Powering UpIt won't take you long to get up to speed on engine rules in the American Speed Association. The series recently announced that the mandated engine program for the 2002 season will stay the same.
The series will continue using the General Motors Vortec ASA 5700 introduced prior to the 2000 season. GM had proposed that the sanctioning body require an upgraded version of the sealed, factory-produced engine.
The engine program has provided a big cost savings for teams. They can buy each engine for $12,000, and several teams have either run a full 20-event season utilizing a single engine or have run 20 or more events with the same engine over the course of the last two years.
Free-For-AllIt would be easier to list the drivers who won't be eligible for the new Valvoline Cup program for grass roots racers than to list those who will. This competition is about as wide open as it gets.
The Cup will be contested by virtually all drivers in all types of classes in all sanctioned racing or track-sponsored weekly racing programs throughout the United States. Every driver will be awarded points for finishing positions in his racing series.
In other words, a Super Stock driver can compete with a USAC driver, or perhaps a NASCAR Winston West Series driver. Valvoline will try to keep tabs of it all and award a national winner at the end of the 2002 season.
To register or find out more, check out www.valvolinecup.com.
Earnhardt Scores A TDWe can see this now. NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw giving Kerry Earnhardt advice on winning a race: "OK, Kerry. You go down and turn left, then step on it."
Bradshaw may know more about Xs and Os than racing, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming a co-owner with Armando Fitz on a NASCAR Busch Series team. Earnhardt will drive the No. 8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in at least 20 events this season, with sponsorship from Supercuts.
Earnhardt is the elder son of Dale Earnhardt. He has been successful in ARCA racing, but hasn't been able to land on his feet in the Busch Series.
"I love the sport and want to be a part of it," Bradshaw says. "This opportunity is something I've sought for some time and I know that partnering with Fitz, Earnhardt, and Dale Earnhardt Inc. is a perfect combination."
DEI will supply FitzBradshaw Racing with engines, aero support, and engineering direction. With that kind of backing, it shouldn't take long for Earnhardt to score big.
Don't Be CruelThe King is coming back to Vegas! But ol' swivel hips won't be hanging at the Hilton. Instead it'll be a rather fast visit on the hood of Rusty Wallace's Miller Lite Ford. Wallace will run the special Elvis paint scheme at the March 3 Winston Cup race at Las Vegas. It will mark the second time in five years that Wallace has featured The King on his race car. All told, this is part of a program recognizing the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death. It's enough to make us want to say, "Thank 'ya very much."
New Kid In TownAttention fans of dirt track racing! The WORLD Dirt Racing League is up and running. The non-sanctioned touring series will operate exclusively on dirt tracks in the Midwest and will feature both Late Model and Modified race cars.
Jim Wilson is behind the effort. He worked for 20 years as a NASCAR Weekly Racing Series regional director and was director of the O'Reilly Auto Parts All-Star Series, a regional NASCAR division he founded 17 years ago. NASCAR discontinued the All-Star series at the end of the 2001 season.
Now the WORLD Dirt Racing League aims to pick up where NASCAR left off.
As veteran dirt racer Gary Webb said, "With Jim Wilson's input, maybe we will get another 17 years of great racing."
Wilson was working at the start of 2002 on the series schedule and rule book.
Tune In To ARCATen ARCA RE/MAX Series races will be carried live in the 2002 season, offering a mix of short-track and superspeedway action. In addition, Fox Sports Net will air four races on a one-week tape delay.