander 1474

9. 22 Shawn Murray 1462

10. 5 Tim Grubaugh 1372

11. 14 Ryan Partin 1350

12. 24 Stephen Darvalics 1278

13. G6 Brandon Grubaugh 1123

14. 0L Brandon Lineberger 1090

15. 38T Tyler Godwin 976

16. 02 Gene Lasker 838

17. 55 Kerry Gilbert 804

18. 88K Shane Kreidler 778

19. 88 Andrew Griffin 776

20. 0X Phillip Pettay 686

21. 79 David Slawiak 610

22. 99 Terry Witherspoon 478

23. 7 Kyle Pitts 432

24. 1 Tim George 390

25. 43 Tanner Witherspoon 378

26. 30 DJ Peeples 366

27. 9 J.R. Steele 362

28. 36 Kenneth Laureno 300

29. 19 Keith Butler 292

30. 34 Darren Orth 260

31. 11 Brett O’Donnell 248

32. 61 Skeeter Faulconer 248

33. 47 Scott Anderson 246

34. 3K Kurt Taylor 238

35. 16 Frankie Hurst 234

36. 0 Jimmy Ballew 232

37. 01 Rebbeca George 195

38. 50 Rick Byerly 187

39. 1 Dave Thomas 184

40. 9 Sport Allen 168

41. 4 Billy Boyd 135

42. 13 Coty Smith 130

43. 21 Shawn Cornell 128

44. 21 Jason Webster 124

45. 92T Tim Ysbrand 118

46. 29 Steve Muellar 118

47. 43 Rex Howe 116

48. 52M Joe Metcalf 116

49. 21F Hollwood Krueger 114

50. 6 Mitchell Webb 108

51. 83A Bob Auld 104

52. 07 Clint Reynolds 60

F.A.S.T. CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

scott — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:11:55 +0000

MAUMEE, OH (10-23-12) by Bryan Autullo – F.A.S.T. Public Relations

The
Fremont/Attica Sprint Title (F.A.S.T.) wants to remind race teams and fans that
on Saturday, November 10th the annual awards celebration takes place to crown
our series champions and award the top-10 in points in both the Kistler Racing
Products F.A.S.T. Championship Series presented by Engine Pro and KS Sales &
Service and the F.A.S.T. 305 Championship Series. All drivers must be present to receive their
point fund check and to be eligible for prizes.

This
event will be held at the American Legion – Post 121 – located at 2000 Buckland
Avenue in Fremont, Ohio. It is a casual affair, as it has been in past years,
and is open to drivers, teams, fans and sponsors who want to enjoy a night of
fun, music and bench racing. The evening will filled with point fund money,
awards and contingency prizes being handed out to the top drivers that compete
in both the 410 and 305 sprint car ranks at Fremont Speedway and Attica Raceway
Park.

In addition, there were five 410 drivers who competed in all the
2012 F.A.S.T. Series events, but did not finish in the top-10 in points. Those
drivers (Brian Lay, Brad Bowman, Todd Heller, Jody Keegan, and Travis Philo) are
all eligible for prize give-aways from the series sponsors. In the F.A.S.T. 305
Series, there were three drivers who had perfect attendance, but did not make
the top-10 (Jimmy Colvin, Jordan Ryan, and Jess Stiger). They are also eligible
for the prize give-aways and nobody will go home empty handed at the end of the
night.

“We have some really nice prizes to give away again this year,”
stated Scott Porter of F.A.S.T. “Thanks to our marketing partners we will be
able to hand out around $35,000 in cash and a lot of great prizes such as Weld
Wheels, tank shells from Fuel Safe, top and nose wings from Wings Unlimited,
kits from Rod End Supply, a G-Force helmet and several certificates worth $250
to $500 cash.”

Tickets are just $10.00 each and includes a meal. Drivers
MUST attend in order to receive cash and prizes. Two free tickets were provided
to each team in the Top 10 (for the driver and car owner). All others will need
to purchase tickets in advance of Saturday, November 8th. No tickets to the
dinner and awards ceremony portion of the night will be sold at the
door.

