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As we mentioned here in an earlier blog, Rally America driver Travis Pastrana announced that he had set his goals on winning the season’s 2nd race at 100 Acre Wood, with hopes on beating Ken Block, a local favorite (and Pastrana’s teammate). Unfortunately for Pastrana, Block came through, winning (AGAIN) at 100 Acre Wood this weekend.

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block took the win at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in southern Missouri this weekend. “I love the flow of the stages of this event,” said Block at the finish. “I love the high speeds.” Block’s flat-out style is well-suited to this fast and flowing event and he’s proven tough to beat here. He and co-driver Alex Gelsomino have now won this event four times in a row.

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana started strong but found himself out of the hunt after a rollover on Day 1. He and co-driver Christian Edstrom were unharmed, but were unable to continue. Pastrana had said earlier he was ready to win or crash trying to keep Block out of the top spot.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. Eight top teams have already been invited to this August’s contest.

Next, the championship moves west to Washington state for the Olympus Rally, April 18 - 19.

Sometimes it’s nice to just look back and see how racing was done “back in the day…” Well, this is 1992, but things have changed - a LOT. Just check out ESPN - wow, what a difference.

Anyway - enjoy: USAC National Sprint Car Series Saturday Night Thunder
Winchester Speedway - Winchester, Indiana - June 20, 1992

Oh I wish I was in Dixie… well, Dixie Motor Speedway in Michigan anyway… they’ve got the most awesome lineup planned for their infamous “Eve of Destruction” - including my new curious fascination - school bus racing. There are 4 dates planned for the track in 2009 - the first will be on June 7th - but make sure you get your tickets early, folks - these events usually SELL OUT!

1. School Bus Figure 8s; One of the most popular attractions of any Eve of Destruction anywhere! As many as 12 School Busses take to the Figure 8 track within the 1/3 mile oval and race as though it were a normal Dixie Figure 8 race for Eight (8) laps. The only difference is that the drivers are racing Busses instead of Bombers and when there is action in the intersection, the outcome is usually mass destruction and almost guaranteed that a Bus is going to tip over. Of course, that could happen if a Bus takes a turn a little too fast as well! Ovid, Michigan ace, Phil Ehlert is one of the most successful School Bus Figure 8 drivers in the state of Michigan with over 10 career Feature Wins!

2. Figure 8 Trailer Races; By far the most intense in terms of sheer destruction! The object of this truly insane event is to take out the competitors’ trailer by any means necessary in a 15-lap race. The last driver left with a trailer or whoever crosses the start / finish line first is the winner! The trailers being totted by the drivers can have anything from a boat, to another car; perhaps even a snowmobile, anything that can be towed using a trailer! A record 23 teams participated in the last Figure 8 Trailer race on September 20, 2008. The clean-up afterwards is a tracks worst nightmare and the biggest reason why this race is ALWAYS the last event of the evening!

3. Chain-Gang Races; A Two-Car Team is connected by a chain with the lead car pulling his teammate around the track. The car being pulled is shut down and put into neutral for easy pulling. These races are usually an 8-lap sprint around the 1/3 mile oval and the car being pulled is at the mercy of the lead car. Due to the car counts, there’s usually Two (2) heat races with the Top Five (5) teams in each heat transferring to the main 12-lap Feature to determine the overall winner.

4. Crash Cars Races: Much the same as the Chain Gang Races with the exception of the lead car is now shut down and in neutral while his teammate behind him is pushing him around the oval. The Two-Car Team is however NOT connected by anything and the lead car is now at the mercy of his teammate and can only steer. Also like the Chain-Gang Races and due to the high car counts, the Dixie Crash Cars events are also 8-lap heats with the Top Five (5) advancing to the main 12-lap Feature.

5. Spectator Drags; Self explanatory! Fans in the grandstands bring their passenger cars from the parking lot and race one on one against another fan for one lap around the 1/3 mile oval. The winner moves on, the loser heads back to the parking lot. This continues until the last two drivers are left. Then the winner is decided in a best Two (2) out of Three (3) format with the first driver to win 2 Drag races winning the event!

