Newsmaker of the Week

Dan Harpell has been involved in short track auto racing for all of his adult life.  He worked for the DIRT organization in its formative years, has had a hand in the administration of Five Mile Point (NY)  Speedway for decades and most recently took over and rechristened Yates County (NY) Speedway.  He knows behind-the-scenes racing operations, is acknowledged as a …

With a high powered field of field of Series and track champions invading Wall Stadium for its annual Turkey Derby last weekend, all eyes were focused on the Tour Type Modified 150-lap main event.  One by one. challengers for the checkered flag came and went, stymied by wrecks, mechanical problems or badly planned race strategy.  Second year Modified driver Eric …

Bill and Kim Shea of Oneida, N.Y, were wholly unknown to the world of auto racing – until last week.  That’s when the couple announced tthey had purchased Utica Rome Speedway from previous owner Gene Cole.  The sale ended almost constant speculation over the last several years about who was going to buy a place rich in history and held …

 Wild Card Weekend at the always tough Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway had a $4,000 prize on the line Friday for a 358 Modified win and $5,000 on the nose for a Saturday Big Block Modified score.  With quality-laden fields on hand both nights. the prospect of of a two-race sweep was hard to even contemplate.  But that’s exactly what happened.  Rick Laubach, …

 So much of the news concerning speedways this season  has been disconcerting.  Some tracks have closed abruptly.  Others have been offered up at sheriff’s sale. Still others are coming off seasons that had reduced schedules.  ‘Special shows only’ is a commonly forecast future business model.  That’s why when someone steps up to the starting line and buys a track, it’s …

There’s always trepidation when a successful race team splits up, particularly for the driver. The wheelman is the one has to start over, building the team chemistry so vital for long term success. Ryan Preece took a giant step toward doing that Sunday at Caraway (NC) Speedway when he won the asphalt Modified North-South Shootout in his first start for new …

Unbelievable. An astounding upset. A defining moment in a budding career. These are just some of the superlatives laid at the feet of Ryan Smith after his win Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway against the best in the business, the fabled World Of Outlaws. This is the kind of race that tens of thousands will attest to having seen …

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship is one of the most difficult to achieve in all of auto racing.  It takes a team dedicated to doing whatever it takes to not just in but find a tenth of a second anywhere, at any time.  The transcendent talent is the one that can win championships with two completely different teams.  That’s …

The racing world is running out of superlatives for Stewart Friesen’s on-track exploits. For the third time in his still emerging driving career, ‘Stewy’ drove to win the Super DIRT Week Syracuse Modified 200 Sunday. It’s how he did it that made news. On a notoriously difficult track to pass on, Friesen charted a course on the outside lane for the …

Williams Grove’s National Open is the biggest Sprint Car race east of Knoxville, Iowa. To win this one is to become enshrined in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of 410 Sprint fans. But on this night, the liver was the organ of ‘enshrinement’ for race winner David Gravel. A controversial bump and run with race leader and fan favorite …