Racing News: NASCAR to Change Front Bumper Shape on Sprint Cup Cars for 2011

TRAGIC: Neal Parker, a 58-year-old Top Alcohol Funny Car driver, was killed Friday during a high-speed accident during the NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. It's the second driver death in three years at the facility. Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta was killed there in 2008.

INTERCONTINENTAL: The American Le Mans Series-sanctioned Petit Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring will be part of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest Intercontinental Le Mans Cup next year.

AUDI-ACIOUS: Audi swept the top three positions during the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller earned the overall crown in their Audi R15.

NEW UP FRONT: NASCAR has mandated a change to the front of the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars for the 2011 season, which includes the removal of the front splitter braces in favor of a sleeker look like the new NASCAR Nationwide Series cars.

ETHANOL BACKING: Ryan Hunter-Reay will enter the IZOD IndyCar Series Iowa Corn Indy 250 Sunday at Iowa Speedway with sponsorship from ICM Inc. and Green Plains Renewable Energy through the Ethanol USA brand. Hunter-Reay’s Andretti Autosport No. 37 was not scheduled to run this event for lack of sponsorship.

DREAMY: Billy Moyer earned his second victory in the DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned Dirt Late Model Dream Sunday afternoon at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The $100,000 check is the largest payoff of the season for dirt-late-model racers.

NO WEEKLY ACTION: Angell Park Speedway, located in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, has suspended its weekly racing program until further notice. USAC midget events scheduled at the track July 3–4, August 28–29 and September 4 will be held as scheduled.

NOT SO SUCCESSFUL: The NASCAR Hall of Fame is reportedly on track to draw fewer than the expected 800,000 people in its first year. Instead, the hall is more likely to see approximately 600,000 people.

HALL OF BANQUETS: The NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Crown Ballroom will play host to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Banquet December 10 and the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Gala December 11.

EXPO IN INDIANA: Former Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Raceway owner Gary Schlafer will host the first Great American Motorsports Exposition at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis November 26–28.

DIRT-TRACK SKILLS: Jimmie Johnson won the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Prelude to the Dream June 9 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The event raised funds for four children’s hospitals, with Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, earning 45% of the funds.

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