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-- For Immediate Release -- Seven-time NASCAR premier series champion Richard Petty joins fellow racing legends including Bobby Allison and Ned Jarrett at “Dinner with the Legends,” a special event presented by the University of Racing Legends on Thursday, Oct. 5 in The Speedway Club at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Admission costs $125 and includes a three-course dinner, a Q&A and autograph session with drivers and a University of Racing diecast car; Tickets are available by calling The Speedway Club at 704-455-3216

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford to be Grand Marshal for the U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships. IMS Photo

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Texas Icon “Lone Star JR” Set for November 2-5 U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships

Southlake, TX (September 19, 2017) – The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced that three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford has accepted the role of Grand Marshal for the U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships for the golden Bell Racing National Champions Helmet trophy at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) November 2-5. Rutherford is the latest in a long list of Indianapolis 500 winners and Indy car champions to embrace SVRA. 

“All of us at SVRA are honored to have Johnny, who I regard as one of the greatest open wheel drivers ever to put on a helmet, finally join us for a race meet,” said SVRA CEO Tony Parella. “Given his stature here in Texas, and the importance of our national championships, I think serving in an official role at COTA is just about perfect.”

Teen Tanner Gray added another in in his rookie season

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(CONCORD, NC – SEP 17, 2017 – RIS) Doug Kalitta took his No. 1 qualifying position to a career first win at zMAX Dragway Sunday in the tenth NHRA Carolina Nationals. Joining Kalitta at the top of the weekend's podium was 18-year-old rookie phenom Tanner Gray in Pro Stock, also a No. 1 qualifier, Robert Hight in Funny Car and Eddie Krawiec riding his Pro Stock Motorcycle, all victorious in the first Countdown event of the final six rounds of the Mello Yello Drag Racing season. Kalitta beat teammate Richie Crampton in the finals with a 3.775-second pass at 318.39 mph in the Mac Tools dragster, earning his first 'Wally' trophy of 2017. Kalitta has 43 career wins and has not won at only two tracks on the NHRA circuit.  “Getting this win gives us great momentum with only five races to go, but with the team I have with me I’m full of confidence,” Kalitta said. “It’s huge for me to get my first win at this great facility, because we have been coming here for a lot of years and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.” The win and quick qualifier points vaulted Kalitta from fifth in points to the lead, going into the next race at the Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, PA.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

JOLIET, IL - RIS - Martin Truex, Jr. proved why he was the regular season champion on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.  Challenges from Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick notwithstanding, Truex ruled the day, especially after mistakes made by Kyle Busch and his crew made the task easier.  After Busch won the first stage and Elliott the second, Truex took the lead in the Tales of the Turtles 400 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup race, it was off to the races with Truex leading most of it.

Nam Y. Hua/AP Photo

JOLIET, IL - RIS - Justin Allgaier won his second NASCAR Xfinity race of the seasonon Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. Allgaier pulled away off the final restart. JR Motorsports had a banner day, with Allgaier's win and the official coronation of Elliott Sadler's regular-season championship. It was a homecoming or sorts for the driver of the No.7 Camaro.  He hails from a nearby town and his sponsor is based in the area, too.

Doug Kalitta - top qualifier 

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Courtney Force continued her list of number one qualifying efforts by holding on to the to spot for Sunday's NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Her Friday time help up through Saturday's hot and sunny conditions, as all four pro class pole winners failed to improve their qualifying times. Doug Kalitta held onto the No. 1 seed in Top Fuel qualifying for the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, while Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) used their times from Friday to hang onto top seeds after track temperatures exceeded 145 degrees on Saturday Eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. on Sunday in the first of six Countdown to the Championship races

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JOLIET, IL - RIS - Johnny Sauter won the NASCAR Truck Series race Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway and heads into the playoffs trying to win his second straight series championship.  It was the last race before the playoffs to determine the playoff, but he didn't win the biggest prize.

Doug Kalitta was quickest on Friday

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(CONCORD, NC – SEP 15, 2017 – RIS) Doug Kalitta sped to the top qualifying position at zMAX Dragway in Top Fuel today with a pass of 3.723 sec and a trap speed of 329.50 mph. Antron Brown held the top speed of the day's two rounds, at 331.85 mph with his pass of 3.728 seconds, both runs came in the second round of qualifying.

AP Photo - Terry Renna

JOLIET, IL - RIS - Kyle Busch motored to the first pole of the 2017 Monster Energy Cup season, leading two teammates behind him.  Bush won the pole over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin will start on the front row of Sunday's Tale of the Turtles 400, and fellow Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. was third. Truex has four wins and the Furniture Row Racing driver is a favorite to win his first career Cup title.

