TDN

TDN

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Why LIVE Television MUST happen for Dirt Racing

 
 
 
 
 
I have to imagine that the communication earlier this year between the World Racing Group and the former SPEED Channel (now Fox Sports 1) must have been extremely frustrating on both sides.  On one side, there's a company that had a signed and sealed contract for event broadcasting, and on the other, a new company that more or less did not want any part of the previous owner's agreement.
 
And so it was that the powers that be in Charlotte, headquarters for the aforementioned World Racing Group, were most likely thrown into a chaotic state for some time trying to find a way to keep their product on TV with very little in the way of motorsports dedicated channels left to broker a deal with.
 
 
Enter CBS Sports Network.  The multisport broadcaster which formerly made it's living as CSTV a college sports channel, stepped to the forefront and signed on to broadcast several World of Outlaws events, signature ones nonetheless, such as the National Open, Super Dirt Week, and the World Finals. 
 
So far, the quality has been tremendous. The pictures are terrific and the assortment of camera angles (including the Arial shots with the robotic camera) and announcing have taken the standard set by SPEED and raised it some.  Of course, it was tragic that Dave Despain wasn't involved in any way but we don't always get what we want.
 
Most dirt racing fans have already set their DVR's to record the whole series of tape delayed broadcasts which appear at 9 pm on Sunday through December 22. Since NFL football is the beast of that particular time slot it's likely that most of us will record these and watch at our convenience. Hey, it's not like we don't know who won right?
 
That's just it. We do know who won, and it takes some of the edge off to be honest about it.
 
It's probably nobody's fault that none of the races were shown live this year.  It was an eleventh hour deal. CBS Sports Network had other commitments and it probably had to shift a lot of weight to fit the programming in. I think almost every dirt fan out there is completely grateful that we had some kind of  programming available to us in 2014 following the SPEED channel's demise. But going forward EVERY effort should be made to get as many events to air live as possible. Even if it's only a few in the beginning.
 
I must have heard every possible excuse why it's a bad idea too I must admit. Take your pick. Bad lighting at many tracks, weather interruptions, too much dust, too costly, too many variables (cautions, red flags) to keep in a rigid time slot, I could go on...
 
But if the coverage of the highly successful Mudsummer Classic, the high quality of live PPV broadcasts via DIRT on DIRT and XSANTV, or even the previous productions of the live/semi-live World Finals tells us anything, it's that it can be done to a high standard and that further broadcasts would only improve with more opportunities to learn from mistakes.
 
Not every track/event would make great television, but we all know the places where it could work and the events too. World 100, Knoxville Nationals, Kings Royal, Williams Grove, Dirt Track at Charlotte etc.
 
And it would be a lot to ask of any promoter or sanction to possibly forego some dollars from the pay per view pot, but at the same time other revenue sharing arrangements to cover any gap can be approached and implemented successfully.
 
The Lucas Oil Chili Bowl will for the first time air the final night on television (Lucas owned MAVTV), and it's a good bet that ratings relative to the potential viewing audience will be more than respectable.  What did it cost them to give up the final night of PPV?
 
The point is, that tape delayed dirt racing programming so far has accomplished one thing. It has served the fans who wanted to see the event and couldn't be there. At the same time, it likely made very few if any NEW fans.
 
For dirt racing to grow in the future, it will need to be relevant, to be cast in the light of the here and now, not a leftover for only the most passionate fans. If the backbone of dirt racing is it's fan base, the industry has to look deep within itself and honestly look at where the fans have come from in the past. It's come from families of drivers and crew members and those who had family members take them to the track when they were young. And that pool of potential fan base probably isn't going to grow by leaps in bounds, it will need to be augmented by new fans in waiting that have never been to a race before. Those new fans are out there, and live TV in the primetime hours will certainly catch their attention.  
 
Tape delayed races are great for current fans, but it won't do much to help the future growth. The technology to do high quality live dirt racing on TV is here, now, and needs to be used for the benefit of the sport. The excuses need to come to an end.
 