Mike Risner of the band “Quick Shine” will provide acoustic guitar
entertainment when the doors open at 4 pm through the meal portion of the
program. There will also be a cash bar, which usually makes the award ceremony
portion of the evening something to remember. A buffet style meal (BBQ chipped
ham and shredded beef sandwiches along with pasta salad, baked beans, cole slaw
and chips) will be served at 5 pm and the awards will start around 6 pm in an
effort to get everyone who attends this event back on the road early if they
need to.

But the night isn’t over once the checks and awards have been
past out as Columbus, Ohio based Aaron Buckley & The Buckin’ Ugly Band will
take to the stage at the American Legion shortly after the awards ceremony to
kickoff the Toys For Tots After-Party. All banquet attendees can stay for the
event with their banquet ticket at no additional charge. Anyone who only wishes
to show up for the late night portion of the program can pay a $5.00 cover at
the door, but can bring an unwrapped, unopened toy to donate for $2.00
off.

“This year we’ve also secured a band to play after the award
ceremony to benefit Toys-For-Tots,” says Porter. “We have been involved with
Toys-For-Tots in the past with our FASTfest events and with the holiday season
right around the corner it only makes sense to take this opportunity to help out
this amazing charity. Country music artist Aaron Buckley will carry the
after-party into the night at the request of our 2012 Champion Bryan Sebetto.
Aaron plays a wide range of covers from the likes of Johnny Cash to Lynyrd
Skynyrd to Zack Brown Band.”

Fans are encouraged to attend as the
F.A.S.T. organization strives to bring fans and drivers under one roof in an
effort to create a mutual bond. This celebration has been well attended in past
years and a good time has been had by all. Please plan to join us as we recap
the 2012 season and crown Bryan Sebetto as the Kistler Racing Products F.A.S.T.
Champion and D.J. Foos as the F.A.S.T. 305 Champion. We will also honor 410
sprint car drivers Craig Mintz, Dean Jacobs, Phil Gressman, Byron Reed, Mike
Linder, Chris Andrews, Brian Smith, Duane Zablocki and Stuart Brubaker (2012
F.A.S.T. Rookie of the Year), as well as, 305 sprint car competitors Nate
Dussel, Dustin Dinan, John Ivy, Jamie Miller, Paige Polyak, Steve Rando, Jason
Keckler, Matt Merrill and Tyler Gunn.

HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Tickets
can also be picked up in person at the upcoming Racer’s Swap Meet at the
Sandusky County Fairgrounds on October 27th by visiting Stephanie Linder at the
Fremont/Attica Sprint Title display at the Linder’s Speed Equipment booth inside
the Flower Building. Also tickets will be available at Dwight Allen’s “Race
Night” at the Denny’s in Findlay, Ohio on Thursday, November 8th.

Tickets
are also available by check or money order through the mail (see below) or can
be purchased with a credit card online at www.fastondirt.com.

To order by
mail, send check or money order to:

FAST on Dirt, Inc.
7650 Sioux
Ridge Dr
Maumee, OH 43537

(Make checks payable to FAST on Dirt,
Inc.)

2012 F.A.S.T. AWARDS BANQUET
AT-A-GLANCE:
When: Saturday, November 10th
Where: Fremont
American Legion (2000 Buckland Avenue, Fremont, OH 43420)
What: A Casual
Affair Open To Drivers, Teams, Sponsors & Fans
Times: Doors/
Entertainment: 4:00 PM • Meal Starts: 5:00 PM • Awards Ceremony: 6:00
PM
Tickets: $10.00 each (includes a meal & entertainment)

TOYS FOR TOTS AFTER-PARTY
AT-A-GLANCE:
Who: Aaron Buckley and the Buckin’ Ugly
Band
When: Roughly 8:00 PM (show will start shortly after the completion of
the awards ceremony)
Where: Fremont American Legion (2000 Buckland Avenue,
Fremont, OH 43420)
Cover Charge: $5.00 (bring a new unwrapped toy donation
for Toys For Tots and receive $2.00 off the cover charge)

Visit
www.fastondirt.com to find out more about the Fremont/Attica Sprint Title, the
drivers, rules, schedule, sponsors, and more.