From left, points leaders LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle), Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Bo Butner (Pro Stock) met with media during a luncheon on Thursday to kick off this weekend's NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

• The No. 1 seeds from Top Fuel (Steve Torrence), Funny Car (Ron Capps), Pro Stock (Bo Butner) and Pro Stock Motorcycle (LE Tonglet) kicked off this weekend’s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway with a media luncheon on Thursday

• The Sept. 15-17 NHRA Carolina Nationals are the first of six Countdown races that will decide champions in all four nitro categories

CHARLOTTE, NC - RIS - Silly season continues for the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup series.  Smithfield Foods has notified Richard Petty Motorsports that it will not be returning to the No. 43 Ford Fusion for 2018.  Instead they will allign with Stewart Haas Racing's Fords with a driver to be named later.  The press release said that Smithfield felt like they would be in a better competitive situation with SHR.  Driver Aric Almirola, who had piloted the RPM Ford for 16 seasons, found his ride in turmoil after this announcement.

Peter Casey/USA TODAY

RICHMOND, VA - RIS - Martin Truex, Jr.had dominated the Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Monster Energy Series Cup race at Richmond International Raceway until Derrike Cope had problems with few laps to go, and a caution flag came out.  The leaders pitted and Kyle Larson came out of the pits first and Truex second.  The rest is history.  On the two-lap overtime finish, Larson moved passed Truex and Truex had more problems--pushing his car as hard as he could, teammate Denny Hamlin slid into the rear of Truex's car and Larson went on to win.

AP Photo? Steve Helber

RICHMOND, VA - RIS - Brad Keseloski dueled Kyle Busch and won the NASCAR Xfinithy Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Intenational Raceway on Saturday night.  Keselowski took the lead in traffic from Kyle Busch with 16 laps to and went on to score his second win of the season and 36th career in the series.
 
“I knew Kyle wasn’t going to just let me have it so I had to force something there,” Keselowski said of his winning move. “Whenever you make a pass for the lead and the win by going three-wide it is really damn cool. I am glad to be able to do that with the Fitzgerald Ford. It is good to be back in victory lane.”
 
Keselowski drove his Team Penske Mustang to the first series win using the new composite body that made its debut Friday night.
 

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CONCORD, NC - RIS -Denny Hamlins races in the Xfinity and Monster Cup series' were decared encumberded after illegalities were found on both Toyota racers.  It all was anounced on Wednesday after a last-lap pass on Joey Logano on Sunday and before completing the weekend sweep with his second Cup victory of the season in the Southern 500 on Sunday.

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DARLINGTON, SC - RIS - The Joe Gibbs Toyotas continue to dominate the NASCAR scene.  Denny Hamlin made up a several-second deficit after missing the entrance to pit road, battled back to chase down race leader Martin Truex Jr., and won his second Southern 500. Truex suffered a flat right front tire and scrubbed the wall in the closing laps. Hamlin had fresher tires and his crew chief, Mike Wheeler, encouraged him after the mistake: ''We can still do this."  They did.

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DARLINGTON, SC - RIS - Denny Hamlin won the pole for the Sport Clips 200 Xfinity race at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, but had to make a daring pass on Joey Logano in the fourth turn of the last lap to win.  

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DARLINGTON, SC - RIS - Kevin Harvick swept all three rounds in qualifying to win the pole for Sunday's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Harvick took the top spot in the final round with a lap of 27.669 seconds, 177.730 mph for his fourth pole of the season.

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ELKHART LAKE, WI - RIS - Jeremy Clements survived a last lap dust-up with Matt Tifft to win the Johnsonville 180 NASCAR Xfinity race at Road America.  He not only got the win, but is now qualified for the playoffs.  Clements drove his No.51 Chevrolet to a huge lead when he pitted for the last time.  He chased Tifft for the final six laps until, just before the start-finish line, He and Tifft got together, both spinning.  Clements was ablre to get his car started and went on to win his first Xfinith Series race. The small, underfunded family run team had finally captured a checkered flag for the first time in 256 Xfinity Series races. Suddenly, it seems like everyone wants to talk him.

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BRISTOL, TN – RIS – Kyle Busch won all three races at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, sweep the Camping World Truck Series race on Wednesday night, the Xfinity Series race last night and tonight, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race.  Busch is the only one who has done this anywhere, and this is the second time he has done it.  The last time was 2010.  It was also his sixth win of the season for the Las Vegas native.