I encourage every dirt fan out there to express, tweet, message on facebook, to CBS Sports Network the need for LIVE coverage next year. Folks, they're learning about dirt fans as we speak. Finding out about what how much interest we have and how to get our complete and undivided attention to see if we're worth it. We need to show them we are.
 
 
 
 

 

















 
















Tuesday, November 26, 2013

World of Outlaws Sprint Cars - Who's In and Who's Out in 2014

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series will be experiencing a shift in drivers following the series as 2014 rolls around that could result in the highest following the series has seen in years.

The first of many changes the series could see is the absence of Craig Dollansky on the circuit. Dollansky and the Tod Quiring/Big Game Treestands #7 team have split following the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track. Together they recorded 6 wins and 19 top 5's this past season en route to a 5th place finish in the series points. It is unclear of either party's plans for 2014. It can be assumed that Dollansky will have some sort of operation together, but the extent of that is unknown at this time. The same can also be said of the #7 machine. Who, if anybody, will be piloting the car come next season?

Multiple-time ASCoC champion Chad Kemenah may also be absent from the pits in World of Outlaw events next season. Kemenah has been following the World of Outlaws for some time now, albeit without the same success that he experienced while running with the All Stars. Kemenah overcame an early season injury this year while running on the west coast to pilot his #63 machine to 13 top 5's and 2 fast time awards. Speculation has risen about Kemenah's future plans with the World of Outlaws, and certainly without a big name sponsor on the side of his car it will be tough to follow the tour. Although he has run the last few years without a notable sponsor on the #63 sprinter, there is no question that Chad is near the top of the list of drivers deserving a sponsor.

A question mark can be placed beside the name of Bill Rose, although it would not be a surprise to many if he followed the World of Outlaws for yet another year. Rose, who is well-known for his success in non-wing action, has struggled mightily when putting a wing on the car, though not because of a lack of effort.

Good news has come from the state of California as Tim Kaeding and Dennis Roth have announced that they will be running the full tour with the World of Outlaws in 2014! Kaeding was a force anytime he sat behind the wheel of the #83 Roth Motorsports entry in 2013. While running on a limited schedule with the Outlaws, Kaeding racked up an impressive 9 wins and 26 top 5's. Add to that a number of huge regional wins on the west coast and you have what many would call a successful season. Look for this duo to be a contender next season anytime the car rolls out of the hauler.

Team Shark, composed of Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen, have also made plans to follow the World of Outlaws in 2014. Logan has made major strides in the past season, most notably topping the qualifying charts at The Dirt Track at Charlotte's summer WoO event. Jacob Allen has also greatly improved and the results haven proven just that. Allen had some very strong finishes in the latter part of the season and with the guidance of his grandfather Bobby Allen, he will only continue to grow as a driver. This young duo, hailing from Posse Land, should provide a lot of excitement on the track as they pursue their 2014 goals.

Watertown, Connecticut's David Gravel recently signed on as driver of the Tom and Sherry Leidig owned Pheonix Motorsports #59 and together they have hopes of running nightly with the World of Outlaws in the coming campaign. Gravel, the 2013 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year recipient, is replacing the well respected Jac Haudenschild as the wheelman of the no. 59. If the team can secure a major sponsor during the offseason, don't be surprised to see them on the road full time with the Outlaws while collecting a handful of wins.

It is highly likely that we will again see the familiar names of KKR teammates Daryn Pittman and Cody Darrah, TSR drivers Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser, as well as Joey Saldana, Kraig Kinser, Paul McMahan, Sammy Swindell, Jason Sides, and Kerry Madsen running the full schedule with the World of Outlaws. The series will frequently see the likes of Shane Stewart, Brent Marks, and Jim Perricone in competition throughout 2014 as well. Each has announced that they will be running large portions of the World of Outlaws schedule, adding to the strong field of cars that will be seen at high profile events.

