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It's five minutes before the start of final practice at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Florida. Marc Williams leans against the tailgate of a Ford F-250, taking the last drink from a water bottle under the hot Florida sun. He tosses the bottle into a nearby can and begins to make sure the equipment in the back of the truck is ready to go. The truck is outfitted with state-of-the-art hydraulic extrication equipment and rescue tools that would make any paramedic worth their weight in stethoscopes drool.

Say the word "modified" to anybody in the Northeast, and chances are you'll hear names such as Richie Evans, Charlie Jarzombek, and Ron Bouchard. Use that same word south of the Mason-Dixon line, and Junior Miller, Ralph Brinkley, and Ray Hendrick will roll off their tongues. The fact is that Modified racing-that's asphalt Modified racing-has been around a long, long time.

It doesn't matter whether it is Nextel Cup, ARCA, USAC, or your local Street Stocks. When the checkered flag drops on the winning car, there is one person who gets all the glory. The driver is the one who gets the trophy. The driver is the one who gets the big (in some cases) check. The driver is the one who gets to kiss (in some cases) the pretty girl. But while the driver is grabbing all the accolades, he or she couldn't have made it to Victory Lane without the help of a very talented and dedicated crew.

A little over a year ago, Frank Kimmel, the eight-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion, had an idea. "Ron Drager and I where traveling together and we discussed how car counts in the Street Stock classes around the country seem to be up," says Kimmel. "One day, I was traveling by myself and I thought how great it is that I get to race at tracks like Nashville, Talladega, Daytona, and Kentucky."

The UMP Summernationals has become an event that has grown by leaps and bounds. The multi-week, multi-race concept sends racers scurrying throughout the Midwest, racing in a different town at a different track night after night. It's the 21st century answer to the barnstorming days of old.

American Speed Association Launches Midwest TourThe American Speed Association, a Midwest staple for nearly 40 years, is taking a long look back into history with the announcement of the formation of the new ASA Midwest Tour.

The opening of the 2006 Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway, located in Avondale, Arizona, brought many changes. As the new season progresses, the changes will become more apparent. How these changes will be accepted by the racers and, more importantly, the fans, remains to be seen. USAC, NASCAR, and a few manufacturers have decided that 2006 shall become a watershed year for change. As with any change, it can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Many people have a difficult time with change, while others embrace it. Racers as a whole, no matter how progressive they may think they are, always view change with trepidation, mistrust, and fear. Unless they see an advantage for themselves, racers view any change with a cautious eye. Another perception that seems to follow change is that costs will rise, no matter what the sanctioning bodies may say. For many, that perception is reality.

The opening of the 2006 Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway, located in Avondale, Arizona, brought many changes. As the new season progresses, the changes will become more apparent. How these changes will be accepted by the racers and, more importantly, the fans, remains to be seen. USAC, NASCAR, and a few manufacturers have decided that 2006 shall become a watershed year for change. As with any change, it can be both a good thing and a bad thing.

JP - These are all the pictures and the accompanying releases. Are these to be placed just like the Gibson Bus blurb on the HRPT main page?

Trade shows are not for the faint of heart. You need good walking shoes,a map, and a well-thought plan of attack or you will be defeated. Youmight make it through the shows physically, but it takes a definiteagenda to get a sense of accomplishment. Attendance was high at bothshows, with the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Orlando,Florida, for the first time.

The change of venue opened up outsideactivities, such as the racing action at Orlando SpeedWorld, and gavethe showgoing public a chance to sample the surrounding fare. The newlayout found all exhibitors under one roof, a luxury not seen in sometime. There were long aisles, though--trust us. We still managed to findsome great products to share with you.

When they have an end-of-the-season special at Oglethorpe Speedway Park near Savannah, Georgia, everyone is invited. While many tracks will showcase a division or two, the annual "Showdown on the Coast" stretches through four days and encompasses nearly a dozen different divisions.

It has been prestigious from the day Jim Dunn became an unlikely winner in the inaugural event in 1981, collecting $30,000. Now, 25 years later, the Dirt Track World Championship sits in higher esteem as one of the best races in the sport.

Can't wait until next season? Circle Track's got your guide to all theracing action from the most popular racing series in 2006. Read below tosee how close the rubber burning, mud throwing, fender knocking actionis going to be to your hometown!

Name: Dan Hersey
Track: Cherry (MI) Speedway
Class: Super Street Stock

There are many, perhaps too many, races that carry the designation of"memorial." It reminds us that there were many who have passed on whomade contributions to the sport. A majority of the tracks will have aspecial event on the schedule. Some series include these as well. Often,these races carry a special meaning to fans and racers who remember theindividual whose name appears in the title.

The car count was in the thousands, once you added it all together. Ifyou took all the cars that competed at Daytona International Speedway,East Bay Raceway Park, New Smyrna Speedway, Orlando Speedworld, andVolusia Speedway Park, the total would have a comma in it.

The dominant topic among the motorsports press in 2004 seemed to havebeen the Nextel Cup "Chase for the Championship." The playoff systememployed by NASCAR had its supporters and its opponents, but it also hada predecessor of sorts.

The Lincoln Welders Truck Series (LWTS) first ran exhibition races latein 1998 with the first full season of competition in 1999. The seriesevolved from the old Pro-4 Series, which ARCA sanctioned from 1990through 1998. The Pro-4 Series cars were full tube chassis, all-out racecars with highly modified 4-cylinder engines. Both full body and openwheel cars competed in the series, which made it unique but also lackinga true identity with the fans. With the popularity of the NASCAR TruckSeries and trucks in general, long time ARCA official Jim Clarke came upwith the idea to race compact trucks. The original thought was to designthe trucks so the Pro-4 competitors could use most of their parts tobuild trucks and seven of them did just that.

Bigger? Somehow it was. Better? Without question.

In June drivers gathered from throughout the Northeast and Canada for the DNK Select 250. For a change, Mother Nature cooperated enough to allow Unity Raceway to hold an event. The track, like most short tracks across the country, had been plagued by balky weather throughout the summer.

There's been a lot of attention directed to the NASCAR Nextel Cup "Chase to the Championship." This is the scenario wherein a driver had to be in the Top 10 (or within 400 points of the leader, but that was a moot point) in order to win the championship. For racers in NASCAR's four Elite divisions, the idea of being in the Top 10 to be rewarded actually occurred last year. For these drivers, the chase to the Top 10 is old news.

Twice a year, traffic stacks up in Florida as the crowd heads for the action. If you think we're talking about Daytona, you're close. In this case, the crowd is headed to the 11/43-mile Orlando Speedworld for the Crash-A-Rama event.

The veterans in the NASCAR Nextel Cup world are looking over their shoulders at the young talent gaining on them. In the world of dirt Late Model racing, there's an over-40 driver who's looking over his shoulder, but no one is gaining on him. He has become the best of the class. Age has not slowed Scott Bloomquist.

The promotional genius of Mooney Starr was evident in May. After nearly a year of publicity, the Alltel 100-the highest paying race for dirt Modi- fieds-became reality when the 30-car field started three-wide.