FAST On Dirt, Inc. would like to thank the
following contributors to the 2012 Fremont/Attica Sprint Title point
fund:

Kistler Racing Products, Engine Pro, KS Sales &
Service, Engler Machine & Tool, CP-Carillo Pistons, Design Graphics Group
Inc., Black Swamp Media Group, SCS Gearbox, Pukka Headwear, Reebar Die Casting,
Hoseheads.com, Level Performance, MyHeroCards.com, J&F Construction &
Development, Inc., Young’s RV Centers, FSR Radiators & Racing Products, GL
Heller Company, High Vista Videos, Gressman Powersports, Action Photos,
Hoserville Ohio, October Hills Farms, Jon Wright Custom Chrome Plating, JD
Automotive, Midwest Auto Sales, Commercial Motor Freight, Al Davis Carpet &
Laminate, Go-Part.com, Attica Raceway Park and Fremont Speedway.

Also, a very special thanks to all of our
contingency award sponsors:

RockAuto.com,
SpeedMeetsArt.com, Golden Graphics & Design, All Pro Aluminum Cylinder
Heads, Henry MotorCar Motorsports, DMI Racing Products, Fuel Safe, Productive
Tools & Equipment, Hinchman Indy Racewear, OC Shocks, J&J Auto Racing,
Kear’s Speed Shop, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, King Racing Products, Kinser Air
Filters, Kinsler Fuel Injection, KSE Racing Products, Linder’s Speed Equipment,
Outerwears Performance Products, Pro Shocks, R2C Performance Products, Rocket
Headers, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ti22 Performance, VRP Shocks,
Weld Racing Wheels, Wings Unlimited and Zemco Headers.

Cody Swanson Motorsports

scott — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:25:33 +0000

Cody secures 2012VRA midget series Championship!

Cody headed to Ventura as the point leader on Saturday, October 6^th but by no measure did he think the championship was sealed. “I knew we would need to have another solid night to clinch the season’s championship” stated Cody. “We started the day off good with the heat race win, and then it was just a matter of watching the track and making the right adjustments for the feature.” Cody started the feature from the 4^th position and was running in the 3^rd position at the halfway point. Going down the front stretch his car popped and coasted to a stop. Cody’s race was over! “We are running a spare magneto because ours is out for service. Something happened in the spare and we lost ignition. Fortunately, with the heat race win and the consistency we have had throughout the year, we still won the Championship by 40 points.” Cody said. “Thanks to everybody that supports us. Thank you to Jeff Wahl and Edmunds Auto Research, I have learned a lot from you and I am proud to win this Championship with you. Thank you to Phil Goodwine and GOODWINE glass, your support and advice are priceless.To Stewart and Tres VanDyne and VanDyne racing engines, I always have the power I need.Thank you for all your help. Thank you to Wally Pankratz for your coaching and advice. Thank you to my crew, Ray Mills, Jimmy Goodwine and My Dad, Kirk Swanson. Thanks to my family & friends for all their encouragement & making the drive to Ventura to support me. Also thanks to the VRA racers and track officials. It was a fun year. We all had to really work on our cars and driving. Thank you to all of our Sponsors, K&N Engineering, LUCAS Oil Products, JE Pistons, EIBACH springs. I truly appreciate all the support.

Cody still has the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at Perris on Thanksgiving night. to run and then hopes to start off 2013 with the “Chili Bowl”. Then current plans call for contesting the full 2013 USAC Western States Midget Series and if deals can be put together he would like to run as many sprint car events as possible.