For more information visit: www.dixiemotorspeedway.com to read the full press release, 2009 scheduled events as well as other “Eve of Destruction” event information at other regional tracks.

Now admit it, you watch racing for the crashes - a lot of people do. Unfortunately you end up sounding like a jerk or that you want people to get hurt if you admit this. However, here is a compilation of motorsports crashes from various series - ALL 100% fatality and major injury free. All the crashes - none of the guilt!

A sign of the times? Several veteran IndyCar Series drivers attended the Open Test at Homestead-Miami Speedway to continue meeting with team principals in the hopes of securing a ride before the first race of the season on April 5.

Among those walking the paddock were race winners Ryan Hunter-Reay and Tomas Scheckter, as well as Bruno Junqueira, Oriol Servia and Jeff Simmons.

“It’s tough for the drivers, and it’s tough for the teams,” Servia said. “I’d say the two best transition teams last year had to change their alignment, so it just shows how it is. It makes you wonder what we have to do. I’m here because I want to do this. I haven’t looked at any other series, because this is what I believe, and I believe in the product.

“Everybody has the perfect excuse right now with the (financial) crisis. It’s tough, but I still think there is room for open wheel even with the crisis. People still want to see us racing. We provide a good show, and I’m a good driver. That’s why I keep my hopes up that something good will happen.

“There’s a new project that’s really close to getting the green light, but every day there seems to be a little issue that it hasn’t happened yet. There are a couple other teams that as soon as they get something ready I’ll get the phone call, but it’s just tough.”

You know how jazzed I was to see the figure 8 racing school buses and the “scary school bus ride” at some of the small town tracks in the mid-west, but this is CRAZY… and AWESOME!

ALMS fans despair no longer - your cries for MORE! from the official American Le Mans series website have been heard. A brand-new design with more news, more information - and more interactivity than ever before - will be launching soon.

Official Press Release from ALMS:

The way you view the American Le Mans Series is about to change…from a Web perspective. The Series is preparing to relaunch its entire digital platform which centers on a completely redesigned and revamped americanlemans.com. The site will continue to offer the most complete information on the Series, its drivers, teams, manufacturers and marketing partners.

The new americanlemans.com will offer an unprecedented level of entertainment and interaction to the world’s leading sports car championship. Along with familiar and popular staples such as video, audio, images and news, enhanced features such as fully searchable archives, a new roster of online contributors and an expanded level of event-related content will take the American Le Mans Series’ Web experience to a brand new level.

Stay tuned to americanlemans.com for more information and ways to gain more access to the American Le Mans Series.

The Matt Farah video/discussion yesterday went over well, so I figured adding this cool video on Florida’s Supercar Weekend might be a hit too…

We’ve talked a lot about midget racing and USAC’s 2009 addition of .25 midget racing to it’s national line-up on the blog this season, and for those who are interested in finding out more - look no further than Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Midget Racing at Vegas has been getting a lot of media attention, especially following the announcement that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne would be driving in the Vegas USAC Midget Race. The new .25 Midget Series plans on taking advantage of the extra attention and will be displaying their cars in Vegas during the race week:

The racing machines of the brand-new USAC .25 Midget Las Vegas Quarter Midget Racing Association will appear in displays at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week as part of activities at various LVMS venues. Displays will be present at the Dirt Track at LVMS Wednesday during USAC’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” and Thursday during the “World of Outlaws” events as well as Friday through Sunday at the LVMS 1.5-mile oval which hosts NASCAR events all three days, culminating with Sunday’s “Shelby 427″ NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

The Las Vegas club, which competes at the LVMS facility, is headed by president Michael Turner, who has expressed the excitement he and his club members have for the new USAC affiliation. “The LVMS exhibits will provide unprecedented exposure for the Las Vegas club members and fans attending the week’s racing events will be able to learn more about this new venture and its 2009 racing schedule,” added USAC President/CEO Kevin Miller.”

Definitely a very interesting video - should be great for discussion…

Leo Parente and Matt Farah return to the Classic Car Club in lower Manhattan to discuss the state of the racing world including Formula 1, NASCAR, ALMS, and Grand-Am. There’s no doubt that the global economic downturn is taking a toll on the automotive manufacturers, but what about the the racing world?