The Global Racing Network

05/11/2024

We are now operating under our Winter Hours which run from November until our Spring Open House in April.
The museum is open 10AM-4PM on Fridays plus event days:

Sunday, November 3 - Lobitz Movie Party
Saturday & Sunday, December 7 & 8 - Holiday Open House

2025 events will be added as they are confirmed

24/10/2024

❤️

15/10/2024

This Sunday! Cannonball in Darien at the Lock, Stock, and Barrel

Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, there was a restaurant at Goodwives Shopping Center called the Lock, Stock, and Barrel. The LS&B was owned by Darien resident George Lysle who, after a brief tenure on Wall Street, decided to take on the challenge of managing the careers of the most notable names in the auto racing industry at IMG. With George’s connection to motorsports, and his long-time friendship with race car driver Peter Revson, when George opened the LS&B, it became a hangout for local motorsports enthusiasts, and in 1979, the LS&B served as the starting point for the last “official” Cannonball.

The Cannonball (technically it’s called The Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash) was conceived by automotive journalist Brock Yates – a writer and Editor for Car and Driver magazine. In May 1971, and again in November 1971, November 1972, and April 1975, this infamous cross-country, no-holds-barred outlaw race began in New York City at the Red Ball Garage, and ended at the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California. But the last race in 1979, the one that inspired the 1981 film “Cannonball Run“, started at the Lock, Stock & Barrel in Darien, CT. https://carsandcoffeedarien.com/

04/10/2024

Supercars expands 2025 Championship to 13 events, Ipswich returns

13 Repco Supercars Championship Rounds Confirmed for 2025

Ipswich event returns for the first time since 2019

Great Race at Mount Panorama locked in for 12 October

Sandown event shifts to November date to follow Gold Coast 500

The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship calendar has been announced today and it has been confirmed that racing will return to Queensland Raceway near Ipswich for the first time since 2019 as part of a 13-round Championship.

The 2025 calendar will run from February 21 to November 30, beginning with a twilight racing event at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Following the season opener, Supercars will return to the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in March for Round 2, followed by the trip to Taupō in New Zealand, which in 2024 was sold out due to popular demand with a similar crowd size expected again in 2025.

The Tasmanian event at Symmons Plains will shift to a May date in 2025, before Supercars annual trip across the Nullarbor to Perth's permanent circuit at Wanneroo.

That could be an emotional event for fans at the historic circuit with the WA Government declaring support for a Perth CBD street circuit for Supercars to race on from 2026.

Sixth on the calendar will be the annual trip to Darwin for Indigenous Round where southern state fans can escape the winter blues from June 20-22. That will be followed by the other trip to the tropic north to Townsville during the QLD school holidays from July 11-13.

The highly anticipated return to Ipswich drops in to an August date at the new-look Queensland Raceway, bringing back one of south-east Queensland's favourite motorsport events.

Following Ipswich will be the first ever endurance event at The Bend in South Australia from 12-14 September.

The Repco Bathurst 1000 remains the centrepiece of the 2025 season. The Great Race, which will take place from October 9-12.

Following the Repco Bathurst 1000, racing shifts to the Gold Coast streets of Surfers Paradise in late October.

Sandown's historic circuit in Melbourne will host the penultimate round of the Championship in mid-November, as it did in 2019.

The grand finale will once again be on the famous streets of Adelaide from 27-30 November where the 2025 Champion will be crowned.

Supercars CEO Shane Howard said: "The expansion to 13 events not only brings back Ipswich but solidifies Supercars' national and international footprint. We're thrilled about the strategic additions and shifts in the calendar, including moving Sandown to a November date and debuting an endurance round at The Bend. We're incredibly excited to announce the return of the Ipswich event in 2025. After a few years off the calendar, we know fans in south-east Queensland have been eager for its return. Queensland Raceway has had significant upgrades, and the August event will be one to mark in the calendar to attend at a truly revitalised venue."

RACE Chairman Barclay Nettlefold said: "Expanding the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship was a key priority for us, and it's something fans have been asking for over the last few years. Adding the 13th event is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to growing the sport and providing more opportunities for fans to engage with Supercars in different locations. With plans for a Perth street circuit in place and Toyota confirmed to bring the GR Supra onto the grid in 2026 the future is an exciting one that we are proud to be delivering for fans."