Just as the 2013 season has wrapped up, we are only a couple of months away from the kickoff of the 2014 campaign at Florida Speedweeks. So fight through these cold winter months and the methanol will fill the air again before we know it!



Sunday, November 24, 2013

Weekend Update- Cook takes 10K at BRP, Super DIRTcar Series finalized schedule announced, Madden takes Cherokee Checkers

New MastersBuilt house car driver Ray Cook took home the $10,000 prize at this weekend's Nesmith Series Finale at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL.  And, regional crate late model superstars Mike Pegher Jr and Ryan Montgomery represented the area well by both earning top 10 finishes. Pegher Jr in fact came home 2nd in the final which featured some stout drivers such as Ivedent Lloyd Jr, Walker Arthur, William Thomas, and Ronnie Johnson. 



Ne Smith PR man Roby Helm has a very good recap on DirtonDirt.com

Ray Cook Takes Home NeSmith Finale






2014 Super DIRTcar Series Final Schedule Released

Revealed at the Parts Peddler Show this past weekend, the Super Dirtcar Big Block Modified Series schedule has been released and includes some former stops that have been off schedule for a while.

After the traditional mini series as part of the Dirtcar Nationals at Volusia Park Speedway, the tour cranks up in April with dates at Canandaigua Motorsports Park on the19th, and then Fulton Speedway on the 26th. The SDS will also make stops at Fonda and Big Diamond speedways along the way and will make it's return to Weedsport Speedway in August. Once again the tour will wrap up with another appearance at the Dirt Track at Charlotte as part of the World Finals.

With more dates on this year's slate and some return visits to former stomping grounds the SDS tour looks primed for another action packed season.



Madden Serves Up Some Home Cooking In Rescheduled Blue/Grey Feature


Top 8 From Wire Reports:

$10K Southern All Star Blue/Grey 100 Makeup Feature

1. Chris Madden
2. Don O'Neal
3. Jonathan Davenport
4. Chris Ferguson
5. Casey Roberts
6. Steve Shaver
7. Dennis "Rambo" Franklin
8. Johnny Pursley

Thursday, November 21, 2013

News and Notes-Kaeding to race full WoO Sprint schedule in 2014; Keep track of Big Block Modified announcements

Looks like Tim Kaeding will race the entire 2014 World of Outlaw Sprint car season. The California native took home 9  tour wins in just a partial campaign in 2013 and his addition to the WoO touring roster in the coming season will really shake things up. Schatz and company beware!


You can check out this very well done interview from the outstanding dirt racing news source dirtcast.com!






Tim Kaeding Reveals 2014 plans.







On the North East Modified side......


Our friends at dirttrackdigest.com have a new page to help keep all you modified freaks out there updated on all the offseason news, notes and announcements. Our fellow contributor Josh Bayko resides there as an administrator in the forum too.

Check out this link for all the latest offseason happenings

NE Modified News Page


Let not your heart be troubled in this long, cold season between seasons fellow dirt fans, The Chili Bowl is less than two months away!!

Pegher Jr In Action This Weekend at Bubba Raceway Park

 
 
(from wire reports via Todd Turner at DIRT on DIRT)
 
 
Mike Pegher Jr will compete as a teammate of Michael Lake in this weekend's $10,000 to win Nesmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series World Championships at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL this weekend.
 
 
The 2013 RUSH Late Model Series champion will field a Bobby Lake Motorsports entry in the three day event.  Last year's winner, Ivedent Lloyd Jr and Ronniy Lee Hollingsworth who opened up the season with three wins in the five events during the winter speed week, both look to be on hand and should prove again to be the prohibitive favorites.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

One More Reason to Make it to Super DIRT Week

The USAC Silver Crown Series announced today that it will once again join the festivities at Super DIRT Week on the Moody Mile.  Joining the 358 Modified show on Saturday October 11, 2014.

World Racing Group Teaser Video

This is a great addition to the event schedule. If you've never been, this might just be the year to take it off your bucket list!


