NASCAR officials have canceled Friday’s on-track activity at Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track because of excessive rain.
Two practice sessions were scheduled for each the NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series, starting at 5:35 p.m. ET. But showers at the .533-mile track and the forecast for more precipitation through the day forced the full cancellation.
A revised schedule for the weekend was released later Friday, with Saturday’s schedule of qualifying heats for both series left intact. The Cup Series garage is set to open at noon ET Saturday, and the draw for qualifying heat lineups was moved to early Saturday afternoon.
The Cup Series is scheduled for its only event of the season on a dirt track in Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM). The Craftsman Trucks are scheduled for a Saturday show with the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).
Most of us have heard it numerous times: When someone needs your signature on a piece of paper, they invariably will say to give them your “John Hancock” on it.
But some NASCAR fans might object to that and say, instead, to give them your “Richard Petty.” The reason is simple: Petty has one of the most recognizable — as well as one of the most in-demand — autographs not just in NASCAR, but throughout the world of sports and entertainment.
According to Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell, Petty’s celebrated autograph is so unique that he doesn’t know if anyone out there can duplicate his close friend’s iconic signature.
The 85-year-old Petty has been signing with a flourishing imprimatur for almost 70 years. As the story goes, before his racing career took off, Petty was attending a business college in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating from high school, there was a professor who took young Richard to task for what he called poor penmanship, particularly his signature.
Petty took the criticism and advice to heart. It motivated him to begin practicing his signature for hours on end, trying to come up with something that would be his own version of John Hancock, unique and one of a kind.
In hindsight, it’s a wonderful coincidence that Petty did that. Once he became a racing star, his autograph grew more in demand than any of his peers. If you were a NASCAR fan and you went to tracks from North Wilkesboro to Rockingham, from Darlington to Daytona and all points in between, if you were going to get an autograph — any autograph — it had to be that of “The King.”
Former NASCAR President Mike Helton remembers when he got his first Petty autograph roughly 60 years ago — which he still has, by the way, one of his most prized possessions of a lifetime spent in the sport.
“I guess the influences I had on me as a young fan probably were more from David Pearson and Richard Petty,” Helton said. “And then the first time I went to the Bristol track, I got to get Richard’s autograph, and that put him at the top of my list, I guess.”
David J. Becker | Getty Images
What makes Petty’s imprint so unique is it starts with a swoosh at the top of the first “R” in Richard, followed by another swoosh swirl for “P” in Petty. Plus, he adds a line through the double Ts and essentially connects everything.
Legendary broadcaster and fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame member Ken Squier said, “The reason that (having such a unique autograph is) important is that he felt anytime anyone asked him for an autograph, it was a contract, that they appreciated him enough. He developed a scroll in it, so it took him an extra moment or two. It gave him a chance to look you in the eye and say, ‘Thank you.”
Helton literally grew up both personally and professionally with Petty, first as a fan and then as a colleague in the sport. If anyone knows the significance of Petty and his autograph, it’s Helton.
“(Petty is) notoriously known for never stopping until everybody that wanted his autograph at a race track got it,” Helton said. “But each one that he gave was a personal connection. … Every time Richard did it touched and felt very personal to the sport at that moment.
“That’s why I think the evolution of drivers and autographs, and it’s the same in other stick and ball sports, or even in Hollywood, but I think our drivers led by the standard that Richard Petty set, (and) understand that the connection with the fan is personal to them, and then it makes it personal to the fans.”
As much of a prize as it was to get Petty’s autograph, and to further extrapolate what Helton said, there was one other element of the experience of meeting The King in-person that was equally as valuable, if not more so:
Petty not only took his time to give those that stood in line for sometimes an hour or more a flourishing autograph, but also felt it was important and his personal responsibility to talk with virtually every person he signed for. It was an incredibly personal connection, making fans think they were now close, personal friends with The King.
“I mean he wrote the book, and everybody needs to read that book,” Campbell said of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and the importance of autographs and personal interaction with fans to him.
“He knew what it took and I saw him time and time again after a race. I saw him sign every autograph. Everybody that came up to him that wanted it, he signed it. Yeah, he (speaks) to everybody that he signed. He didn’t just write his name down and move on to the next person.”
That’s just the kind of individual Petty is.