King of the West Sprint Car Series

scott — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:36:20 +0000

Prestigious Cotton Classic closes out 2012 season in exciting fashion for the King of the West Sprint Car Series at Hanford’s Kings Speedway on Saturday October 13
By Gary Thomas
Hanford, CA – October 2, 2012…Following a long break between races the Cancen Oil KWS Series presented by Goodyear is geared up and ready to return to action for championship night on Saturday October 13 at the Kings Speedway in Hanford, California.
The event marks the 27^th annual “Cotton Classic” and is the final Winged 410 Sprint Car event in California for the 2012 season. The prestigious show will also feature the USAC West Coast Wingless Sprint Cars & Vintage Modifieds, making for an all open wheel night of racing at the blazing fast three-eighths mile clay oval.
Winners of the “Cotton Classic” since the year 2000 have been Visalia’s Blake Robertson; Aliquippa, PA’s Tim Shaffer; San Jose’s Tim Kaeding; Clovis’ Jason Meyers; Chico’s Stephen Allard, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson and Chico’s Jonathan Allard, who captured last season’s event to make it his third triumph in the event since ’05.
“Kings Speedway promoter Scott Woodhouse and his wife Lisa have done an amazing job with the track and facility over the last few years,” commented KWS Operations Manager George Hague. “The atmosphere has returned back to Hanford and it’s a really fun place to enjoy a night of racing at if you’re a fan. The Cotton Classic has always been one of the big events in California so we’re excited for October 13.”
Three-time and defending “Cotton Classic” champion Jonathan Allard goes into the night holding a 97-point advantage in the King of the West driver standings, as he looks to take home his third career state 410 driving title. The Chico native’s previous two championships have come in 2006 and ’08. Allard this season has claimed four main event victories and nine top-five finishes in the 16 events held thus far.
“I can’t thank Morrie and Katie Williams enough for their support over the years and it’s been another great season,” said Allard, who has driven the familiar No. 0 sprint car for the last eight years, making it one of the longest running driver/owner combos in California. “Ashley Smith and my guys have given me a great car and hopefully we can go out and get another Cotton Classic on October 13.”
The KWS car owners’ title finds Fresno, California based Roth Motorsports sitting at the top of the hill, leading Williams Motorsports by 73-markers. The potent No. 83 team has used San Jose’s Tim Kaeding in 12 events and Sacramento’s Kyle Hirst in the other four.

