“I would like to thank APR for giving me this opportunity to drive in one of the classic 24 hour races,” said Pirro. “I have a lot to learn and I hope to be able, together with the rest of the APR Motorsport team, to finish the race in a good position to make the best possible introduction of the Audi R8 Grand-Am in the American market. I know the race will be super competitive. I am ready for it, I am well trained, I am in very good shape and very motivated. I will have a very open-minded approach, as I have very limited experience in the GT class, although I have overtaken tons of them in ten years of prototype racing!”

Pirro’s success with Audi dates back to 1994, when he took the Italian Touring Car Championship at the wheel of an Audi 80 sedan. Sports car fans in America will undoubtedly link him to Audi’s legendary R8 and R10 LMP racers, which Pirro drove to five wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as two championships in the American Le Mans Series. After retiring from active competition with Audi, Pirro drove in select ALMS races in the Drayson Lola – earning himself a spot on SpeedHunters.com’s Greatest 20 Overtakes with a daring move to take the lead at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2010.

However, despite his many successes with Audi at LeMans, Daytona holds a special place in Pirro’s heart as he scored a class win in the 1981 race at the tender age of 19.

“The Rolex 24 at Daytona has a very special meaning for me,” said Pirro. “It was my very first car race outside of Italy, driving the Lancia Montecarlo Turbo in the World Endurance Championship opening round. My racing experience was very limited and the longest race I had done was 25 minutes. I remember the first time I saw the track I was almost shocked! After this fantastic experience, when I came back to Italy I was celebrated as a hero. I never went back and now, after 31 years, I am really excited about it.”

Rounding out the driver lineup for APR Motorsport will be Venezuelan Nelson Canache.  A two-time champion in the Venezuelan Super Touring GT class, Canache spent his 2011 season competing in the Seat Leon Super Cup in Mexico as well as the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Championship. This will be the first Rolex 24 at Daytona for the native of Caracas.

“I am extremely excited for my first attempt at the Rolex 24 at Daytona,” said Canache. “Daytona is one of the most famous racetracks in the world, and the 24 Hours is well-known in Venezuela. APR Motorsport is a great team and I think we are going to have a great run in the 24 Hours later this month.”

With the driving lineup of the no. 51 APR Motorsport Audi R8 Grand-Am solidified, Stephen Hooks, President and CEO of APR, is anxiously awaiting the green flag at the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of the month.

“To have the chance to bring Emanuele on board for the Rolex 24 at Daytona is a dream come true,” said Hooks. “He’s one of the most successful endurance racers of our time and a hero to Audi fans all over the world. For us, he will be a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience that we, as a team, can draw from. We aren’t underestimating the challenge of finishing the Rolex 24 at Daytona, but having Emanuele join APR gives everyone a big boost of confidence.

“Nelson tested with us recently and he showed outstanding pace and gave great feedback in an unfamiliar car, setting a track record in his second on-track session. He will be a great addition to the team of Dion, Dr. Jim, Ian, and of course, Emanuele.”

The APR drivers will get behind the wheel of the no. 51 APR Motorsport Audi R8 Grand-Am for the first time at this weekend’s Roar Before the 24, Friday January 6 through Sunday, January 8, at Daytona International Speedway.

Just after midnight on the East Coast (9 p.m. Pacific) Levi LaVallee and Robbie Maddison soared over 300 feet of water, and when they safely landed, both established new world records for distance jumping on a snowmobile and motorcycle, respectively, at Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. The event was telecast live from San Diego, Calif., on ESPN, ESPNHD and ESPN3.

LaVallee, a 29-year-old native of Longville, Minn., who was slated to jump in the same event last year before a testing accident derailed his New Year’s plans, redeemed himself in a big way – by breaking his existing certified world record of 361 feet with a leap of 412 feet 6 inches.

Maddison, a 30-year-old Aussie now living in Temecula, Calif., also achieved history by breaking his existing certified world record of 351 feet 3 inches by more than 30 feet, landing 378 feet 9 inches from his take-off ramp.

Soon after the fog blanketing the event site cleared, the two athletes blasted toward the take-off ramps on the North park at Embarcadero Marina Park in the downtown area of San Diego Bay, and launched across the 300-foot water gap, touching down on the massive landing ramp on the South park. A capacity crowd of thousands packed the park and got an early jump on their New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“I’m as excited as I think a person can be,” said LaVallee. “I just landed an over 400-foot jump. I’m not sure how the sled’s doing, but I’m OK, so it was good. It’s an amazing feeling. You have no idea how pumped I am.”