Petty sold his controlling interest in Richard Petty Motorsports to GMS Racing in November 2021, which then morphed into Legacy Motor Club in 2023 with primary ownership of seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and GMS owner Maury Gallagher.
Even though he’s technically now semi-retired, Petty doesn’t act retired, still attending virtually every Cup race, whether it’s in Bristol or all the way in California. Free from some of his past day-to-day responsibilities of team ownership, Petty is now more of an ambassador for NASCAR, free to devote all his time to signing autographs and interacting with fans.
And he’s still one of the most valuable autographs there is to “get.”
He said it more than 30 years ago, during his final season as a race car driver in 1992, and it’s a philosophy that remains intact to this very day.
“I enjoy doing it, getting to meet the people,” Petty said back then. “The fans are responsible for where racing is today and we (drivers) owe them a lot. I figure giving them an autograph is the least we can do.”
There’s another interesting story behind why Petty’s autograph remains so in demand. While numerous athletes have earned countless sums of money signing their autographs at events such as baseball card and sports memorabilia shows, Petty has never charged even the smallest amount of money for his autograph, a personal policy he’s adhered to for over 60 years. This has made him one of NASCAR’s most popular celebrities and a must-have autograph.
“I consider it a compliment when somebody wants my autograph,” Petty once said. “I always try to be as accommodating as possible.”
While Petty has remained consistent in how he signs his flourishing autograph, there has been one slight alteration: he used to add “43” at the end of his name, most notably during his driving career, to reflect his famous race car number. But today, he only inscribes “43” on occasion, or when someone specifically asks him to sign that way — which he willingly does with pleasure.
“I actually had a driver once tell me that I signed autographs too long, that I need to limit the number of times I pick my pen up, because you sign faster when you keep your pen in contact with paper,” former NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan said. … “The next day I’m driving for Richard Petty Driving Experience, I’m teaching for them. I looked at the Richard Petty autograph (on the car). OK, it’s a fancy autograph. I mean, yeah, you can do a fancy one.
“I’m doing an autograph session with Richard Petty two weeks later, the autograph that’s on that car is the autograph he’s putting on that piece of paper for that fan that waited two hours to get his autograph. He did every single one that way and picked his pen up 15 times to draw Richard Petty. I go, ‘that’s the man!.’ That’s what you need, to treat people like right there.”
NASCAR officials updated the guidelines for the penalty appeals process Thursday.
The updated language in Section 10.5.2 of the NASCAR Rule Book now states that the National Motorsports Appeals Panel and final appeal officer may not completely strike any element of an originally assessed penalty. Those parties can adjust the original penalties, but modifications are limited to the minimum and maximum ranges in the rule book.
For example, a penalty that includes points reductions, fines and suspensions must keep all three of those elements if the appeals panel or final appeal officer rule that the offending party violated the rules. Reductions in those areas are possible, but not a complete elimination of any category in the original penalty.
All of those elements can be removed if a penalty is overturned.
The move comes after a March 29 ruling by the three-member that amended L2-level penalties against Hendrick Motorsports’ four Cup Series teams stemming from an infraction found during inspection at Phoenix Raceway earlier this season. In their decision statement, the panel determined that the organization violated the rules as outlined in the penalty report, but the panel also adjusted the penalty by removing the deduction of Cup Series points (the fines and suspensions were kept intact).
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer, said Thursday that the rule book updates will be observed moving forward and that teams and drivers that have ongoing or recent appeals will not be affected. He reiterated that the strict rules are intended to discourage modifying the single-source parts and pieces that are part of the Next Gen race car that competes in the Cup Series.
“I think we always have put the rules in place to be transparent and consistent across the board,” O’Donnell said. “So our penalties have been consistent, we’ve issued consistent penalties. We were surprised, as I think a lot of the fans, were in the ruling, particularly on the Hendrick (appeal) taking away all points. So we recognize that our system had a flaw. And if someone was found to have violated the rule, we’ve stated that we were all about a culture change in the garage with this new car, and points need to be part of any penalty going forward.”
The rule book update also specifies that NASCAR has the right to publish the reasoning from the appeals panel or final appeal officer for modifying or rescinding a penalty. “We felt it was prudent for the appeals panel to have to explain why and sign off on that going forward, again, for the transparency in the industry and the fans as well,” O’Donnell said.