The USAC Silver Crown Series will tackle the Mile on Saturday, Oct. 11, along with the showcase 150-mile event for the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series. The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified feature will shift to Sunday, Oct. 12, where it will join the DIRTcar Pro Stock event and the Super DIRTcar Series’ premier $50,000-to-win Syracuse 200.

“We’re excited to bring the Silver Crown Series back to Syracuse,” said USAC President Kevin Miller. “Super DIRT Week is such an historic event, and we are definitely looking forward to putting on a show for the passionate race fans that have been going there for more than 40 years.”







Sprint Hot Stove Report: Part II - Central PA

Welcome back for the 2nd edition of the Sprint Hot Stove Report. Reverting back to the part one of the Hot Stove Report, we can see that racing in Ohio will have as much excitement during the off-season as it does during the racing year. Remarkably, as complicated as the sprint scene in Ohio may look, it pales in comparison to the state of the Central PA area. Let's take a look:

Local legends Fred Rahmer and Keith Kauffman have ran their final races and in turn hung up the steering wheel. It's difficult to think of  two men that have meant more to a racing region than these two men have over the past decades, but I'm confident that their void will be filled with all of the upcoming talent that is spread throughout the 410 and 358 sprint divisions.

Former World of Outlaw competitor Greg Hodnett has spent a lot of time racing in Central PA as of late, most recently piloting the Trone Outdoor #39 machine. Owner John Trone has reluctantly called it quits as a team owner, at least for the time being, citing health concerns as a major obstacle. Hodnett experienced a lot of success in the #39 sprinter and has made plans to replace fellow driver Lance Dewease in the Heffner Motorsports #27 in 2014. Hodnett ran the 2nd Heffner car in a few races to finish out the year, including a top 5 effort during his final start of the season at the $10,010 to win finale at Susquehanna Speedway Park.

Lance Dewease, as previously mentioned, is the odd man out at the Heffner Motorsports organization after a seemingly lackluster season. Dewease has since agreed to pilot the Dietz Motorsports #14 entry in the coming season, replacing Gerard McIntyre as the driver. This sprint team has solely ran the Central PA tracks, so I wouldn't be looking for Dewease to be out and about as much as we're used to seeing.

Brian Leppo replaced Danny Lasoski in the Zemco 1z partway through the season and it appears that he will stay the driver heading into next season. Leppo and the Zemco team recently competed at Susquehanna Speedway Park's season-ending sprint race. Leppo had a great race car under him and was breathing down the neck of race leader Derek Sell before he made contact with the wall, sending him flipping violently down the frontstretch and into turn 1. Hopefully the recent events will not effect the team's plans heading into 2014.

Central PA regular Doug Esh is moving on from the Tom and Fran Chiapelli owned 98 to replace the legend, known as Keith Kauffman, in Gary Heckman's 8H. The newly formed team has stated that they will be competing weekly at Port Royal Speedway and in time trial shows at the historic Williams Grove Speedway.

With Rahmer and Kauffman retiring from the racing world, the PA Posse could find themselves in a state of flux in the near future. The young runners of Logan Schuchart, Jacob Allen, and Brent Marks plan to compete more often with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars in the 2014 campaign. We'll have to wait and see if anyone fills their shoes and can consistently compete for wins while they are out on the road.

Posse Land may have already found two bright stars with great futures ahead with the likes of Ryan Smith and Derek Sell. Ryan Smith has been running under the guidance of famed driver Donnie Kreitz Jr for the past couple years and has branched out to become the full-time driver of the Rob Warko Racing #94. Smith recently made his debut in the car at The Dirt Track at Charlotte during the World Finals and opened many eyes with his impressive performance. Young runner Derek Sell will step into the driving role of his family owned #20s sprintcar. Sell, after being mentored by Fred Rahmer during the entire season, won in only his 2nd feature start of the year earning him a cool $10,010 at Susquehanna. Fast Freddie proved the dominance of the car in 2013 by winning the Lincoln Speedway, Williams Grove Speedway, and Central PA points championships.


