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Saturday Night Thunder
''Saturday Night Thunder'' is a former ESPN program that showed USAC racing on Saturday nights. It began on Thursday nights with the name ''Thursday Night Thunder'' on ESPN2. It featured dirt (like Ascot Park in Gardena, California) or paved oval tracks around the United States, although it frequently featured tracks in the Indianapolis area. Various racing series were televised, including Silver Crown, midget, and sprint cars. The series witnessed drivers like Jeff Gordon's rise prior to moving to NASCAR. It also saw the death of driver Rich Vogler. During the summer of 1993, the program also featured the Fast Masters series. In 2023, the ''Thursday Night Thunder'' name will be revived as the Superstar Racing Experience moves from CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Enterta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Despain
Dave Despain (born 20 May 1946) is an American auto racing, motorsports journalist. He was the host of ''WindTunnel with Dave Despain'' on Speed Channel, and ''NASCAR Inside Nextel Cup'', until the former was cancelled during the demise of Speed and the latter underwent a format change at the beginning of the 2008 NASCAR Season. On 14 December 2013 Despain announced on Twitter that he would be moving to MAVTV in 2014 to provide color commentary during races held on the channel and host a show called ''The Dave Despain Show''. Early life and career A native of Fairfield, Iowa, Despain worked for a time at KMCD-AM, the local radio station. His earliest work included a program called "Dave Despain's Record-Go-Round". Eventually he worked in all phases of KMCD's programming, and became known for a unique broadcasting style in which he vigorously nodded and bobbed his head while speaking. Despain, a former motorcycle racer, later joined the American Motorcycle Association in the publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sprint Car Racing
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Sprint cars have very high power-to-weight ratios, with weights of approximately (including the driver) and power outputs of over , which give them a power-to-weight ratio besting that of contemporary F1 cars. Typically, they are powered by a naturally aspirated, methanol-injected overhead valve American V8 engine with a displacement of 410 cubic inches (6.7L) and capable of engine speeds of 9000 rpm. Depending on the mechanical setup (engine, gearing, shocks, etc.) and the track layout, these cars can achieve speeds in excess of . A lower-budget and very popular class of sprint cars uses 360-cubic-inch (5.9L) engines that produce up to 775 horsepower. Sprint cars do not utilize a transmission but have an in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dirt Track Racing In The United States
Dirt track racing is the single most common form of auto racing in the United States. According to the National Speedway Directory there are over 700 dirt oval tracks in operation in the United States. The composition of the dirt on tracks has an effect on the amount of grip available. On many tracks people will find clay is used with a specific mixture of dirt. Tracks are sometimes banked in the turns and on the straights. This banking is utilized primarily to allow vehicles to carry more speed through the corners. However, some tracks prefer less banked turns. Each track surface will most often be different in one way or another. These tracks are commonly around 1/2 mile in distance, and races consist of only left turns. The Wall Street Journal noted that the success of local dirt track racing is a good economic indicator. Small businesses sponsor local grass-roots racing as part of their marketing budget. Many of the fans in the grandstands attend to support relatives and they c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Open Wheel Racing
An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fenders. Open-wheel cars are built both for road racing and oval track racing. Street-legal open-wheel cars, such as the Ariel Atom, are scarce as they are often impractical for everyday use. History American racecar driver and constructor Ray Harroun was an early pioneer of the concept of a lightweight single-seater, open-wheel "monoposto" racecar. After working as a mechanic in the automotive industry, Harroun began competitive professional racing in 1906, winning the AAA National Championship in 1910. He was then hired by the Marmon Motor Car Company as chief engineer, charged with building a racecar intended to race at the first Indianapolis 500, which he went on to win. He developed a revolutionary c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superstar Racing Experience
Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), officially known as the Camping World SRX Series, is an American stock car racing series founded by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag and George Pyne. The formation of the series was announced on July 13, 2020, and debuted on June 12, 2021, televised on CBS. On January 31, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season due to premiere on June 18, 2022. History On July 13, 2020, it was reported that SRX was in preparation for a 2021 debut season. The series' founders included former NASCAR driver and current team owner Tony Stewart, former NASCAR team owner and crew chief Ray Evernham as well as former NASCAR executive George Pyne and sports agent Sandy Montag. Initially, series management was split between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina. Camping World acquired the naming rights to the series on June 1, 2021, dubbing it the Camping World SRX Series. On January 20, 2022, Don Hawk was named CEO of SRX. On March 30, Evernham a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fast Masters
