Tabla de contenidos para December 2017 en Circle Track

Now that we’re approaching crunch time of the race season, it isn’t hard for racers to find themselves on the edge. You’ve been grinding away all season trying to pick up wins and points to put yourself in the Championship hunt. You don’t even want to look at your checkbook to see how much money you’ve spent so far. Whether something goes wrong now, on the last night of the year, or the first night of the year, I’m here again to warn you about the dangers of venting your frustrations on social-media. Facebook and Twitter are like a bonfire full of kindling and lighter fluid—just waiting for you to throw the match. You may think it’s a harmless release, or just a way to voice your frustrations, but it’s…

You Make the Call Toward the end of June we found some video of a wild finish at Slinger (Wisconsin) Speedway. In it Gary Lamonte and Steve Apel engage in a rather—spirited—battle for the win. Some may argue that Apel gave Lamonte no space; others argue that Lamonte was rough as he was passing Apel. (You can find the video on our website Circletrack.com, then search “fair or foul”). We asked our web viewers and followers on social-media to make the call. Here are some responses. “Whichever one it is, I’d pay money to see another like it.” —Justin Aten “Number 63 (Lamonte) did what he had to do. Number 51 (Apel) was crowding him every time he got under him. Number 63 won, and 51 didn’t like it. It…

MANUFACTURERS, SANCTIONING BODIES, RACE PROMOTERS, TRACK OWNERS: SEND US YOUR LATEST NEWS! EMAIL: MPANURE@ENTHUSIASTNETWORK.COM. SPARCO BUYS IMPACT RACING Indianapolis, Indiana—Sparco, headquartered in Volpiano, Turin, Italy, has purchased Impact Racing, Inc., and its associated brands MasterCraft Safety and MasterCraft Defense. Sparco S.p.A. Dailey was founded in 1977 by two young drivers who wanted to improve safety and employed 800 team members in five facilities on three continents. The purchase of Impact adds 80 U.S.-based production specialists, customer sales, and service reps in California, Indiana, and North Carolina. Impact Racing’s 45,000-square-foot Indiana facility will improve Sparco’s position in America and add Made in the USA capabilities. Impact’s operations, manufacturing, sales, customer service, management, and staffing will remain the same in all locations, and former owner Robbie Pierce will serve as a consultant.…

Throughout the season, things can go wrong unexpectedly. These problems cause loss of points and loss of money, both from fixing the problem and from loss of prize money. So, it is in our best interest to try and find potential problems before they become major headaches. When we break a part, many times we break other non-related parts, too. If the right front ball joint breaks, we could impact the wall and break a RF shock, control arms, or other vital items. The damage goes well beyond the initial part failure. So, we need to find those about-to-break little problems before they become major problems. Here is a list of some of the areas where things can go wrong that could cost you a good run or even a…

In some forms of short-track racing like Sprint Cars with open wheels, driving etiquette is essential to good health. In Full Bodied Stock Cars, we often see less skill and more aggression due to lack of consequences. New drivers need to learn from the older drivers who got their education the old-school way. In the recent past, we have talked about when is a good time to pass, and how to do it. Also, we have given some insight on why certain drivers win, and how they do it. With the end of the season coming fast, now might be a good time to brush up on driving skills so you can finish the year strong. There is a way to drive and a way not to. Veteran drivers know…

For many weekly racers, it almost sounds like something out of a dream, taking your rig from state to state, testing new tracks nearly every weekend during the summer, making racing your fulltime job from February until November. This particular dream happens to be a reality for the road warriors of the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS). The USMTS has 61 scheduled events (some of which include multiple race days) through 11 states from Louisiana to South Dakota. The majority of the events take place in the Central Time Zone, but there are plenty of opportunities to log miles from race to race. There is no shortage of interest, either. According to the USMTS website, the series welcomed more than 700 different drivers from 26 states during its 2014…

Attention sanctions, if you do not see your organization listed here please email Editor Matt Panure at mpanure@enthusiastnetwork.com with your 2017-18 schedule and ask to be added to this list. Sorry, no tracks, there just isn’t enough space. All Star Circuit of Champions www.allstarsprint.com Winged 410 Sprint Cars Sept. 8-9 Port Royal (PA) Speedway Sept. 16 Selinsgrove (PA) Speedway Sept. 17 Bedford (PA) Speedway Sept. 23 Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH) Oct. 7 Wayne County Speedway (Orrville, OH) American Modified Series www.americanmodifiedseries.com Modifieds—Dirt Sept. 15 Bloomington (IN) Speedway Sept. 16 Lincoln Park Speedway (Putnamville, IN) Sept. 22-23 Peoria (IL) Speewday American Canadian Tour (ACT) www.acttour.com Late Models Sept. 10 Devil’s Bowl Speedway (West Haven, VT) Oct. 14 Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park ARCA (Automobile Race Club of America) www.arcaracing.com Full Bodied…

More Simpson Safety Solutions Simpson Racing Products continues to offer safety solutions for the racer from entry-level divisions to the top tiers of the sport. The Hybrid S Head Restraint, which is FIA approved, has been tested and shown to be compatible with three-point harnesses. The Hybrid S features a high-quality carbon-fiber construction and multiple load paths to dissipate head loads upon impact. The low-profile design helps ensure a quick exit from your race car if it is ever necessary. It has a buckle attachment in the front with no straps underneath. The Hybrid S also comes with an installation manual. For more information call (800) 654-7223 or visit www.simpsonraceproducts.com. The Strange Way of Torsion Bars Designed to satisfy the most demanding Modified racer, Strange emphasizes the manufacturing and process,…

The T10 transmission is one of the most popular transmissions in asphalt racing. They are a primary option in everything from Super Late Models, all the way down to the Limited Late Models, Modifieds, and even Street Stocks. The original Borg-Warner T10 was used by all four major American manufacturers (don’t forget AMC) beginning with Chevrolet Corvettes all the way back in 1957. Many car guys consider the T10 to be a GM-only transmission. Ford and Chrysler had moved on to other transmission designs by the mid ’60s (AMC hung on until 1974), while GM kept using updated versions of the T10 all the way until 1982. Manufacturers liked the T10 due to its relatively simple mechanical design. It was efficient, dependable, capable of handling plenty of abuse, and lightweight.…

Many teams still today struggle throughout the season with their car’s handling. Often times, the problem lies somewhere simple so that a slight adjustment or a small tuning procedure could make the car much better. If your team took a day or two in the shop and looked in the right areas, you might be able to finish the season on a high note and finally get some success. We’re here to help you do that. We’ve seen and heard about a lot of race car problems, after the fact. Let’s get ahead of the curve. We are going to try to help you find your problem by focusing on the symptoms. We’ll go through the entry, middle turn, and exit segments and name some common problems and offer some…