Another move in the interest of transparency: NASCAR officials plan to renew the practice of displaying unapproved parts and pieces in the garage for other teams to inspect and see.
“You go back, and it’s something NASCAR used to do, and we went away from that, because we didn’t want it to be something that was an embarrassment to the industry or a particular race team,” O’Donnell said. “But as we’ve looked at this new car, as we’ve looked at what we need to do to really change the culture in the garage, you know, we hear from the media, we hear from the fans, is NASCAR hiding the ball? No. And we can easily display them. There’s nothing for us to hide — if we lose the appeal, we lose the appeal. Not sure exactly how we’ll do this yet, but going forward, at (Bristol) we’ll have some format.”
The appeals panel for each hearing comes from a rotation of three members, chosen from a pool of industry figures. O’Donnell said that the process for selecting panel members may also be evaluated moving forward.
“We’ve had this appeals commission for a long, long time, and for the most part, it’s been really good for the sport,” O’Donnell said. “But certainly we’re going to look at it and see if there’s some things we can clean up in terms of anybody who’s on that panel. Do we go completely independent? There’s always been a work within the sport and an understanding in the garage that someone needed to understand racing. Not sure that’s the case anymore, and maybe it’s independent and we look at that, but you know, all that’s on the table.”
Officials unveiled the format Thursday for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race, which will use a pit-crew challenge to set the starting lineups for qualifying heats, all ahead of a purposely no-frills main event to highlight the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The invitational winner will be determined by 200 laps, with just a competition break at or around Lap 100. Both green-flag and caution laps will count, and overtime rules will be in effect.
Each team will start on new tires for the All-Star Race, and have three additional sets to use. After the competition break, only one additional set of new “sticker” tires can be used.
The more traditional feel of the race meshes with the rebirth of the historic 0.625-mile track, which will mark its first appearance on the NASCAR schedule since 1996 with the All-Star Race on May 21 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Preliminary events include the return of the Craftsman Truck Series (May 20, 1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM), plus Late Model contests for the CARS Tour (May 17) and the ASA Stars National Tour (May 16).
“We wanted it to be simple. We wanted the speedway to be part of the star factor of this event,” said Marcus Smith, Speedway Motorsports president and CEO. “… Being there, if you were there this past summer, and you saw the way that the fans kind of interacted with the race track, and the time they could see the old building and the old signs and just the way everything worked together. The fans are woven into the fabric of this race track, and the drivers appreciate that. And so it’s all going to work together. We didn’t want the format to be the story. We wanted the race to be the story, and the race track, and it’s going to really provide I think a great platform for the NASCAR All-Star race.”
The starting lineup for Sunday’s main event will be set by a pair of 60-lap qualifying heats, held Saturday night after the Craftsman Truck race. The starting order for those races and the 100-lap All-Star Open qualifier will be set by a Friday night pit-stop competition for each team. Each team’s qualifying time will be based on the speed of a four-tire pit stop, with timing lines marked one pit stall behind and one pit stall forward of the designated pit box.
The pit-stop element is partly a revival of the annual pit-crew competition, which was held each year until 2012. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has been instrumental in preserving North Wilkesboro’s history, said plans were in place for a trophy that would stay with the winning team each year.
Drivers not already eligible for Sunday’s feature will attempt to race their way into the field through the All-Star Open. That qualifying race is scheduled for 100 laps, with a competition break set for Lap 40 and overtime rules in place. The top two Open finishers and the top remaining vote-getter in fan balloting will be added to the All-Star Race field.
Drivers already eligible for the All-Star main event will be divided into two 60-lap heats that will set the All-Star starting lineup. The finishing order of Heat 1 will make up the inside row in the feature; Heat 2 finishers will occupy the outside row in that order. All those drivers will be followed by the three transferring through the Open and the fan vote.
“When we throw the green flag, we should just give them 100 straight laps of green-flag racing,” said Earnhardt. “You know, if there’s a natural yellow (flag) in there, fine. but let’s take all the gimmicks out. Let’s just see these cars go around the race track. Let’s just watch these drivers struggle with the grip and the challenge of that surface and just watch and see who’s trying to save some tire, who’s maybe trying to take advantage of getting some track position early and let the race sort of play out.”
