NORWALK SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT RACEWAY PARK?
In a press conference scheduled later today at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Bill Bader, Jr., of Norwalk Raceway Park, one of the newest NHRA-member tracks, will announce a major sponsorship agreement with Summit Racing Equipment. He will also have an update on the $4 million track expansion project and will unveil renderings of the new suites being constructed at the track.
The word out of Ohio is that a name change is in the offing also. Remember, it’s no longer Indianapolis Raceway Park, it is O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. And what is good enough for O’Reilly is good enough for Summit. [11-1-2006]
NHRA CHANGES DATE ON ’07 SCHEDULE
The NHRA has changed the date for the second appearance of the POWERade series at Las Vegas to Oct. 25-28, 2007, instead of a week earlier, which had previously been announced. The move means that the final two races in the new Countdown to the Championship will be run on consecutive weekends. [11-1-2006]
TRACKS CHOSEN FOR JR. LEAGUE FINALS
The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals will be held July 12-14, 2007, at Bristol (TN) Dragway. Bristol has hosted the Eastern Conference Finals since 2004. The Western Conference Finals will be at Denver’s Bandimere Speedway on July 26-28. Bandimere has held the WCF since the Junior program was split into an East/West format in 2000. [11-1-2006]
HEMI 392 TO RETURN!
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of an engine that revolutionized not only drag racing, but the entire automotive industry as well: The legendary 392 HEMI®. To help celebrate the anniversary, Mopar is launching an all-new 392 Hemi crate motor for a new generation of performance enthusiasts. This engine -- built with all new components -- is a complete engine assembly from the throttle body to the oil pan, and cranks out 525 horsepower in it most potent form.
Three different versions of the new 392 are available from Mopar:
• P5153604 – Carbureted, 540 horsepower and 490 lb.-ft of torque
• P5253605 – SEFI, 525 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque
• P5153603 - 392 HEMI Long Block HEMI Crate Engine
The original 392 Hemi engine was introduced in the 1957 Chryslers and Imperials. It replaced the 354 cubic-inch version of the original Hemi launched in 1951. Compared with
the 354, the 392 was completely revised and improved, with larger valves and ports, a beefier block and crankshaft, and improved bearings. In short, the 392 Hemi, often referred to simply as the “92,” was perfect for drag racing.
More than a few racers bolted on six or eight carburetors, slipped in a hotter cam, tipped some nitro into the tank and went racing. Don Garlits ran a 392 in his Swamp Rat I at record speeds of over 180 mph on nitro with no supercharger. Garlits also used a 392 Hemi to officially break the 200-mph barrier when his Swamp Rat went 201.34 mph at Atco, NJ, in 1964. (James Drew photo) [11-1-2006]
ISC BUYS PERCENTAGE OF ROUTE 66
International Speedway Corp. has entered into a purchase agreement with Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. to indirectly acquire an additional 37.5 percent interest in Raceway Associations, LLC, owner and operator of Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL. After the transaction closes sometime in early 2007, ISC will own 100 percent of Motorsports Aliiance, LLC, which owns 75 percent of Raceway Associates. ISC is also expected to exercise its right to purchase the minority partners’ remaining 25 percent interest in Raceway Associates. The majority owner of ISC is the France Family Group, as in NASCAR’s France family. [11-1-2006]
