Pit Chatter: Hamlin, Dirty Dozen, Triple Crown, NASCAR & More

Copper Hill, VA(December 14, 2012) — Especially during the winter months, the rumor mill is running rampant surrounding the Late Model Stock Car racing scene.  With that in mind, we’re ready to roll out a new feature here on the website that will be used weekly or bi-weekly to tell everyone what all the racers we’re talking to are talking about.

We’ll use this section to not only get you up to speed on things that are going on, but also to crank out some rumors that may or may not have any validity.  Everyone’s talking about them anyways, so we might as well print it for everyone to see.  Like last week, we were about to roll this section out, but decided to wait another week.  We were going to tell you that we were hearing that Motor Mile was going to release a 6-8 race schedule or that we were hearing that Langley Speedway was going to be repaved.  None of that happened did it?

Here it goes… Let us know what you think about this new section or you can contribute what racers in your neck of the woods are talking about by emailing me at [email protected].

Hamlin Staying Closer to Home?

Shortly after the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville, RACE22.com reported that the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown might be headed to Langley Speedway in 2013.  However as time has been dragging on and nothing has been put in concrete, the likelihood of this happening has been lessened over time.

Recently, the NASCAR K&N East Series schedule was released with the same date, which would be held by the Hamlin race and it remains at Richmond International Raceway.  The K&N East race has been a sideshow to the Hamlin race for the last two seasons since the race moved to Richmond.  Rumors also have been swirling that the corporate involvement in sponsoring the Hamlin race might force the Denny Hamlin Foundation to keep the race at Richmond.  An announcement one way or another on this event could come shortly after the first of the year.

Dirty Dozen

With the release of Motor Mile Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park schedules, which were among those released this week, we’re hearing that the “Dirty Dozen” notation on the bottom of the SNMP schedule refers to a partnership between the two tracks.

We’re expecting Motor Mile and Southern National to announce the 12-race schedule of Twin 125-lap races as a cross promotion between the two facilities.  Both tracks schedules feature six dates with twin 125-lap races.  We’re not all that sure if there’s a prize at the end of those races with some sort of points championship or some other incentives are involved.  We expect an announcement soon on this partnership which will have all the details.

Virginia Triple Crown?

With the success of last year’s Virginia Triple Crown, many are wondering what might become of the program and will it see a second year?  Others wonder if maybe the addition of the “big race” at Motor Mile Speedway would be added to it to make a “Four Crown” or if without a 300-lap race at South Boston, Motor Mile’s race will be substituted to complete the “Triple Crown”?

While there’s been no formal announcement and we have no ‘official’ word from any of the tracks involved, the program is expected to see another year.  However, there’s been no word on whether Motor Mile Speedway’s freshly announced 25th Anniversary $10,000 to win race would be added or what race would be selected from South Boston’s schedule, if any.

NASCAR Sanctioning?

This winter has been full of rumors on tracks in this region going NASCAR sanction, some that have never been NASCAR and some that might be on the way back there.  First there was Ace Speedway.  Of course that proposition is in disarray since General Manager Brad Allen resigned suddenly last week.  Then there’s Dillon Motor Speedway.  Ron Barfield’s Dillon, SC facility hasn’t been NASCAR sanctioned since it was opened by him a few years ago, but this winter, many believe that’s the direction the track could be headed.

Add in Shenandoah Speedway.  The little Northern Virginia track that has been in the shadows since opening a few years ago may well emerge from those shadows with the impending closing of Old Dominion Speedway.  The Page, VA track could take over a NASCAR spot held for many years by the Manassas, VA track that is under contract to be sold and planned to be rebuilt in Spotsylvania County, VA.

Anderson Motor Speedway too?  Sylvia Porter has turned the Williamston, SC track into one of the premier unsanctioned facilities around, but this year she could be turning her attention to NASCAR for the first time with the track under her control.  Porter may be able to take advantage of the recent demise of Greenville Pickens Speedway, which has seen the track go from one of the premier facilities to struggling to get enough cars weekly.  There’s also a rumor that the track may not run a Late Model Stock Car division and will switch to a Limited Late Model type division.  Time will tell on both counts.

There’s many more rumors swirling, but that will do it for this week’s edition of “Pit Chatter”.  We’ll have another edition of “Pit Chatter” soon enough, because we all know how rumors fly around racers and they’re more than happy to tell us about what they hear.