Randy Sartn - USA Today

BRISTOL, TN - RIS - For the second consecutive night, Kyle Busch dominated a race at Bristol Motor Speedway.  This time it was the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300.  He led 186 of the 300 laps run. It was the 19th win at the tiny high-banked half mile track in the three NASCAR series.  He won the truck series race Wednesday, and now has only the Monster Energy Cup series race on Saturday to complete the sweep.  He had to overcome a speeding penalty in both races.

BRISTOL, TN - Erik Jones won his first career pole in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday.  The rookie turned a lap at 128.082 mph around the high-banked bullring to take the top starting spot for Saturday night's race. Jones, who drives for Furniture Row Racing, bumped Kyle Larson from the pole.

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BRISTOL, TN – RIS – Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday night, even though he had to face a penalty for speeding on pit road.  It was the third win this season for Busch in only 15 races.  The 2015 Cup Series champion has now combined for eight victories throughout the three-major series in 2017 and will look to sweep the track with victories on Friday and Saturday nights in the Xfinity and Monster Cup series races.

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BROOKLYN, MI – RIS – When the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway went to overtime, Kyle Larson was running fourth with three strong Toyotas in front of him.  On the restart, Larson made a daring move to get past three of the cars, and later passed Martin Truex, Jr. in the two-lap shootout to win his third straight race at the speedway.

Mike Sullivan/Getty Images

LEXINGTON, OH – RIS – After two disastrous starts in the 2017 Xfinity series, Sam Harnish used experience to win the Xfinity Mid-Ohio Challenge at the Mid-Ohio road course.  Hornish, an expert on road courses and an Indy 500 champion, won for Team Penske in a Ford Mustang. Hornish, an Ohio native, dominated in his home state.

Paul Saynca/AP

BROOKLYN, MI – RIS – Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.  hadn’t been in a Camping World truck for three years, but on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, he started again and won.  It was his fifth truck series victory. After taking the lead in his No. 99 Chevrolet with about 10 laps remaining, Wallace had to contend with Austin Cindric and Bell toward the end. He edged Bell by 0.176 seconds.

Paul Sancya/ AP

BROOKLYN, MI – RIS – Brad Keselowski led a Ford contingent to dominate qualifying at Mihigan International Speedway for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400.  Keselowski, a Michigan native came home to put his Team Penske Ford Fusion on the point.  To add to that, his teammate, Joey Logano will start alongside Keselowski on the front row.

Tony Parella Acquires Controlling Stake in Trans Am Series Ownership Group

MIAMI, Fla.  [August 8, 2017] — The Trans Am Race Company, LLC (TARC) has announced Tony Parella, by way of Parella Motorsports Holdings, has acquired controlling interest in the TARC ownership group.  Parella reached an agreement to purchase the stake previously held by Mike Miller, who departs the ownership group that presents the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli.  

Through his additional investment, Parella now controls the majority of TARC shares while David Jans, John Clagett and Simon Gregg retain minority ownership stakes.  Parella joined the ownership group in late July of 2016 and in June of this year acquired, along with Mike Miller and David Jans, the shares held by Jim Derhaag.   

“Since joining the ownership group last year Tony has consistently expressed a desire to take Trans Am to the next level,” said John Clagett, President of The Trans Am Race Company.  “Tony’s enthusiasm and love for our sport is unquestionable, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to build the Trans Am brand and competition platform to improve on the progress we’ve made since the creation of The Trans Am Race Company in 2012.” 

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WATKINS GLEN, NY – RIS – Like so many road course races, the I Love New York 355 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race involved fuel mileage, or rather fuel conservation.  In the end, the driver who conserved the most fuel was Martin Truex, Jr. by .04 seconds.

Photo Credit:  David Tulis

WATKINS GLEN, NY - RIS - Kyle Busch finally added the famous road course at Watkins Glen International to his list of tracks he had conquered.  It was his 90th win in the Xfinity Series.  He continued his hot streak in NASCAR Series races.  Busch took his customary bow to the stands, which was a milestone win for the Toyota driver.

Kyle Busch and team use Pit to set up and run away with a win at Pocono. Dean Patton Photo.

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Long Pond, PA - RIS - Kyle Busch ends a year long Win Drought with class, speed, and pure power. Busch and his team take some strategy with a four tire, and two fuel can Pit Stop and finds himself 6 seconds behind with about 36 Laps remaining. Within seven laps he has caught the leaders and was about to put a spanking on them….. He makes the pass for a lead and goes on to beat Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex, Jr by half the straight away lead at Pocono International…. If you know anything about that straight away you know just how much of a spanking he put on two of the hottest drivers in NASCAR today.

Kyle Busch uses the final Qualifying Lap and possibly the final secons to secure the Pole for the 44th Annual Overton's 400. Dean Patton Photo.