As a team they have claimed six overall wins, with Kaeding capturing five and Hirst scoring a win at the Antioch Speedway on June 23.
At the “Cotton Classic” both Kaeding and Hirst will be competing for Roth Motorsports as Dennis & Teresa Roth showcase twin 83’s. Kaeding, the reigning King of the West champion, won the most recent series event held at the Silver Dollar Speedway on August 18 and will be searching to match his win total from last year if he can claim victory at the “Cotton Classic” on October 13.
Hirst’s four King of the West Series starts in the Roth 83 have been very impressive and he’ll hope to continue that at Kings Speedway. Along with his victory on June 23 he tallied top-five finishes in each attempt and scored a pair of BR Motorsports Fast Time Awards. During the World of Outlaws California swing Hirst also brought home a trio of hard charger efforts at the helm of the 83jr.
Adding some spice to the night will certainly be two-time World of Outlaws champion and 2006 “Cotton Classic’ winner Jason Meyers from nearby Clovis. Meyers will climb aboard the Tarlton & Son Inc. No. 21m for the KWS finale, which marks his first 410 start in California since way back in March. At the “Knoxville Nationals” in August Meyers drove the Tarlton machine to a preliminary night victory and a fifth place finish in the 50-lap finale.
The lone King of the West Series held at the Kings Speedway this season featured one of the best main events of the year and when all the dust had settled, it was three-time USAC Silver Crown champion Bud Kaeding standing in victory lane. The Campbell wheel-man was able to narrowly beat Evan Suggs to the line after exchanging slide jobs off the final corner. Kaeding will be doing double duty at the “Cotton Classic” competing with and without the wing.
One of the close King of the West point battles to watch will include the fight for second in the driver standings between Kings Speedway runner up in June Evan Suggs and thirteen-time Golden State champion Brent Kaeding of Campbell. The 25-year-old Suggs holds the spot by 13-digits and will look to lock up the position for the second consecutive season aboard his families’ black No. 33e mount.
The race for fifth in the standings is also an extremely close one with ’04 Golden State champion Jason Statler, former “Mini Gold Cup” winner Willie Croft & ’96 Speedweek titlist Bobby McMahan separated by only nine-points. With the tightly knit battle, each and every point will count at the “Cotton Classic” when it comes to qualifying, heat races and the main event.
Other competitors expected at the “Cotton Classic” will include Clovis, CA’s Peter Murphy, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Fresno’s Craig Stidham, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Chico’s Kenny Allen, Fair Oaks Chad Compton, Elk Grove’s Sean McMahan, Rio Linda’s Cody Lamar, Coarsegold’s Scott Parker, Visalia’s Cory Eliason, Oakhurst’s Doug Gandy, Grass Valley’s Pat Harvey, Rio Vista’s Danielle Simpson and more.
The front gate will open at 5:00pm on Saturday October 13 at the Kings Speedway, with qualifying around 6:30pm and racing around 7:00pm. Grandstand reserved tickets cost $25 for the “Cotton Classic” with general admission bleachers being $23. Tickets are on sale now and to reserve your seats simply contact (559) 584-7223.
The Kings Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California and the physical address is 801 S. 10th Ave. Hanford, Ca 93230. More information can be found at http://www.kingsspeedway.net or by contacting (559) 584-7223.
Remember to get you tickets ordered for the fast approaching KWS championship banquet weekend on November 9 & 10 at the Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort. You can get your banquet reservations in now by contacting (707) 374-2222. To reserve hotel rooms for the weekend contact Jackson Rancheria at (209) 223-1677.
Our official website can be found at http://www.kwssprints.com and more information on the awards banquet can be seen on the homepage, along with the latest episode of “KWS Tonight” and much more.
Don’t forget to “like” the Cancen Oil King of the West Series presented by Goodyear on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints and follow us on Twitter @kwssprintracing for the most timely and up to date information on the series. Also subscribe to us on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/user/kingofthewestsprints
———–
Three-time & defending “Cotton Classic” champion Jonathan Allard will look to lock up his third career state 410 driving title on October 13 at the Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA.

F.A.S.T. Championship Series

scott — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:25:37 +0000

The Fremont/Attica Sprint Title (F.A.S.T.) season in Northern Ohio has concluded
and its now time for a celebration on Saturday, November 10th to crown our
series champions and award the top-10 in points in both the Kistler Racing
Products F.A.S.T. Championship Series presented by Engine Pro and KS Sales &
Service and the F.A.S.T. 305 Championship Series.

This event will be held
at the American Legion – Post 121 – located at 2000 Buckland Avenue in Fremont,
Ohio. It is a casual affair, as it has been in past years, and is open to
drivers, teams, fans and sponsors who want to enjoy a night of fun, music, and
bench racing. The highlight of the evening will be when the point fund monies,
awards and contingency prizes are handed out to the top drivers in both the 410
sprint car and 305 sprint car ranks that compete at Fremont Speedway and Attica
Raceway Park.

“In the past this event has coined catch phrases for some
drivers, honored legends like Mark Keegan after retirement, but more importantly
it’s given back to the race teams and drivers that compete week in and week out
for the fans at two of the premiere racing facilities in Ohio,” stated Bryan
Autullo of F.A.S.T. “Thanks to numerous marketing partners that have supported
F.A.S.T., we will be able to hand around $35,000 in cash and a lot of great
contingency prizes that will help these teams regroup over the
off-season.”