Wayne Bryant, CEO, Automotive Division, GPC Asia Pacific said: "Like all fans, the crew at Repco are thrilled to see an expanded 2025 Repco Supercars Championship calendar. We are also pumped to see Supercars return to a heartland destination like Queensland Raceway. The calendar continues to be stacked with popular circuits, iconic destinations, and of course, the holy grail, the Repco Bathurst 1000 in October."

The 2025 Race Formats, Television Schedule and Support Category details including the Dunlop Series Calendar will be announced in coming days leading into this year's Great Race, the Repco Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama from 10-13 October.

-end-

02/10/2024

01/10/2024

We deeply appreciate your support over the past 20 years and the impact we’ve made together in our communities. Thank you to all our donors and partners for your invaluable contributions and dedication. We’ve cherished every moment of working with you to support children, animals, and injured race car drivers.

12/09/2024

Chad McQueen, the son of the legendary actor, star of "The Karate Kid" and professional race car driver, died Wednesday. He was 63.

01/09/2024

26/08/2024

The saga continues

22/08/2024

18/08/2024

NASCAR Brings The Clash to Historic Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2, 2025

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Subject:NASCAR Brings The Clash to Historic Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2, 2025

FromBrent S. Gambill [email protected]@theglobalracingnetwork.comDateToday 7:50 pm

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NASCAR Brings The Clash to Historic Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2, 2025

NASCAR Cup Series to Compete in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for First Time Since 1971; The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will be Broadcast Live on FOX

NASCAR Studios and FOX Sports Films Documentary, "The Madhouse: NASCAR's Return to Bowman Gray Stadium" to Debut on FS1

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. (Aug. 17, 2024) – Today, NASCAR announced The Clash will come to historic Bowman Gray Stadium for the first-time as the opening exhibition event for the 2025 season on Feb. 2. The announcement was made by Ben Kennedy as part of pre-race for tonight's NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series event at the racetrack. This will mark the first NASCAR Cup Series event at the racetrack in 54 years. The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will be broadcast live on FOX.

"Bowman Gray Stadium has a storied history in motorsports, so we look forward to bringing the Cup Series back to this revered racetrack for the first time since 1971," said Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, NASCAR. "As NASCAR's first weekly racetrack, Bowman Gray Stadium holds a special place as the original home to grassroots racing. With a history of intense competition, we are proud to host The Clash at the 'The Madhouse.'"

To commemorate the return to Bowman Gray, NASCAR Studios and FOX Sports Films are producing a one-hour documentary entitled The Madhouse: NASCAR's Return to Bowman Gray Stadium that will premiere on FS1. The film will explore the rich and rollicking history of the Winston-Salem venue while weaving a narrative that focuses on preparations for The Clash in 2025. It's a story that intersects two unique worlds: the biggest motorsports series in North America, and the grassroots charm of small-town America at Bowman Gray Stadium. More details on the documentary, including when fans will be able to watch on FS1, will be released at a later date.

"The city of Winston-Salem is very excited and grateful to NASCAR for selecting Bowman Gray Stadium as the site for The Clash in 2025," said City of Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. "This further solidifies our city's relationship with NASCAR and the many fans in the region as we welcome the NASCAR Cup Series back to Bowman Gray Stadium."

Built in 1937, Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter-mile short track, holds a special place in NASCAR history as the longest-running weekly racetrack. In 1949, Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, two founding fathers of NASCAR, brought motorsports to the facility as the first weekly racetrack and first paved racetrack that NASCAR competed on. Earlier this year, NASCAR took over the long-term management of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium in partnership with the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The racetrack hosted 29 NASCAR Grand National, now NASCAR Cup Series, races from 1958 to 1971. Bowman Gray Stadium has hosted many NASCAR legends including Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Glen Wood, David Pearson, Ned Jarrett, Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, and others. Petty won his 100th NASCAR Grand National race in the 1969 Myers Brothers 250 at the racetrack.

More recently, Bowman Gray Stadium hosted several East Series races from 2011 to 2015. Ben Kennedy, great grandson of Bill France Sr., won an East Series race there in 2013. Other winners include two-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes and Cup Series drivers Ryan Preece and Corey LaJoie.

Current NASCAR Cup Series drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, and Bubba Wallace have all competed in their professional careers at Bowman Gray Stadium.

For more information and to get on the list to purchase tickets for The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, visit NASCARClash.com. To learn more about the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series season with weekly modified, sportsman, street stock and stadium stock competition, visit bowmangrayracing.com.