Go racing for Dan Wheldon

   Dan Wheldon Memorial Grand Prix

 

   The entire racing community was sadden by the tragic death of Dan Wheldon at the Las Vegas 300 IndyCar race on Oct. 16. This hit at Pole Position Raceway very hard since Wheldon was competing in a car owned by Sam Schmidt, one of the many professional racers behind the Pole Position Raceway chain of indoor kart tracks. Wheldon was also at our Vegas track just days before the accident to participate in a fundraiser to support Graham Rahal's Race For Research project.

 

   To honor the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Pole Position Raceway is hosting the Dan Wheldon Memorial Grand Prix on Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. at all six of our tracks, and it's open to the public. Cost for this event is $60 per racer, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Wheldon family to assist with the education of their two young children.

 

   The Grand Prix format features a practice, timed qualifier, and a head-to-head main event. Advanced registration is recommended and can be done by calling the tracks at the following numbers:

   Corona, CA 951/817-5032

   Las Vegas, NV 702/227-7223
   Murrieta, CA 951/461-1600
   New York / Jersey City 201/333-7223

   Oklahoma City, OK 405/942-2292

   Summerlin, NV 702/227-7223
  
   For more information check out www.PolePositionRaceway.com

2012 NASCAR Nationwide schedule

The entire 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule


February 25 Daytona International Speedway
March 3 Phoenix International Raceway
March 10 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 17 Bristol Motor Speedway
March 24 Auto Club Speedway
April 13 Texas Motor Speedway
April 27 Richmond International Raceway
May 5 Talladega Superspeedway
May 11 Darlington Raceway
May 20 Iowa Speedway
May 26 Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 2 Dover International Speedway
June 16 Michigan International Speedway
June 23 Road America
June 29 Kentucky Speedway
July 6 Daytona International Speedway
July 14 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 22 Chicagoland Speedway
July 28 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 4 Iowa Speedway
August 11 Watkins Glen International
August 18 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
August 24 Bristol Motor Speedway
September 1 Atlanta Motor Speedway
September 7 Richmond International Raceway
September 15 Chicagoland Speedway
September 22 Kentucky Speedway
September 29 Dover International Speedway
October 12 Charlotte Motor Speedway
October 20 Kansas Speedway
November 3 Texas Motor Speedway
November 10 Phoenix International Raceway
November 17 Homestead-Miami Speedway

IndyCar sets Wheldon service

    INDYCAR will hold a public memorial service to celebrate the life of IZOD IndyCar Series driver Dan Wheldon at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

   Wheldon, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 2005 IZOD IndyCar Series champion, sustained unsurvivable injuries in a racing accident Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He is survived by his wife, Susie, and two young sons. Wheldon was 33.

   The Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund has been established for the financial security of Wheldon's family. The public can make contributions to the Dan Wheldon Family Trust Fund starting today at the following address:

   Fifth Third Private Bank
   Attn: Dan Wheldon Family Trust
   251 North Illinois St.
   Suite 1000
   Indianapolis, IN 46204

   More details on how to contribute will be available in the coming days.
   A memorial site, which includes a Facebook link to leave condolences and remembrances and a career photo retrospective, can be found at http://www.danwheldonmemorial.com.

IndyCar begins investigation into crash

   The IndyCar Series has started a "full investigation" into the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, who was killed in a violent 15-car car wreck Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

   On Tuesday, the IndyCar Series provided the following statement to The Observer in response to a request for comment for an article that ran in Tuesday's paper.

   Here is the statement in its entirety:

   "The entire INDYCAR family is saddened by Dan Wheldon’s tragic death, and our thoughts continue to be, first and foremost, with Dan’s wife, Susie, and his entire family at this incredibly difficult time.

   "The safety of our drivers, their crews, INDYCAR staff, racetrack staff and spectators is always our paramount concern. As part of our standard safety protocol, a full investigation has been launched by INDYCAR, with assistance from the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS) and Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA),the national and international governing organization, to determine the factors involved in this accident.

   "We hope to have preliminary findings to report within the next several weeks. In the meantime, it would be inappropriate to comment further until the investigative team has had the opportunity to conclude its work."

Take a ride on Jeff Gordon Expressway

   Ready for a ride on Jeff Gordon Expressway?

   If the Mecklenburg County Commissioners approved a resolution on Tuesday night, race fans will get to do just that on a stretch of Interstate 85 in Mecklenburg County.

   Mecklenburg County has recently been approached by NASCAR to request that the N.C.  Board of Transportation designate a portion of Interstate 85 as the "Jeff Gordon Expressway" for his 85th career Sprint Cup Series victory and his humanitarian efforts in Mecklenburg County and the State of North Carolina.

   The portion of Interstate 85 for which the request is being made (located in the unincorporated area of Mecklenburg County closest to the Charlotte Motor Speedway) is the segment from the City of Charlotte corporate limit line to the Mecklenburg/Cabarrus county line.

   Check out the proposed resolution county commissioners will consider here.

NASCAR Hall gets another gem

   The NASCAR Hall of Fame set up an area at the entrance to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend where it has been bringing special NASCAR guests for question and answer sessions, running free shuttles from the track to the Hall and offering a glimpse to race fans to what the Hall has to offer.

   The Hall also unveiled a special NASCAR artifact for the first time, which right now can only been seen at the Hall's display at the track.

   The item - the front bumper of 2012 Hall inductee Cale Yarborough's 1977 Oldsmobile - was collected from "Tiger" Tom Pistone's auto shop. The veteran racer's collection of items date over half a century.

  

      The display will remain at CMS through Saturday afternoon.

NASCAR Hall takes show on the road

   For one weekend at least, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is going to take its show - well, at least part of it - on the road ... up the street to Charlotte Motor Speedway.


   The Hall will have a display at the main entrance to CMS this week featuring celebrity appearances, iRacing Simulators and historic items from a recent episode of “American Pickers.” In addition, shuttle buses to the Hall of Fame will depart daily from the speedway.
  

   Several guests will stop by for free question-and-answer sessions with fans. Rusty Wallace, Greg Biffle and Larry McReynolds will make appearances on Friday. Bobby Allison, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, Cale Yarborough, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Ned Jarrett will appear on Saturday.

   Fans can stop by the interactive area to learn more about the Hall. The simulators on hand operate on the same software as their larger counterpart permanently housed at the NASCAR Hall.

   For history buffs, the NASCAR Hall of Fame exhibits team will be on hand to show off one of the top finds from the recent NASCAR-themed episode of “American Pickers” on the History Channel. A “never-before-seen” artifact from the show will make its public debut this weekend at CMS and it will be on display in the Hall of Fame fan area Thursday through Saturday, weather permitting.

   Race fans can purchase a NASCAR Hall of Fame general admission ticket online or at the booth and receive free transportation to and from the venue, subject to availability. Roundtrip shuttles will depart CMS for the NASCAR Hall Friday at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.; Saturday at 8:30 a.m.; and Sunday at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Guests should look for the NASCAR Hall of Fame signs to locate the shuttle.

   The NASCAR Hall of Fame fan area is scheduled to open at 2 p.m. on Thursday; 12:30 p.m. on Friday; and 11 a.m. on Saturday.