“It’s a cool feeling to do what I do and have the backing I do,” said Maddison. “I was confident we were going to go a long way tonight and we’re going to come back and go even further.”

WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES

Maddison boasts an accomplished freestyle motocross career, with an X Games silver medal in 2010 in Moto X Best Trick and two wins on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour (Calgary 2009 and Madrid 2010). He also has a successful history of record-breaking achievements and globally captivating feats. Among them are backflipping across the Tower Bridge in London and clearing the Corinth Canal in Greece, to go with his previous New Year’s Eve successes, beginning in 2007 when he jumped his motorcycle 322 feet over a football field in Las Vegas and followed it up in 2008 by jumping onto – and off – the 96-foot-tall Arc De Triomphe at Paris Las Vegas.

LaVallee is a seven-time Winter X Games medalist (four golds) and champion snocross racer. He is widely known for becoming the first person to double backflip a snowmobile in 2009 at the Winter X Games. Despite the temperate climate in San Diego, LaVallee used artificial turf on his run-up path, which provided the necessary grip for his snowmobile’s track to ensure maximum speed as he hit the take-off ramp.

Red Bull’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration highlights extraordinary athletes pushing their physical, mental and technical limits to break boundaries and records. Leading up to their big night, LaVallee and Maddison worked with Red Bull’s athlete performance experts, physicists and engineers, in addition to their core teams, in an effort to get the most out of their bodies and machines. Valuable information has been attained with the goal of integration into future technological and athletic development.

After last year’s unfortunate cancellation, this was the fourth Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. event in the last five years. In 2008, the year Maddison went up and off the Arc de Triomphe, Rhys Millen backflipped an off-road truck. In 2009, Travis Pastrana jumped his rally car a staggering 269 feet over water, landing on a barge in Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor.

Mystik Lubricants, title sponsor of LaVallee’s race team, is excited to partner with Red Bull in showing support for Levi during his record-breaking achievement.

For Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. event details and videos, visit www.redbullnewyearnolimits.com.

“It was a good clean race, really competitive,” said Tucker. “There is some tough competition out there, up and down the field. My car was really going away there at the end, it was hot and greasy, but it was a great event.”

Tucker, who moved to LMP2 class in the ALMS, took to the track at the famed Sebring International Raceway with the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and quickly showed why he is among the nation’s premier sports car drivers.

That great start was followed up with seven more starts in the series for Tucker, who was a regular in the ALMS and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, along with making starts in the SCCA, Ferrari Challenge and the IMSA Prototypes Lites series.  The hectic schedule is nothing new for Tucker who has competed around the globe since 2006.

“The GT3 Cup is a great series and offers great competition,” Tucker said. ”We were able to put together a program and run some races this year and I am really excited to be a part of this series.”

The IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama features drivers racing head to head in the largest single-make series in North America. Powered by one of the world’s most successful race cars, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, the multi-class structure of the series allows drivers to gain valuable seat time on some of the most challenging race circuits in the world.

Tucker has announced plans to return to the ALMS in the LMP2 class in 2012. As the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge coincides with the ALMS event weekends it is likely that Tucker will return to the track in the famed 911 race car in 2012.

The Checkered Flag Run offers two days of exciting activities that culminate with rides to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) (Phoenixinternationalraceway.com) to watch the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on March 3.

“We are excited about our new and expanded program,” said Alan M. Powell, co-founder of the Checkered Flag Run. “We are highlighting the diversity among motorcycle enthusiasts while supporting organizations that work to benefit the local multicultural community in the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale areas. It’s not a white thing, Hispanic thing or a black thing – it’s a chrome thing.”

A major highlight of the event weekend will be the Checkered Flag Run Bike Show hosted at PIR on March 3. Motorcycle enthusiasts are encouraged to enter the competition to have their bike judged by legendary builders Paul Yaffe of Bagger Nation (BaggerNation.com), Brian Klock of Klock Werks Kustom Cycles (KustomBaggers.com), Dave Perewitz of Perewitz Cycle Fabrication (Perowitz.com) and John Shope from Sinister Industries (SinisterIndustries.com). Participants will have a chance to win cash prizes and the opportunity to participate in the exclusive Gatorade Victory Lane celebration that includes the awarding of the Bashas’ 200 champion’s trophy to the race winner.