After a long and grueling 2013 racing season spanning from late February to the middle of November, teams finally have a chance to cool down and catch their breath - not for long though, with only 94 days until the opening "Icebreaker 30" at Lincoln Speedway on February 22nd!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Renegades of DIRT Modifieds Announce $10,000 to win 2014 Kickoff

One of the fastest growing modified touring series in the country, the Renegades of DIRT will be making their way to Tyler County Speedway several times in 2014 as well. In 2013, the series ran shows at Wayne County Speedway and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania's Motor Speedway too.

The series, which will open their third season in 2014, have already achieved tremendous car counts featuring a good many big names such as Rick Auckland, Bart Hartman, Nick Hoffman, and Deana Groves.

Stay tuned to The DIRT Network for further schedule announcements, you won't want to miss this tour when it comes into our area!



Renegades of Dirt To Kick-Off 2014 Modified Tour At County Line Raceway!
Inaugural $10,000 To Win North Carolina Modified Nationals Set For March 20th – 22nd, 2014!

(Middlebourne, WV) Anticipation has been building all week when officials from the Renegade of Dirt Modified Tour put a teaser out Monday afternoon that big news was on the way for “The Beasts of the East.” That news has arrived….and once again will top nearly all expectations as more history is set to get written for the Renegades of Dirt and modified racing in the Eastern United States.

Officials from the Renegade of Dirt Modified Touring Series are pleased to announce that the 2014 Renegade of Dirt Modified Tour season opener has been set and will be held at the County Line Raceway in Elm City, NC. The 3/8 mile red clay oval will host play host to the Renegades of Dirt for the first time ever during the inaugural North Carolina Modified Nationals weekend, March 20-22, 2014.

The official lid lifter for the 2014 tour will be an early-season blockbuster expected to draw the biggest names in open wheel dirt modified racing from across the country which stars the dynamic cast of the Renegades of Dirt Modified Tour for back to back nights of racing action. The total modified purse well over $45,000 is the largest in series history and will be up for grabs as participants invade the ‘Tarheel State’ in March. With a whopping and record setting $10,000 dollar prize going to the winner and a minimum $500 dollars to the events twenty A-Main starters, the “Nationals” will set the tone for another monster year for the Renegade tour.
On Thursday March 20th participants will be given the opportunity to shake down their rides prior to racing action that will begin the following evening. On Friday night the action heats up as the field will split up and run two complete/separate $1,000 to win, $100 to start preliminaries that will give at least forty racers the opportunity to race in an A-Main in hopes to get the needed laps in to dial in their rides for Saturday nights finale. Following the great preliminary evening of action all attention will turn to the weekends finale as the Renegades of Dirt Modified Tour in collaboration with the County Line Raceway get set to pay the open wheel winner a tour and track record five figure sum, ten grand!
We’ve been putting together the details for this show for a while now to add County Line Raceway to our list of touring tracks for 2014” stated director, Cody Watson. “CLR does a fantastic job of promoting open wheel modified racing and is the perfect fit to start our year. We wanted to add an event in the month of March to give our racers a place to race prior to the Northern tracks getting open and to do so on such a big level by paying $10,000 to win is exciting” added Watson. “We can’t thank the entire crew at County Line enough. The purse is going to be very rewarding for the drivers traveling with us and the format is fantastic. We hope to see everyone supporting it” concluded Watson.
The “Nationals” will also be part of the Renegade of Dirt Modified inaugural ‘Triple Crown’ in 2014 in which the tours three biggest shows will be grouped together as an added bonus to create even more incentives for participation and success. Details on the ‘Triple Crown’ will also be forth coming during the winter months but will see substantial bonus monies awarded for winning multiple ‘Triple Crown’ shows as well as other various racing achievements throughout the three race mini-series.
The full “North Carolina Nationals” A-Main purse is as follows; 1. $10,000, 2. $4,000, 3. $3,000, 4. $2,000, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,200, 7. $900, 8. $800, 9. $700, 10. $650, 11. $600, 12. $575, 13. $550, 14. $525, 15. $500, 16. $500, 17. $500, 18. $500, 19. $500, 20. $500