Tickets are just $10.00 each and includes a buffet style
meal. Drivers MUST attend in order to
receive cash and prizes. Two free tickets were provided to
each team (for the driver and car owner) this past weekend at
Fremont.

Mike Risner of the band “Quick Shine” will provide acoustic
guitar entertainment when the doors open at 4 pm through the meal portion of the
program. A buffet style meal will be served at 5 pm and the awards will start
around 6 pm in an effort to get everyone who attends this event back on the road
early if they need to. There will also be a cash bar, which usually makes the
award ceremony portion of the evening something to remember.

“This year
we’re trying to secure a band to play after the award ceremony to benefit
Toys-For-Tots,” says Autullo. “We have been involved in Toys-For-Tots events in
the past and with the holiday season approaching soon after banquet time, this
is the perfect tie in. We’ll have more details on that soon, but the plan right
now is to have a band take over the celebration at 8pm when the awards are done
and carry the party into the night at the request of our 2012 Champion Bryan
Sebetto.” All banquet attendees will be admitted to the event with their
banquet ticket at no additional charge. Fans who only wish to show up for the
late night portion of the program can pay a small cover charge at the
door.

Fans are encouraged to attend as the F.A.S.T. organization strives
to bring fans and drivers under one roof in an effort to create a mutual bond.
This celebration has been well attended in past years and a good time has been
had by all. Please plan to join us as we recap the 2012 season and crown Bryan
Sebetto as the Kistler Racing Products F.A.S.T. Champion and D.J. Foos as the
F.A.S.T. 305 Champion. We will also honor 410 sprint car drivers Craig Mintz,
Dean Jacobs, Phil Gressman, Byron Reed, Mike Linder, Chris Andrews, Brian Smith,
Duane Zablocki and Stuart Brubaker (2012 F.A.S.T. Rookie of the Year), as well
as, 305 sprint car competitors Nate Dussel, Dustin Dinan, John Ivy, Jamie
Miller, Paige Polyak, Steve Rando, Jason Keckler, Matt Merrill and Tyler Gunn.

TONY HUNT ACHEIVES HISTORICAL MILESTONE WITH TENTH USAC TITLE

scott — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:58:07 +0000

LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA (September 21, 2012) – When the checkered flag flew at Madera Speedway after Saturday’s “Harvest Classic”, Tony Hunt had completed yet another special season in the USAC Western Classic Sprints to become a now ten-time USAC champion. Hunt claimed the 2012 USAC Western Classic overall title along with the dirt championship in a closely fought battle all season long.

Hunt’s storied USAC career has been highlighted by victories on both ovals and road courses. His career started out in USAC’s rear engine Russell Pro and Formula 2000 Series and continued on to wins in USAC Midgets on West Coast bullrings.

Hunt’s most recent success has been in a pavement Sprint Car, scoring 35 USAC Western Sprint feature victories. Coming into this season, Hunt had completed less than a dozen events in his dirt Sprint Car career. The season was a role reversal from 2011 when Hunt claimed the pavement championship but finished second in the overall combined points.

“By far we’re not where we want to be with our dirt results but we’re gaining and learning more every race,” Hunt said. “We look forward to the 2013 season with an increased focus on an expanded dirt program.”

Hunt had a 13 point lead over fellow USAC veteran Shauna Hogg heading into the final race of the season. Hunt opened up the afternoon with his 47th career Western Sprint pole in qualifying, running a 13.562 second lap on the one-third mile asphalt oval in Madera, CA. After a third place finish in his heat race, Hunt ran comfortably in fourth in the 50 lap feature to win the championship by 19 points.

The 2012 season wound down with some big runs for Mike Phulps’ #56 Metal Works / eBay Motors-sponsored entry including tenth and 12th place finishes against the USAC/CRA on the half-mile Calistoga Speedway, a fourth place finish during the Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway, and a ninth place finish against the USAC/CRA at Ocean Speedway Watsonville.