Registered participants of the Checkered Flag Run will also have a chance to enter raffles for a 2012 Road Glide “103″ bike courtesy of Eagle Rider (Eaglerider.com/phoenix/phoenix.aspx), with after-market parts provided by Performance Machine Inc. (Performancemachine.com).

Major sponsors for the 2012 Checkered Flag Run include PIR, Talking Stick Resort and Casino, and CityScape (Cityscapephoenix.com). Additional sponsors include Arizona Centennial (AZ100Years.org), Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visitphoenix.com), Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau (Experiencescottsdale.com), Chesters Harley-Davidson (Chestershd.com), Superstition Harley-Davidson (Superstitionhd.com), Pro Convention (Proconvention.com), World of Soul Motorcycle Community (Worldofsoulmc.com), Urban Bagger (Urbanbagger.com), Ground Pounder Magazine (Groundpounderonline.com) and Cycle Rides (Cyclerides.com). With its expanded event in March, the Checkered Flag Run has grown to be among the country’s top motorcycle events including the National Bikers Roundup (Nbrkcmo.com), Black Bike Week (Blackbikeweek.us), Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (Sturgis.com), the ROT Biker Rally (Rotrally.com) and Arizona Bike Week (Azbikeweek.com).

Event Tickets

Tickets to the 2012 Checkered Flag Run can be purchased for $25 until March 1 or while supplies last. After March 1, tickets are available at the gate at PIR. One ticket allows access to all events including the NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on March 3. For a current schedule of events, to purchase tickets and to make a reservation call 1-866-498-RACE (7223) or visit www.CheckeredFlagRun.com.

Schedule of Events
Fri., March 2, 2012

Check-in at official Checkered Flag Run Hotel: Talking Stick Resort & Casino
Reservations Checkered Flag Run Hotels: (866) 877-9897
Special Checkered Flag Run Rate using code: CFR2012
9800 East Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256

Checkered Flag Run Meet and Greet at CityScape’s Patriot Square
Fri., March 2, 6-10 p.m.
1 E. Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Checkered Flag Run Meet and Greet After Party at PHX Nightclub with Special Guest DJ Twin
Fri., March 2, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
122 E. Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Sat., March 3, 2012

Checkered Flag Run Bike Show
Sat., March 3, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
7602 S. Avondale Blvd., Avondale, AZ 85323

Basha’s Supermarkets 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race
Sat., March 3, 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
7602 S. Avondale Blvd., Avondale, AZ 85323

Checkered Flag Run Club Walk and Raffles at Talking Stick Resort and Casino Ballroom
Sat., March 3, 11 p.m.
9800 East Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256

Checkered Flag Run Motorcycle Leather and Lace Ball at Talking Stick Resort & Casino Ballroom with Special Guest DJ Boulevard Rodd
Sat., March 3, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
9800 East Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256

The entry, awarded by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizers of the legendary 24-hour French endurance race, was earned thanks to Level 5′s LMP2 win in the 14th annual Petit Le Mans, where Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa drove their No. 33 HPD ARX-01g to an impressive sixth place overall finish.

Victory at Petit Le Mans capped off an incredible season for the globe-trotting team, which took part in both the American Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2011. In addition to his win at Road Atlanta, five-time national driving champion Tucker recorded victories in the ALMS races at Sebring, Long Beach, Road America and Laguna Seca.

But it was Level 5′s first trip to Le Mans that stood out as their highlight of the year. In a grueling race of attrition, stacked up against the toughest competition in the world, Tucker, Bouchut and Barbosa scored a remarkable podium finish in the team’s debut. Level 5 was also the highest-placed U.S. team, with Tucker also taking honors as the top American driver in the race.

The third place result for Level 5, the only prototype team flying the Stars and Stripes at Le Mans this year, combined with the automatic invite earned from their Petit Le Mans victory, gave Tucker no other reason but to already confirm his team’s presence on the 2012 grid in the world’s most prestigious endurance race.

“We’re very proud of our past accomplishments and championships,” said Tucker. “Getting an invitation to Le Mans is something we have worked very hard for and we’re honored and humbled at the same time in receiving it. We’re going to plan and work very efficiently to represent USA in the best possible light on the world’s stage and are proud for being one of the few American teams that competes in the highest level of sports car racing in the world.”