Monday, November 18, 2013

The NDRL Will Change The Late Model Landscape

The question concerning whether the national late model touring world could support another sanction will more than likely be answered in 2014.  And if the fledgling National Dirt Racing League (NDRL) exceeds all expectations as it appears primed to do, the answer will be YES.

Having completed a reasonably successful inaugural 2013 campaign that saw five races which bookended the season, the NDRL will soon announce a schedule for it's follow up season that is expected to feature 25 to 30 dates as well as a nine date mini series in January at Tuscon International and El Paso Speedway's respectively.

Headed by John Kennedy, the series has laid the groundwork for success with key hires in series director Kelley Carlton formerly of  the Ultimate Super Late Model Series, and announcer extraordinaire Rick Eshelman who served the World of Outlaw Late Model series in the booth for ten years.

The aforementioned schedule announcement is quite possibly the most anticipated release of this year's dirt racing offseason, and a few dates have already been announced.  The series has already confirmed dates at Bill Sawyer's Virginia Motor Speedway, Batesville Motor Speedway, New Atomic (formerly KC Speedway in Chillicothe, OH) and will also continue it's sanctioning of the Pittsburgher 100 at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.



What's interesting to note, is that any track that had been considered either a Lucas Oil Series or World of Outlaw stronghold is now fair game it appears.  The other two major sanctions, Lucas and WoO had a few common places where they both raced, Winchester Speedway comes to mind. But the NDRL and it's new formats and purse structures will be alluring for any promoter looking to enhance their facility, no mater what their allegiances have been in the past.

A strong third sanction presence may come with cost though. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that oversaturation of the super late model special event market could happen. It's truly a double edged sword too. Fans will have more choices than ever to see top notch special events with big name drivers and this is a welcome jolt to the stagnation of the two other sanctions simply rehashing the same schedule year after year and changing the dates. 

However, questions still remain, along the lines of ; "Will weekly super late model racing suffer with too many choices to run?" "What will I do when the drivers I want to see are no longer racing close by like they had been and I can't afford to travel as far?"  "Will there be any live audio streaming of races so I can listen when I can't be there"

And they will be answered in time, but one thing's certain. The NDRL WILL change the landscape of super late model racing, offering perhaps a new and better way of doing things, and shaking the two senior circuits (Lucas and WoO) out of their comfort zone, constructively leading to changes in their way of doing things that help the sport grow.

Either way, the days of being a change hater in dirt super late models is at an end, it's time to adapt and grow, and the NDRL may be leading the way.



Sprint Hot Stove Report: Part I - ASCoC and the Buckeye State

With the 2013 racing season coming to a wrap, it's time to take a look at the rotating driver's seats that may give the sport a new look by the time we reach 2014.

Starting in the Buckeye State, we could see a shakeup in the core drivers that have been a lock with the All Star Circuit of Champions over the past several seasons. Rumors have arisen questioning the future of the Ti22 sponsored #2 of Dale Blaney. The multiple-time and defending champion, as well as all-time ASCoC wins leader, could be experiencing some changes within the team in the upcoming campaign. While Blaney and Co. may bring a new look to the table come next racing season, I don't think he'll be going away any time soon.

As announced, long-time front runner, 3-time ASCoC champion, and 2011 Knoxville Nationals champion Tim Shaffer and the CH Motorsports #83 team have agreed to part ways following the 2013 campaign. The up and coming star Christopher Bell has been named the new driver of the familiar #83 machine leaving Shaffer without any guarantees of racing in 2014. Because of prior commitments with Keith Kunz and Toyota, Bell will be running a limited schedule in the Aaron Call and Janet Holbrook owned sprinter. That being said, we can assume that the seat of the #83 will be filled during most big events, even when Bell is unavailable.

