In some areas of the country, local short tracks are an endangered species. With urban development and sprawl spreading across once-rural areas, the large pieces of land racetracks are built on are becoming million-dollar prizes to be had by developers. After years of fighting for survival, Hialeah Speedway has become the latest victim. August 13, 2005, marked the last time race cars would run on the historic oval.

The track, located on US 27 just east of Palmetto Expressway in Hialeah, was built in 1953-'54 by the Greater Miami Racing Association (GMRA), hosting its first event in July 1954. Local driver Herb Tillman took First-Place honors driving George Nelson's '34 Ford modified coupe, kicking off a 51-year legacy for the southernmost short track in the United States. As the old pre-war race cars gave way to '50s era race cars, Hialeah soldiered on as a hotbed of South Florida racing.inline_mediumwraptextrightNo, you're not imagining things, that's a '69 Mustang late model racecar.25356554/eventcoverage/scrp_0510_last_race_at_hialeah_speedwayscrp_0510_01_z+last_race_at_hialeah_speedway+77_racer.jpgTrue

MARCH 2007 WINNER

Nick Anderson
Adamsville, Alabama

This month's Young Racers Club winner comes to us from the great state of Alabama. Nick Anderson has been racing since he was 16. He started off running the Four-Cylinder division at Sayre Speedway, a 1/4-mile asphalt track about 15 miles outside of Birmingham. He won a race in his first year of racing and quickly moved up to the Pure Street class, where he notched five victories over the next two seasons.

He then made the move to the Limited Modified division. It turned out to be a smart move. After winning six out of eight races this season, Anderson was crowned the 2006 Track Champion at Sayre Speedway. He has also found success at Birmingham International Raceway, the much bigger 5/8-mile asphalt track just up the road.

Anderson got exposed to racing thanks to his dad, a racer at Sayre. But when Anderson got a job in Barry Martin's machine shop, the racing bug took hold. He worked his way up in the shop and eventually could do most of the work on heads and blocks by himself. Anderson started racing while working for Martin.

While Anderson's dad no longer races, he does help his son. But Anderson helps himself, too. The 20-year-old goes to college (he sold a '70 Chevelle to pay for it) and works at the local hospital repairing medical equipment to help support his racing habit.

Future plans include a title defense at Sayre to gain more seat time in the open-wheeled Modifieds. But he also has a 400 block, which he is thinking about turning into a 377 for the Dixie Modified class. A $250 gift certificate from Comp Cams will, no doubt, help Anderson finish that build. He is eager to make the jump because the Dixie Modifieds run a rules package similar to that of many area speedways, such as Huntsville and Mobile.

Nick Anderson is a true racer and loves building motors and racing his Modified: "That thing is a blast to drive. I'd probably drive it to work if I could."inline_mediumwraptextright26588164/youngracers/scrp_0505_young_racers_clubscrp_0505_27_z+young_racers_club+starting_line.jpgTrue

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Question: What has 16 cylinders, 48 valves, five camshafts and produces 1,365 horsepower?inline_mediumwraptextrightTony Stewart will begin Sunday, May 27, 2001 with Target Chip Ganassi Racing starting inside of the third row for the Indianapolis 50026586976/eventcoverage/scrp_0105_indianapolis_500_and_the_coca_cola_600scrp_0105_01_z+indianapolis_500_and_the_coca_cola_600+tony_stewart.jpgTrue

If you just won the point championship, the race of your lifetime, or Rookie of the Year-or if you're simply proud of your race car-send us a photo with details about your racing career.

Send your Readers' Racers to 5555 Concord Pkwy. S., Ste. 326, Concord, NC 28027

Also, ask how well the car ran last time out. This is a loaded question. Here you are getting a judge on their character and how honest they are going to be with you throughout the selling process. Remember, you already know the answer. You were at the track. You saw that they finished mid-pack. If the seller says the car finished Second but should have won the thing, then you've got a less than honest seller. However, if they say they struggled with the handling, ran decent, and finished around mid-pack, then you have a little more reason to place trust in the car owner.inline_mediumwraptextrightThe fuel cell will help determine what type of life the chassis has had. If the cell has a lot of bends and wrinkles, then the rear of the car has seen a lot of heavy impacts.26554549/techarticles/general/scrp_0811_used_racecar_buyers_guidescrp_0811_09_o+used_racecar_buyers_guide+t_weld.jpgTrue

It has been the topic of Dirt Tech numerous times: Dirt track racing is often as much about protecting your car from the elements to ensure that it will finish the race as it is about outright speed.

What is the link between racers, fans, and businesses potentially involved with sponsorship in racing? That is the link that racers need to determine when looking to secure funds from any business. It may be an obvious user-defined link such as a racing vendor supporting a car or a home improvement center sponsoring a NASCAR team. The sponsor is looking to get its name in front of a specific set of customers and associate the company name with racing. It is an act of associating multiple passions with a need and a name.inline_mediumwraptextrightThis racer has done some legwork, as the car has three sponsors displayed on its rear quarter and door.26552365/featuredvehicles/scrp_0811_race_team_sponsorships_guidescrp_0811_01_o+race_team_sponsorships_guide+racing.jpgTrue

Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas, may owe its survival to one woman's passion for racing. Mary Ann Naumann rescued the track when it was in danger of closing so that her race series, Texas Super Racing Series (TSRS), would have a track to race on.inline_mediumwraptextrightJeff Jefferson (42) and Jim Inglebright (1) line up for a restart during the Camping World Series West race. Racers restarting on the outside tend to lose positions on restarts.26549839/featuredvehicles/scrp_0811_thunderhill_racewayscrp_0811_01_o+thunderhill_raceway+racing.jpgTrue

Transporting racing fuel, pump gas, and alcohol is an activity that gets little respect. Gasoline and, to a lesser extent, alcohol do not receive the respect that the amount of energy they are storing should get. From a safety perspective, we need to exercise great care when transporting and storing any fuel. And as fuel costs continue to rise we need to make sure we are getting all the value from the fuel we are using. This means that any activity we use to transport the fuel should provide a stable environment so we do not take anything away from the fuel that could affect our on-track performance. Using poor fuel transportation and storage techniques can take away some of the power producing components of the fuel.

Is there anything worse than being under a ton of stress? We have all felt it, whether at our jobs or dealing with family members. Whatever the case, how you handle stress determines how hard it is on you. Your racecar is not much different. Sometimes your vehicle will be under stress and you might not ever see or hear it, but your performance on the track will change greatly.

It is a right of passage that nearly everyone must go through, and then regret later: buying a used car. We have all seen it happen to people we know. They purchase a used car and later find out it was a lemon. It can be a very dangerous game because of the unforeseen costs that come along with a used car. How can you trust the person selling the car? Is the car in as good as shape as the seller says it is?

It has been the topic of Dirt Tech numerous times: Dirt track racing is often as much about protecting your car from the elements to ensure that it will finish the race as it is about outright speed.

Few times does a first generation have such a positive influence as car builder and driver Roscoe Smith had on his Dirt Late Model-driving son Clint, a current frontrunner with the top-gun World of Outlaws series.

Anyone who has ever set foot in a racecar understands how physically demanding the cars can be during competition. We have all heard stories of Cup drivers losing up to 5 to 10 pounds a race because of the extreme conditions. One would have to be very nave to think that being in better physical condition would not benefit the local short track racer.

Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas, may owe its survival to one woman's passion for racing. Mary Ann Naumann rescued the track when it was in danger of closing so that her race series, Texas Super Racing Series (TSRS), would have a track to race on.

Seventh In A Series
The thunder begins down in the valley. From the top of the hill overlooking Infineon Raceway and the lush valley beyond, you can hear the engines long before the cars come into view.

This month's Young Racers' Club winner comes to us from Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Matthew Duggins races a front-wheel drive U-Car at New 311 Speedway, the north central North Carolina 1/2-mile high-banked clay oval bullring that bills itself as the Daytona of Dirt. That's the same track frequented by guys like Steve Blackburn, Larry Blankenship, Ty Dillon, and Justin Labonte.

Imagine a world where short track racing never ends. Seven days a week you can travel to a given track and see some great racing. I can hear the series promoters, track owners, and even some drivers grumble. This just can't happen, right? It is way too exhausting to expect a series, track, or driver to race every day of the week.

What is the link between racers, fans, and businesses potentially involved with sponsorship in racing? That is the link that racers need to determine when looking to secure funds from any business. It may be an obvious user-defined link such as a racing vendor supporting a car or a home improvement center sponsoring a NASCAR team. The sponsor is looking to get its name in front of a specific set of customers and associate the company name with racing. It is an act of associating multiple passions with a need and a name.

Editor's Note: The electrical system on a car can present a confusing dynamic to many racers. With that in mind, we've asked the writer to address some common missteps found in motorsports.

Many racers use an oxy/acetylene torch. Quite often, a butane cigarette lighter is the weapon of choice in starting the fire. Most have heard the admonishment “Don’t do it!”

They are unsafe for torch lighting because the pressure of the torch gases may overcome the butane pressure. If this situation occurs, the flame can enter the tank of the lighter. When near empty, the lighter is more dangerous. The lower butane pressure makes an accident more likely.

Getting Started

Over the next few months, Stock Car Racing will follow along as race car builder Sleepy Gomez builds an IMCA Stock Car. This is an ideal beginning race car for the novice car builder and driver. We will attempt to describe, in the simplest terms possible, what is being done, how it’s being done, and why it’s being done. Sleepy has been involved in racing since 1958 and over the years has become more infatuated with building cars than with driving them. He has built his share of cars, from karts and Mini-Stocks to Street Stocks. Sleepy works out of his shop, Sleepy’s Workshop, in Ferris, Texas, where he makes a living at metalworking and welding. The car should be ready for a couple of test rides at the end of this season—but the real racing begins in 2001.

IMCA is known mostly for its Modified class. It may come as a surprise to some that there is an IMCA Stock Car class. This class has run in the Midwest for about 10 years and is now beginning to catch on throughout the rest of the United States.

While similar to many local, entry-level and above classes, the series has a nationwide set of rules so cars (and parts) are standardized. This increases parts availability and decreases costs.

The Saturday night racer faces some very real issues with the fuel systems in their cars. The demands on the fuel system can make or break a racing program depending on the level of preparation that the racer places on the system.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I hate brakes! I hate the fact that I have to lift my foot off the gas pedal and slow the car down as I reach the corner. I would rather keep the gas pedal mashed on the floor and not have to worry whether or not my brakes are still going to be functioning at the end of the race. But I don't live in this fantasy world. Like many of you, I race on short tracks, where brakes are so crucial to not only how well you stop but also how well your car is handling.