Fast Masters was a made-for-television auto racing series, broadcast on ESPN in 1993, featuring notable drivers over the age of 50, most of whom were retired from professional racing at the time. The Fast Masters series was a summer-long elimination competition, with identically-prepared, $750,000, TWR, Jaguar XJ220s racing on Bridgestone RE71 high-performance street tires. The races took place under-the-lights at Indianapolis Raceway Park, in conjunction with ESPN's ''Saturday Night Thunder''. The cars carried the sponsorship of Havoline, and the series was officially sanctioned by USAC. Close and intense racing ruled each night as championship winning veterans from Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA, Endurance racing and more, including some who were well into their 70s, fought hard for every position. The series quickly gained a reputation for unabashed hard driving, and multiple heavy crashes that severely damaged, or even totaled, multiple machines. Despite the many crashes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rich Vogler
Richard Frank Vogler (July 26, 1950 – July 21, 1990) was an American champion sprint car and midget car driver. He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich".Biography at the , Retrieved January 3, 2007 He competed in the five times, and his best finish was eighth in 1989. Racing career Vogler was the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) midget champion i ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stock Car Racing Magazine
''Stock Car Racing'' (SCR) was founded in the U.S. in May 1966Larry Cothren, Automotive.com, Source Interlink Media, 200."Racing Magazines agazine-Agent.com, Magazine-Agent.com, 2009, webpagmag-agent"Specialty Equipment Market Association - SEMA.org",SEMA.org, 2009, webpagSema-95. The magazine is based in Concord, North Carolina. The monthly magazine ceased publication in 2008. As of April 2009, the website was still active. History ''Stock Car Racing'' was launched in May 1966. At the time, Jim Davis was publishing a drag racing magazine called ''Super Stock'', so with the existing production staff, the printer, and the distribution network already in place, Jim Davis was planning to add a second magazine to his business. It was Dick Williford who suggested that Davis start a magazine on stock car racing, because no other magazine had devoted full coverage to stock cars. Jim Davis recalled, "'' Speed Sport News'' was about it.... Some of the general automotive magazines like ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and his son, Jim France, has been the CEO since August 2018. The company is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe. History Early stock car racing In the 1920s and 1930s, Daytona Beach supplanted France and Belgium as the preferred location for world land speed records. After a historic race between Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton in 1903, 15 records were set on what became the Daytona Beach Road Course between 1905 and 1935. Daytona Beach had become synonymous with fast cars in 1936. Drivers raced on a course, consisting of a stretch of beach as one straightaway, and a narrow blacktop beachfront highway, Florid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series and Sprint Cup Series (now called NASCAR Cup Series), and also served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in select races during the 2016 season. He is regarded as one of the most influential drivers in NASCAR history, helping the sport reach mainstream popularity. Gordon started his professional racing career in the Busch Series with Hugh Connerty Racing, followed by Bill Davis Racing, winning three races, and began racing full-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He is a four-time Cup Series champion, having won the title in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. He was the youngest driver to win a NASC ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midget Car Racing
Midget cars, also speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on most continents. There is a worldwide tour and national midget tours in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Cars Typically, these four cylinder engine cars have to and weigh . The high power and small size of the cars combine to make midget racing quite dangerous; for this reason, modern midget cars are fully equipped with roll cages and other safety features. Some early major midget car manufacturers include Kurtis Kraft (1930s to 1950s) and Solar (1944–46). Midgets are intended to be driven for races of relatively short distances, usually 2.5 to 25 miles (4 to 40 km). Some events are staged inside arenas, like the Chili Bowl held in early January at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are midget races in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Chassey
Steve Chassey (born February 27, 1945 in Brockton, Massachusetts), is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 9 seasons (1981, 1983–1989, and 1992), with 44 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1983, 1987, and 1988. He finished in the top ten 4 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1981 at Watkins Glen International. He raced his last Indy 500 in 1988 for Gary Trout Motorsports finishing 24th. Chassey was also a regular competitor in the USAC Silver Crown Series championship, racing from 1975 to 1992. He was runner-up in the 1980 season, and had two career wins, at the 1984 Hoosier Hundred and 1988 Tony Bettenhausen 100. After retiring from driving, he also worked for ESPN, commentating on Thursday night "Thunder" USAC events. American open–wheel racing results (key) PPG Indycar Series (key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptogr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