David Gravel's 2014 plans are also up in the air as of now. Former ASCoC regular spent this previous season following the World of Outlaws from coast to coast after filling in for Bill Rose for a few months following his injury at the 2013 DIRTcar Nationals. Gravel was also the pilot of the BWW #82 machine during a few shows earlier this fall. It will be interesting to see where he runs the majority of his races next year.

Per an announcement at the World Finals in Concord, NC, Sheldon Haudenschild will be running a large number of races next year in the Marshall Motorsports 33M beginning with the sprint car portion of the 2014 DIRTcar Nationals presented by UNOH at Volusia Speedway in February. Plans are unknown after the conclusion of Florida Speedweeks, but the pair hopes to branch out and explore some different venues.

Bryan Sebetto and the Hammer Motorsports #24 have parted ways after struggling for much of the year. This will leave the hotshoe of Sebetto searching for a ride. The #24 team will also be in search of a new driver but their list is a little longer with the likes of Rob Chaney, Dean Jacobs, Brandon Wimmer, and Tim Shaffer - just to name a few - not having full-time rides in 2014. Wimmer recently piloted the Hammer Motorsports entry recently at the World of Outlaws World Finals, albeit without much success.

The short tenure of the Destiny Motorsports #9w has not deterred the attraction of a handful of drivers. With a number of different guys hopping in the seat at least one time this past year, the team has secured the Wild Child Jac Haudenschild as their 2014 driver. It is hard to guess what races this team may enter next season, but we can be sure that it will be a contender anywhere it appears. The storied history of a hardcharger such as Haudenschild may be exactly what Destiny Motorsports needs to bring its team to prominence on the racing scene.

Lastly, let us not forget about the tracks in the Ohio area that will be mixing things up. The NAPA Auto Parts Wayne County Speedway has announced on their Facebook page that they will be running on Saturday nights in 2014. While it is hard to tell exactly how this will effect the Orrville, Ohio track, make sure to keep an eye on how this effects the shakeup on their weekly sprintcar and late model fields.

The recently re-opened Atomic Speedway looks to do nothing but improve Ohio racing in 2014. With the addition of a few ASCoC shows, including a 2014 Ohio Speedweek event, more racers will have the opportunity to race for a larger payout at different points throughout the year. Atomic has also added the unsanctioned Freedom 40 for the 410 sprints and a monster 3-day weekend for lates in early May featuring the NDRL Super Late Models. Kudos to the owners, management, and all involved at Atomic Speedway for doing everything in their power to improve the sport that we all love.

That about wraps up the unknowns of the sprint car world in Ohio. Check back shortly for more in depth discussion regarding other regions and organizations throughout the country.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The DIRT Network Mission Statement

The mission of The Dirt Network administrators and contributors is to simply serve the dirt racing community including fans, drivers, tracks, sanctions, sponsors and racing related parts manufacturers and distributors. This is accomplished with our promotion of the sport by means of objective opinion, news gathering and sharing, increasing driver connectivity to the fan base, and also by offering sponsors and other industry related organizations another opportunity to get their message across.

We offer a gathering place for all passionate dirt racing community members to constructively submit their opinions free from the current trend of directing negativity towards any track, sanction, division, or driver.

Whether you are a Sprint, Late Model, Modified fan, or a fan of any other division that graces our area speedways, we will provide content to capture the interest of all, the information to help make choices on where get your dirt racing fix on any particular weekend, and the stories behind the drivers who put their heart and soul into their racing operations week in and week out.

We hope you enjoy what we have to offer!'

-The Dirt Network

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Currently Under Construction

This is a temporary home of The Dirt Network. A site which will host dirt racing opinions, information, interviews with drivers, promoters, and sanctions. Whether this site will be able to contain the information necessary to fulfill it's vision remains to be seen.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.