Eligibility standards for the invitational event are similar to rules used in previous runnings. Drivers who won a points-paying race since the start of the 2022 season are in. Also eligible are current full-time drivers who are previous All-Star Race winners or past Cup Series champions.
Twenty-two drivers have already clinched an All-Star Race spot: Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suárez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace.
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled Thursday to uphold the penalties issued to Denny Hamlin for his incident with Ross Chastain during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
The decision affirms the fine of $50,000 issued to the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in addition to the deduction of 25 driver points in the championship standings.
The initial penalty stemmed from contact Hamlin delivered to Chastain on the penultimate lap at Phoenix on March 12, squeezing Chastain into the outside wall in Turns 1 and 2 as Hamlin slid high. Recording his podcast, “Actions Detrimental,” the next day, Hamlin admitted his intent to wall Chastain.
With his points already reduced, Hamlin remains 12th in driver standings, 75 points behind series leader Alex Bowman.
The initial penalty report cited Sections 4.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book, which pertains to the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. Within that section, these items were detailed: B. Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship and wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result. D. Actions NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock racing or NASCAR.
The Appeals Panel members for this hearing were: Hunter Nickell, Dale Pinilis and Lyn St. James.
Hamlin has the right to appeal the ruling to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sun Drop announced a multi-year extension to their partnership that will see the Keurig Dr Pepper-owned company serve as the primary sponsor for the NASCAR Hall of Famer in one late model race in both 2023 and 2024.
This year’s race will be the CARS Tour event at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 17.
The pairing returns to the site of last year’s Racetrack Revival at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This time around, the partnership will see the relaunch of the Sun Drop’s Instagram and Facebook social channels and another major surprise for fans to be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’re excited to team back up with Sun Drop,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Sun Drop has been a part of my life since I was a kid. It’s special to be able to work with a company that is authentic to who I am. I appreciate all Sun Drop has done for me over the years and for them hearing me out last year when I wanted to bring that car back to North Wilkesboro.”
The Earnhardt-Sun Drop relationship dates back to the late 1980s and quickly became a fan-favorite combination that coupled the Earnhardts with Sun Drop’s regional popularity in the southeast. That initial partnership also included a sponsorship on Earnhardt Jr.’s late model stock car in 1994.
At North Wilkesboro, Earnhardt Jr. will join JR Motorsports late model standout Carson Kvapil to round out the team’s two-car lineup. In addition to primary sponsorship on Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet, Sun Drop will also be featured as an associate partner on Kvapil’s No. 8 entry as the 19-year-old driver seeks his second-consecutive CARS Tour championship. The CARS Tour race kicks off the weeklong festivities at the historic venue which will culminate with the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, May 21.
Fans can add to their Sun Drop x Earnhardt Jr. collections with new throwback merchandise available now.
Stay up to date with the North Wilkesboro event by following along on the CARS Tour Twitter account and watching on FloRacing.com.
Bristol Motor Speedway trades in asphalt for dirt in its third annual Food City Dirt Race. Cup Series drivers will navigate the Tennessee clay in hopes of securing bragging rights in the specialty event at one of NASCAR’s most iconic venues.
Ahead of the Easter Sunday showdown (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), check out the trends to watch, notable moments from Bristol, the on-track schedule for the weekend and rule changes to know.
Setting the lineup for the third Bristol Dirt Race follows previous years of using heat races to set the running order.
Saturday’s qualifying consists of four heat races. Each is 15 laps. The first starts at 6 p.m. ET on FS2, the second at 6:15 p.m. ET, the third at 6:30 p.m. ET and the final at 6:45 p.m. ET.
Heat assignments and lineups will be determined by a random draw, conducted in order of team owner points.
During the heat races, drivers accumulate points for finishing and passing. First place earns 10 points, second gets nine and so on down to one point for 10th — it’s the same way stage points are determined during a regulation race.
In addition to finishing points, drivers gain one point for each car passed from their original starting position. For example, a driver who starts fourth and finishes second will receive two points. Drivers who finish where they started or ultimately lose spots on the grid get zero passing points. There are no deductions for drivers who finish below where they started.
Only green-flag laps count. Free-pass and wave-around procedures operate as normal. NASCAR Overtime is not an option.