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Long Pond, PA - RIS - Top dogs run to the front and Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. are truly the Top Dogs. They may have traded paint last week, at Indy, this week they will start side by side for the drop of the Green at the 44th Annual Overton’s 400. Kyle Busch uses the final lap of Qualifying to make a statement in the #18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota. He ran that lap almost .4 faster than Martin Truex, Jr’s Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota #78. It has been decades since NASCAR used race day as qualifying and race day. It appears that all kinds of different strategy will have to be put in place today for sure.

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NEWTON, IA – RIS – In a NASCAR Xfinity Series race that had not one Monster Energy Cup driver, it figured that one of the stars of the series with come through with a victory.  Only Indy 500 champion Sam Hornish, Jr., a former MENC driver was in the field, so it was left up to the regulars to put on a show.  In the end Ryan Preece won the US Cellular 250.  The 26-year old driver had long dreamed to get into good equipment to show what he could do, and won the race.

Matt Slocum/AP

LONG POND, PA – RIS – On a day that favorite Kyle Busch dominated the Overton’s 150 NASCAR Camping World Series truck race, you would have to believe he won.  He didn’t.  Christopher Bell did.  Bell passed John Hunter Nemechek for the lead with six laps left and held on to win  Saturday at Pocono Raceway.

MOORESVILLE, NC - RIS - Things have been busy at Team Penske this week.  Earlier in the week. Team Penske announced Brad Keselowski's contract extension in the No. 2 Ford, and today the organization announced that they would field a third car for Ryan Blaney.  The Ford will carry the number 12. Blaney has long thought to be part of the Penske organization and just on loan to the Wood Brothers until they could create a new team.

Brickyard 400 Final Restart (Photo by Don Andersen/RIS)

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SPEEDWAY, IN - RIS - July 23, 2017 -

Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
24th Annual Brickyard 400

An exhausted Kasey Kahne wins a wreck-filled Brickyard 400 just before night falls at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Pit strategy brought the 5 car to the front and then Kahne survived a few accident-filled restarts after the two fastest cars wrecked during the final segment of racing.

More details to follow.

INDIANAPOLIS -RIS- (July 23, 2017)  Results from the 24th running of the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Closest XFINITY Series Finish (0.108 seconds) (Photo:  Don Andersen/RIS)

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19 year old William Byron overcame several challenges to win the XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.  In the closing phase of the race, he had to first pass Kyle Busch for the lead, which is never an easy task.  Then Byron had to trust the vibrating tire on his #9 Liberty University Chevrolet to hold out for the last 12 laps while holding off a hard charging Paul Menard for final 3 laps to win the race.  Byron said, "Over the last 15 or 20 laps, I thought the tire was going to go, but it hung on."  Byron consistently ran in the lead group of cars all afternoon and earned his 3rd XFINITY victory and 12th top 10 finish of the year.

Welcome to the opening activities for the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400, also known as the 24th running of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


The Saturday Cup practice sessions have ended, and the brand to beat is Toyota.


Toyota drivers Denny Hamlin (#11), Martin Truex, Jr., (#78) and Matt Kenseth (#20) dominated the first session, with Hamlin setting the fastest speed overall at 187.414 mph.


Larry Clarino, 11, leads, Calabro, 6, Furst, 29, and Jarett Andretti, 18, around the scoreboard turn. Photo by Ron McQueeney

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NEW CASTLE, INDIANA - RIS - FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 - The 21st running of John Andretti’s Race for Riley go kart event for the benefit of the Riley Children’s Hospital took place this past Tuesday at the world famous New Castle Motor Sports.

Thanks to some wonderful sponsors, Kroger, Cheerio’s, Window World, J.D.Buyrider, Republic National Distributing, Bacardi, and Qtego, this year more than $500,000 was raised for the kids at Riley.

The highlight for this reporter every year, is not the feature race, but the media race. Now, I have to explain, I love karting, I own a TaG kart (that is a very fast beast, indeed), I am 68 years old, and “maybe” a little over weight, so I was giving away more than a few pounds to my much thiner and younger, fellow competitors. Oh, yeah, and I am literally old enough to be their father and in a couple of cases, their grandfather!

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(ROSSBURG, OH – JULY 20, 2017 – RIS) Matt Crafton decided to buy a dirt Modified to practice for the Eldora Dirt Derby 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Why a dirt car? Because the Eldora race is the sole dirt track race in any of the NASCAR top three national race series. The investment paid off as Crafton used the additional dirt track experience to lead 52 of the 150 laps and snap a losing streak that lasted over a year.