Level 5 is only one of four LMP2 teams to have already received an entry to Le Mans. A general selection process is planned for early February that will fill the remaining space in the 56-car starting field. The 80th annual 24 Hours of Le Mans is set for June 16-17, 2012. Prior to that, teams will have two days of practice and qualifying to prepare for the big race, as well as an official Test Day, scheduled for June 3.

“Level 5 has proven to have the performance and presentation that corresponds with the look and feel of a world-class event like the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said team manager David Stone. “We’re proud to have earned an invite and are looking forward to returning next year, with the target of winning LMP2.

“Finishing on the podium this year in Level 5′s debut was certainly a driving and motivating factor to keep searching for the dream of standing on the top step. Having won Petit Le Mans two years in a row, and this year in LMP2, in a race with good, hard-fought competition, we feel fortunate that it had led us to the earned right to be in the big show again.”

With a switch to the new HPD ARX-03b for next year, Level 5 plans to begin an aggressive testing and development program in February, ahead of the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, which will serve as the opening round for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron and the new FIA World Endurance Championship. Further details of Level 5′s complete 2012 program will be announced at a later date.

The Corvette Daytona Prototype will make its competitive debut in the 50th anniversary of the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series Rolex 24 at Daytona next January 26 – 29, 2012.

“Racing and performance are the founding principles of Chevrolet, and bringing the Corvette Daytona Prototype to GRAND-AM is a tremendous opportunity,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The opportunity for innovation is what makes the Daytona Prototype Class such a good fit for Chevrolet. Sports car and endurance racing is an outstanding platform for manufacturers like us to test and learn. The design of this race car incorporates iconic Corvette styling cues and will be immediately recognized by sports car enthusiasts and fans of GRAND-AM Road Racing. We are excited to see the Corvette DP compete in the legendary Rolex 24 at Daytona next January.”

The new Corvette Daytona Prototype will participate in a GRAND-AM test at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, November 16.

“GRAND-AM’s new Daytona Prototype concept is aimed at allowing manufacturers to showcase their brand in an exciting, cutting-edge fashion,” said GRAND-AM President Tom Bledsoe. “Chevrolet, with its new Corvette DP, has done just that. The anticipation of seeing this new Daytona Prototype compete is building each and every day. This announcement has immediate and far-reaching implications, with the potential to change the face of sports car racing.”

Four teams will campaign the Corvette Daytona Prototype in 2012: No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing; No. 10 SunTrust Racing; No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing; and the No.’s 5 and 9 Action Express Racing teams.

“The 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype was developed by a multi-faceted effort involving Chevrolet, Corvette Designers, Pratt & Miller and GRAND-AM, and Chevrolet also worked closely with chassis builders Riley, Coyote and Dallara,” said Mark Kent, GM Racing Director. “The IMSA GTP Corvette Prototype campaigned by Hendrick Motorsports in the ’80s was the inspiration for this new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype. And, like the GTP Corvettes, the new Corvette Daytona Prototype contains numerous styling cues from the street version of the Chevrolet Corvette.”

Corvette has a long, storied history of racing-related feats in Daytona. Zora Arkus-Duntov – the Father of the Corvette and chief engineer working on the Corvette in the ’50s and ’60s – set a flying-mile speed record of more than 150 miles per hour in a Corvette on Daytona Beach, one of a number of record runs on the beach for him. When Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, Arkus-Duntov turned the fastest laps – 155 miles per hour – in a Corvette SS.

More recently, in 2001, a Corvette driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon was the overall winner in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Another Corvette finished fourth that year, with Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins.

Patrick, who will compete full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports in 2012, announced on Friday afternoon that her limited Sprint Cup Series schedule with Stewart-Haas Racing will kick off with “The Great American Race.”

“Each year, the Daytona 500 produces unforgettable moments that forever change the lives of fans and drivers,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said.  ”As Danica embarks on her first start in ‘The Great American Race,’ she may want to talk with 2011 champion Trevor Bayne, who might be able to share some pointers for first timers. We wish her well and are excited about her participation in the NASCAR’s biggest and most prestigious event – the Daytona 500.”

Patrick will become just the third woman to compete in the Daytona 500 when she takes the green flag in February. Janet Guthrie made two Daytona 500 starts in 1977 and 1980, finishing 12th and 11th respectively. Shawna Robinson finished 24th in her lone Daytona 500 start in 2002.