Once all four heat races are complete, point totals determine the field’s starting lineup for the main event. The driver with the most points wins the Busch Light Pole Award. All ties are broken by team owner points.
CHOOSE RULE DRONE
The choose rule remains in place at Bristol, but with an interesting and technologically savvy twist. Drivers will still get to pick which lane they want prior to a restart, but instead of the choose arrow on the track — which would be impossible to see on Bristol’s dirt — NASCAR will use a drone to display an orange LED marker above the racing surface, which is what drivers will use to make their picks.
Drivers will choose the inside or outside lane as they pass the flag stand and make their final decision no later than the designated “orange LED drone marker,” as NASCAR is calling it.
Tyler Strong | NASCAR Studios
CELEBRATING DIRT ROOTS
Before the Bristol Dirt Race was instituted in 2021, Cup drivers with backgrounds in dirt racing didn’t have a track on the circuit where they could show off their skills on the disciplines that launched their careers into NASCAR’s premier series. Road-course ringers and local short-track enthusiasts have their chance to shine multiple times throughout the year and with having a dirt track now on the schedule annually, it allows drivers like Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell to flash their talents on this type of track.
“I think it’s super important,” Briscoe said in a Zoom teleconference on Tuesday. “The dirt guys don’t have any opportunity to go back to their roots like those other two disciplines. Everybody says we’re the best drivers right? Well I want to see the best drivers challenged at every discipline. We have superspeedways, mile-and-a-halves, short track, road courses, now street circuits. There’s no reason in my opinion for us not to have at least one dirt race.”
Entered into Sunday’s race from the dirt ranks is Jonathan Davenport. He will pilot the part-time No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— The driver that led the most laps failed to win both Bristol Dirt races.
— Four different drivers and teams have won the first two stages in both Bristol Dirt races.
— Six different drivers have won the first seven Cup races of the year.
Cup teams will run the same tire setup as last year’s Bristol Dirt Race. The tire is a block-style pattern to help grab the dirt. For the weekend, teams will be supplied three sets of tires for practice, one for the qualifying races and six sets for Sunday’s race.
Cup cars will run the same tire codes that were used last season at Richmond in the first year of the Next Gen car. With Richmond being a track with high tire wear, teams will be issued nine sets of tires for the 400-lap event.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty, plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled Wednesday to uphold the L2-level penalties issued to Kaulig Racing for unapproved parts modifications entering the March 12 weekend at Phoenix Raceway but amended the points deductions.
The decision upheld the fine of $100,000 issued to the No. 31 NASCAR Cup Series team of driver Justin Haley and the loss of 10 owner and driver playoff points, as well as the four-race suspension levied to crew chief Trent Owens. However, the team was restored 25 driver and owner points for the regular season, bringing the total penalty down to 75 points in each category, rather than the initial 100 levied by NASCAR.
Thursday morning, Kaulig Racing announced on Twitter their decision to take their case to a final appeal hearing with the Appeals Panel. The time and date of the final appeal hearing is to be determined.
The Appeals Panel members for this hearing were Hunter Nickell, Shawna Robinson and Steve York.
While NASCAR discovered the hood louvers from all four Hendrick cars before practice at Phoenix on March 10, Kaulig Racing’s louvers were discovered during pre-qualifying inspection on March 11. NASCAR officials confiscated the parts from all five vehicles and took them back to the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further examination. The team used an unmodified louver in the March 12 race, in which Haley finished 27th.
The hood louvers — which you can see on this Next Gen 3D model — are openings or vents in the hood that serve as a release point for ducts that transfer air out of the radiator. The system is intended to decouple engine performance from aero performance, offsetting the practice of teams taping off air intakes and placing undue pressure and heat strain on the car’s engine.
In the initial penalty report, the following sections of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book were cited: Sections 10.5.1.A Guiding Principles Relative to Penalties; 14.1 C&D&Q Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules; 14.5.4.2.A Radiator Duct. The penalties issued were the loss of 100 championship owner points and 10 playoff points to the No. 31 team; the loss of 100 championship driver points and 10 playoff points to Haley; and a $100,000 fine and four-race suspension to Owens.
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — All American Speedway in Roseville, California is charging toward its season opener on April 29 with an armada of sponsors set to reward racers with the richest weekly purses ever at the speedway.