Despite 57 USAC career feature wins, Hunt’s campaign this year was more about consistency with his one win in the 16 races coming on May 5th at Madera. The dirt consistency paid off with a 23 point advantage to win the dirt championship.

In addition to Hunt’s significant achievements in USAC competition this season, he also had another successful run at the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, IN in May. Hunt became the first pole sitter from the West Coast in 52 years, leading the 33 car field to green for the 500 lap contest.

“Our Little 500 effort is second to none. We’ve been fortunate to lead practice times consistently for the last three years so winning this year’s pole was certainly gratifying,” Hunt said. “Unfortunately mechanical issues have plagued our effort to contend for the win. We love the race and are determined to return next year with the same focus.”

Tony Hunt Racing plans to return to Sprint Car action in both California and Indiana in 2013 with a full schedule to be announced at a later date.

Race fans can learn more about Tony Hunt Motorsports at www.tonyhunt.com

Cody Swanson Motorsports

scott — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:54:29 +0000

Cody Swanson finishes the month of September with a strong run and the point lead in the VRA Midget Series.

Cody was eager to head back to Ventura for the last “Battle at the Beach Series Race” on Saturday, September 29^th. “We have really picked up our pace this last month with our Edmunds Auto Research car. After getting our 1^st win on the 15^th at Ventura and then following up with a 2^nd place qualifying spot and a strong fourth place finish with the Western States USAC Series at Bakersfield, I’m excited for what’s coming up next” Cody stated.

Cody started the heat race from the outside front row and wasted little time taking over the lead! By the end of the 8 lap event he had nearly a halftrack lead over second place. He lined up for the feature in the fourth position behind “Battle at the Beach” point leader Ronnie Gardner. At the start, Ronnie took over the lead with Cody in close pursuit behind him. The two leaders battled for several laps swapping the lead in close tight racing until approximately half way through the race when the #15 of David Prickett joined the fight. With five laps to go, Cody took the lead and looked to be able to hold off Ronnie and David for the win. Then, on the last lap, the caution flew one more time! On the first lap after the restart Cody continued to lead. Then, while going into turn two on the final lap, David was able to sneak by and steal the win. “I threw that one away” Stated Cody. “I went in to turn one low trying to protect my line from the #15 but the momentum took me up the track and I hit the cushion real hard and upset the car. I had to back out of the throttle just a little and that allowed David to get by me. I tried to get under him in turns 3 and 4 but there just wasn’t enough grip to do it.” Cody ended his night in 2^nd place.

Cody heads into the final VRA Midget Series event this weekend at Ventura as the points leader and hopes to finish with a win and the track championship!.

Must See Racing

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:26:17 +0000

HOLLY, Mich. – A benefit fund has been established for veteran Michigan racer Jeff Bloom, injured in an Xtreme Sprint Series event this past Saturday at Berlin Raceway in Grand Rapids. Bloom suffered serious burns on his arm and hand as well as his lower extremities and faces an extended period of convalescence. Fans and friends of the Bloom family now have the opportunity to make donations that will go toward the family’s living expenses while Jeff is in recovery. A $1,000 “Lucky Dog” award posted last weekend has been redirected to the fund, according to XSS officials. The “Lucky Dog” awards were posted by Engine Pro, Melling Select Performance, and Hastings Racing Rings in conjunction with Gilda’s Club, a Grand Rapids non-profit cancer support organization. The two $500 prizes were to be awarded to two randomly drawn competitors following the Saturday night race, but due to the circumstances and the difficulty faced by the Bloom family the awards have been diverted to the benefit fund. “The racing community is very much a family,” said Xtreme Sprint Series founder Jim Hanks. “When a member of our family is hurting, we all are hurting. I know I speak for everyone in our series when I say how deeply we care for Jeff and Linda Bloom, and how important it is that we reach out to them right now.” Funds may be directed to: RACER IN NEED PNC Bank 1965 Boardman Road Jackson, MI 49202 517-796-1325 More information about the Xtreme Sprint Series is available at www.mustseeracing.com