Patrick made her stock car and NASCAR debuts on the storied 31-degree high banks at Daytona International Speedway during Speedweeks 2010. She finished sixth in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race and 35th in her first Nationwide Series race.

Most recently at the “World Center of Racing,” Patrick led five times for 13 laps in the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola Nationwide Series race in July before getting caught up in an incident in the tri-oval coming to the checkered flag and finishing 10th.

Tickets for the 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 as well as other Speedweeks 2012 events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP

New for the 2012 Daytona 500 is special youth pricing.  Children 12 and under will receive 50 percent off all Superstretch grandstand seats for the Daytona 500 with the purchase of an adult ticket.  The special offer expires Feb. 1.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway’s social media channels on Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway).

Danica Patrick at Daytona International Speedway
Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 (ARCA)
2010   Started 12th and finished sixth

Daytona 300 (NASCAR Nationwide Series, February)
2010   Started 15th and finished 35th
2011   Started fourth and finished 14th

Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola (NASCAR Nationwide Series, July)
2011   Started seventh and finished 10th

Rolex 24 At Daytona
2006   Started 16th and finished 50th. Co-drove with Rusty Wallace, Allan McNish and Jan Lammers
2009   Started 18th and finished eighth. Co-drove with Andy Wallace, Rob Finlay and Casey Mears

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports for Mazda North American Operations summed it up; “As any racer will tell you, championships actually take years to accomplish as you need to develop both the people and the products. We can’t thank our partners enough. The collective efforts from Dempsey Racing, Dyson Racing, Freedom Autosport, i-Moto Racing, Racers Edge, SpeedSource, and Team Sahlen has resulted in race wins in three series, a clean sweep of the ALMS titles for drivers, teams, and our Mazda MZR-R engine, and a Continental Tire manufacturers championship. This success was achieved through the same qualities as our street cars – great performance combined with quality, durability, and reliability.”

In the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Mazda locked up all three 2011 LMP1 championships – manufacturers, team, and drivers, with a second-place finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Dyson Racing LMP1Lola is powered by a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder Mazda MZR-R engine against Aston Martin with their V12 prototype. The Dyson team has scored two overall wins including a one-two in Baltimore where they also won the Green X Challenge. The ALMS season will conclude with the ten-hour Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta on October 1st.

In the Continental Tire Challenge – Street Tuner class, Mazda won the 2011 Manufacturers Championship by 26 points over VW, BMW, KIA, Mini, Honda and Porsche. Freedom Autosport and i-Moto Racing led the Zoom-Zoom charge with multiple MAZDASPEED3s and MX-5s at every race. Both teams took Mazda to the winners circle and delivered a total of three race wins and ten podium finishes from ten races, including a 1-3 finish in the series final at the Mid-Ohio Sports car Course.

In the Rolex Grand-Am Championship, the Mazda RX-8 competes in the GT class against their traditional sports car rivals; Porsche, BMW, and Chevrolet. After an intense season of competition Mazda missed repeating as manufacturers champions by three-tenths of a second in the final race of the season. The combined efforts of SpeedSource, Dempsey Racing, and Team Sahlen resulted in one race win and 14 podium finishes from 12 races. Mazda was the manufacturers championship runner-up, and Mazda RX-8 teams finished third, fourth, and fifth in the team competition.

Mazda has also crowned three of four 2011 MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder Champions, including two steps of the Mazda Road to Indy.

• Petri Suvanto won the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.
• Tristan Vautier won the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear
• Mike Cooper won the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup

The 2011 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda title is still up for grabs and will be decided on October 8th at Lime Rock Park.

Kia and racing partner Kinetic Motorsports entered the season finale at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with narrow three-point leads in both standings and co-drivers Jonsson and Michael Galati used the Forte Koup’s braking, handling and fuel-efficiency advantages on the 13-turn circuit to battle a field of more than 30 competitors during the 2.5-hour race, propelling Kia to its first-ever GRAND-AM road racing championships.

“Kia Racing recorded a number of historic firsts in 2011 and consistently exceeded everyone’s expectations, and winning our first-ever GRAND-AM championship is an accomplishment the entire Kia Motors organization celebrates and takes great pride in,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA.  ”Congratulations to Nic, Michael and everyone at Kinetic Motorsports whose hard work and commitment to continuous improvement led to the outstanding performance of the Infinity Audio Kia Forte Koups all season and made this achievement possible.”