Thanks for JM Environmental, the Wild West Super Series will carry the largest weekly division purse in the speedway’s storied history with $3,000 to win, 100-lap features during five rounds of racing. Many local businesses have embraced delivering larger purses for the competitors such as Velocity Solar. The Velocity Solar Modifieds will compete for a total of $1,000 to win, across twin features on opening night. They will also race for national, state, and local NASCAR Division I Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championships.
Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts will once again present the NASCAR Super Stocks division with $175 in nightly bonus cash and will present the fan-favorite $1,000-to-win Trailer Bashes on April 29, May 20, June 17 and Sept. 9.
Later this spring, May 13 will be the opening night for the Berco Redwood Pro Late Models and AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Model divisions with bonus cash up for grabs in both classes. The drivers ages 10-16 years old in the Jr. Late Models will compete for a guaranteed $500 to win and up to $850 to win. The Berco Redwood Pro Late Models compete for $500 on bonus cash each night.
Bill McAnally Racing Promotions has worked throughout the offseason to acquire sponsors to assist with racers payouts and deliver more exciting racing to the historic one-third mile, located at the Grounds in Roseville.
Pre-registration for the Wild West Super Series season opener is open now at www.AllAmericanSpeedway.com Car number registration for all weekly divisions is also available while links to register or renew a driver’s NASCAR license is also available online.
Tickets go on sale soon for the highly anticipated season opener on April 29th.
2023 NASCAR WEEKLY RACING SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
April 29 NASCAR SEASON OPENER – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Velocity Solar Modified Twin Features, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, Trailer Bash
May 13 NASCAR ARMED FORCES NIGHT – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models, Legends Tour Series
May 20 NASCAR SPRING SMASH – Velocity Solar Modifieds Twin Features, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4 Shootout, NCMA Sprints, Trailer Bash
June 17 NASCAR EDGE OF SUMMER – Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models, Trailer Bash
June 24 NASCAR PLACER COUNTY FAIR – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, F4s
Sept. 9 NASCAR TRIBUTE TO HEROES – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models, Legends Tour Series, Trailer Bash
Sept. 30 NASCAR ARCA WEST NAPA 150 – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models
A project more than two years in the making will finally be finished later this summer. When it’s done, drivers in Idaho will have a new race track where they can compete.
In early 2021, Travis Milburn and his uncle, John Wood, began the process of building a new track in Emmett, Idaho. Milburn, a former driver who competed in the ARCA Menards Series West, opened a go-kart track, Kart Idaho, in 2020. He owns and operates the track on the same grounds as a concert venue and drive-in movie theatre.
Using the funds from all three businesses, Milburn and Wood decided to add a full-sized track on the outside of the go-kart track.
“We thought with all the COVID stuff going on, we’re just going to take a break from racing. So beside a couple starts that I did in 2021, neither one of us has raced since 2019. So in 2020 we decided we’ve got this go-kart track and everything, let’s build a race track,” Milburn said. “We have the property, it’s a 127 acre property… We were like the thing that’s going to pull this all together will be a race track.”
The track will be called Blue Valor Motorplex, a nod to Chris Lowden, co-owner of the Lowden-Jackson Motorsports team in the ARCA Menards Series West, and his Blue Valor Whiskey company, which gives a percentage of sales to the families of fallen police officers.
“We thought, just to really kind of symbolize being in tune with our local community and officers and service men, we thought that would be a cool name for it,” Milburn said.
The track’s top racing division will be Modifieds. It’s currently 50 feet wide on the straightaways and 70 feet wide in the turns with 5-10 degrees of progressive banking in Turns 1-2, and 14-16 degrees of progressive banking in Turns 3-4.
Both Milburn and Wood are longtime drivers who’ve competed at more than 30 tracks across the country. They used input from other local and nationwide drivers on how to make Blue Valor the best track possible.
“It’s not just what we think; it’s a combination of a bunch of different opinions of people we respect and want to make sure we do it right,” Milburn said.
“For us, we want to put on the best show we can, so when we talk to these different racers we’re like, ‘Hey, what do you think is going to put on better racing? What do you think we can do here to make sure there are a couple grooves, you can perform certain passes? What can we do to make sure it’s racey and fast and all that? So we’ve taken a lot of their advice on things, especially the guys who have travelled to a bunch of different tracks, and taken that into consideration.”
