BAD NEWS: The motorsports industry received bad news with word that Honda was withdrawing its support for Formula One racing and that Audi would pull out of the American Le Mans Series, which it has dominated in recent seasons.
NEW FEATURE: Texas Motor Speedway has eliminated 21,000 seats and will create Burnout Alley, a $2 million motorcoach area.
NEW OWNER: Tim Buckley has purchased the Matco Tools Top Fuel drag racing team from David Powers. Antron Brown will remain the driver and Lee Beard stays on as crew chief.
BOUGHT: NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham has completed his purchase of East Lincoln Speedway, a three-eighths-mile dirt track in Stanley, North Carolina.
THROWING SNOWBALLS: Brian Ickler took the checkered flag in the 41st annual Snowball Derby late-model race at Five Flags Speedway in Florida, but he was disqualified nearly two hours later for using an illegal cooling fan on his machine. The victory was awarded to runner-up Augie Grill, who had won the prestigious event the previous year as well.
CHAMPION: National Speed Sport News will award the sixth-annual Economaki Champion of Champions Award presented by Speedway Motorsports Inc. on Thursday at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Florida.
SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. To subscribe to National Speed Sport News, click on the following link for a special industry rate: www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/subscribe.html?pid=NQ%2BVfhkepT4%3D.