“Second-year motorsports programs are not supposed to win championships, but Kia Motors and Kinetic Motorsports have been committed to being the best since we formed our partnership in late-2009,” said championship-winning driver Jonsson.  ”The Kia Forte Koups have been fantastic since getting off the truck at Daytona in January thanks to the tireless dedication of the team.  We couldn’t be happier with the end result, and I have to thank Michael Galati whose skill and experience was invaluable in this championship run.”

After qualifying in the third position on Friday, Michael Galati maneuvered the No. 10 Forte Koup into second place at the 30-minute mark before a full course caution went into effect and all of the top five ST cars headed to pit row for a driver change and refueling.  Galati climbed out, and Jonsson jumped behind the wheel for the final two hours of the race.

Jonsson returned to the track in seventh place and began moving his way through the field, eventually settling into fifth place with just over one hour remaining and repeatedly changed positions with two MINIs and two MazdaSpeed3s, who were all in the top five.

A caution-filled race kept the 71-car field bunched up tight and made for some great racing action for fans; it also made for some nervous Kia Racing supporters from the brand’s research and development center in nearby Ann Arbor, MI, who made the trip to Ohio to cheer on Kia to the championship.  With 30-minutes to go in the race, Jonsson executed a perfect inside pass of one of the MazdaSpeed3s and moved the No. 10 Forte Koup into fourth place.  Just a few laps later, the first-place MINI lost all power and another full-course caution came out, with Jonsson now sitting in third place.

The EMCO Gears Classic returned to green-flag racing with less than 10 minutes remaining, and with the Driver and Team ST championships in sight, Jonsson cruised to a seventh-place finish as his Kinetic Motorsports teammates began celebrating Kia and Kinetic Motorsports’ first-ever GRAND-AM road racing titles on pit row.

Race fans can watch Kia’s championship-winning run on Sunday, September 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET on SPEED.

“We’ve found that nearly nine out of 10 NASCAR fans chose to shop at Walmart,” said Steven Reed, Walmart market manager. “We wanted to provide Dover race fans with unbelievable savings on NASCAR tickets and merchandise and unique Race Time experiences that you can only find at Walmart.”

Race Time at Walmart

Beginning Sept. 28, select Walmart stores near the Dover International Speedway will host NASCAR fan events featuring real stock car racing displays and racing simulator machines – perfect to safely get behind the wheel and feel the power of NASCAR.  

Local radio station WXCY will be at Walmart Store #3802 in Middletown broadcasting remotely on Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 12 to 2 p.m.

Additionally, Walmart stores will feature incredible prices on NASCAR merchandise such as T-shirts, racing flags, and tailgating food and beverages with even more selection of exclusive product on Walmart.com/NASCAR.

Participating stores near the Dover International Speedway include:

Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Events free and open to the public include the Wrangler Interactive Pit Box, General Mills Cheerios show car, Kraft’s Oreo Ritz show car, Pepsi Max/AMP racing simulator, and Coca-Cola 5-seat racing simulator at:

Walmart Store #3802
705 Middletown Warwick Road
Middletown, Del.

Thursday, Sept. 29 from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Events free and open to the public include the Hefty Black Out show car simulator, Wrangler Interactive Pit Box, General Mills Cheerios show car, Kraft’s Oreo Ritz show car, Pepsi Max/AMP racing simulator, and Coca-Cola 5-seat racing simulator at:

Walmart Store #1741
939 N. Dupont Blvd.
Milford, Del.

Friday, Sept. 30 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Events free and open to the public include the Hefty Black Out show car simulator, Wrangler Interactive Pit Box, General Mills Cheerios show car, Kraft’s Oreo Ritz show car, Pepsi Max/AMP racing simulator, and Coca-Cola 5-seat racing simulator at:

Walmart Store #5039
263 Walmart Drive
Camden, Del.

Saturday, Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Events free and open to the public include the Hefty Black Out show car simulator, Wrangler Interactive Pit Box, General Mills Cheerios show car, Pepsi Max/AMP racing simulator, and Coca-Cola 5-seat racing simulator at:

Walmart Store #1736
1574 N. Dupont Highway
Dover, Del.

For additional details and a complete listing of participating Walmart stores, visit Walmart.com/NASCAR.