The initial plan was for Blue Valor to be a dirt track, but about four months in, they decided to pave it with asphalt, instead.
The paving process has been the main hold-up on the construction. The walls, fencing, grandstands, concessions and bathrooms are complete, and the banking has been built.
But Idaho has experienced record rainfall over the last two years. When they initially planned to pave the track last summer, the persistent rain showed the track was within the water table of a nearby river, and the middle of the track was filling with puddles.
The crew had to tear out parts of track and put in piping and pumps so water can be pumped into a nearby escape pond.
“That took a lot of time and effort to put in because the stands were already in and the banking was already for the most part in there, so we had to kind of engineer it and figure out a way to do it without making us really go backwards,” Milburn said. “That was like six months last year figuring that out… We’re past all that now though so, even though we’re having even worse weather this year, the track maybe gets some puddles the day of but by the next day the pump is pumping it all out and we’re good to go.”
Plans were initially made to pave two weeks ago, but even more rain this month pushed the project back again. Milburn said they’re now slated to be paving in May.
“We’re just waiting for the weather to turn so we can finish the track off,” he said.
If everything goes as planned, paving will take place at Blue Valor Motorplex in May. (Photo: Travis Milburn/Blue Valor Motorplex)
Milburn’s kart track will be inside of the race track, and there will also be areas on the track built for drifting, too.
“We kind of built with a multi-purpose use in mind, because we wanted to hit as many areas of motorsports as possible,” Milburn said.
Even though the project has taken years and completion has been delayed several times, Milburn said he’s OK with the delays because they made sure everything was paid for before moving forward. He and Wood did a lot of work themselves and kept work crews small to keep costs down.
“As we went along the way, whether it was getting money from the concert venue or different projects that have been done in the past, all the money went to the track,” Milburn said. “We wanted to make sure that when the track was done there weren’t any outstanding loans, there was nothing that could keep it from being open. When we’re done it’s 100 percent paid for. Zero money taken out on loans or anything… We just took our time with it.”
Milburn has also kept the outlook that waiting longer to make sure everything is done right is better than rushing to meet an artificial time schedule.
“My kind of go-to quote to everyone who asks me locally, ‘When are you going to be done?’ is, in 2028 no one is going to care if in 2023 we were done in June or if we were done in August,” he said. “They’re just going to care that it was done right. So our goal right now is June, but if it ends up being July or August when we get going, then it’s July or August.
“We’re going to make sure we finish it off right. We’ve been taking our time for two years so we’re not going to rush it right at the end just to start at the date we would like to start.”
When racing does begin at Blue Valor, drivers will compete at a NASCAR-sanctioned track. That was important to Milburn and Wood.
Wood is a former owner of Meridian Speedway, a NASCAR-sanctioned track in Meridian, Idaho, about 45 minutes from Blue Valor. As owner, Wood won several NASCAR awards and worked closely with the sanctioning body.
“He’s very in tune with NASCAR themselves and has kind of had similar visions with different things that NASCAR has had, and it just made obvious sense to be a NASCAR track,” Milburn said. “With all the incentives that NASCAR is doing now, especially with the short tracks, I think they’ve been putting way more focus and energy on their short tracks, which I think they’re going to really start reaping the benefits from. We were like, there’s no other direction we want to go. We want to go this way. It was an easy decision for us.”
When racing does begin this season, fans shouldn’t expect to see Milburn behind the wheel. He’s grown fond of being on the other side of the track.
“I kind of joke with everyone here, because a lot of people locally want me to race, and I usually tell everyone, someone’s got to make sure they’re putting in the time and effort so everyone else can race,” Milburn said. “So that’s kind of been my role. I just embrace knowing whatever I have to do to make sure these races are happening and they’re put on well and they perform well, I’ve got to do.
“My whole job, I feel like, is to make the best racers I possibly can in my area, as well as making sure every single racer feels like what they’re doing is important and make it feel as big as possible. A lot of these local racers, sometimes they don’t feel that way when they’re at the track, so I want to make sure they feel like they’re important, so I’ll put in extra time for the little guy when I can, which, obviously, takes away from my racing, but that’s OK.”
The track will be called 