photographer: Jon Fitzsimmons, Jeff Huneycutt, Courtesy Texas Motor Speedway, Paul Melhado, Courtesy International Game Technology, Russ Calabrese
Brought to you by the same people who make the Legends and Bandelero cars, 600 Racing has introduced the open-cockpit Thunder Roadster. Patterned after the '50s and '60s roadsters built by A.J. Watson, the modernized race cars feature a steel tube-frame chassis, a fiberglass body, a five-speed manual transmission, modern safety equipment, and a 96-inch wheelbase; they weigh about 1,300 pounds. The roadster has a coilover suspension at all four corners as well as a solid rear axle. Originally, 600 Racing planned to use a 1,250cc Yamaha engine but opted for a different one that has yet to be named as of press time.
The open-cockpit car utilizes a sprint car-type rollcage to protect the driver. Wide side pods provide additional safety. The car rides on 15-inch BFGoodrich Comp T/A tires. The roadster can be raced on dirt ovals, asphalt ovals, and road courses. Pricing is expected to be about $17,000 with all the options. To order, call 704/455-3896, or go online at www.600racing.com.
Winston Cup Drivers To Promote Football And Baseball (Sort Of)Five Winston Cup drivers-Jeremy Mayfield, Kyle Petty, Sterling Marlin, Michael Waltrip, and John Andretti-will lead Winston Cup's promotional efforts for Fox Sports as it begins looking toward its new television contract and the 2001 season. Those drivers will film promotional spots that will air during Fox Sports' coverage of the World Series and continue through the NFL season.
NASCAR Arrives In South Africa (SASCAR)A new NASCAR-style Stock Car racing series in South Africa, SASCAR, is supposed to have its first race sometime this year. (The series is also known as SA-NASCAR.) The Stock Cars to be raced utilize 460hp Ford and Chevrolet V-8s and a chassis built by a South African company under license from American chassis builder Howe. The cars will run on road courses and ovals. Similar stock car series in England and Germany are said to be starting once new oval tracks under construction in those countries are finished.
In South Africa, a new oval was built in Phakisa (the only big oval in the country so far), and the SASCAR cars were expected to have their first race there earlier this year. However, no racing has taken place yet (as of press time), as a battle for control over the series has erupted between Phakisa's track owner and SASCAR.
SASCAR is a company founded by South African powerboat champion and car racer Peter Lindenberg along with four partners. The series is expected to run on road courses until an agreement can be reached.
The series emphasizes low operating costs and operates a central parts pool to make obtaining parts easier. SASCAR has one incredibly unique feature: The drivers get to share in a percentage of gate takings, in addition to the contingency sponsor prize money. Hey, NASCAR, what do you think of that?
Where To Send Info:Do you qualify to be in Circle Track's First Wins section? Any driver who recently took his or her first win in a particular series qualifies. Follow the format we used and include: name, series, driver, car, hometown, 4x6 photo, and brief description of what it took to get to victory lane. Send everything to Circle Track, First Wins Dept., 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. We are unable to return any photos or information.