Listen to Winged Nation, Motor Racing Network’s podcast about Sprint Car racing, on any given week. Some driver or other will talk about the program he’s doing at PitFit Training, an Indianapolis gym dedicated to getting race car drivers into shape. A fitness program designed for someone who drives cars for a living? That sounded different. So we gave Jim Leo a call. Leo, the founder and owner of PitFit, got his start working with Roger Penske’s CART Indy team in 1993. The next year, 1994, Penske’s team won 12 out of 16 races, the CART championship and the Indy 500. Leo saw his future. He founded PitFit in 1997 and has worked with race car drivers ever since.

We first heard about you guys after Joey Saldana’s crash last year. He punctured a lung, broke his right arm, and five ribs. Then he went to PitFit for training and shows up back on the track eight weeks later.

I’ve actually had to go through two different programs with him. First, we started working with him a couple of years ago for a concussion. So Joey was in extremely good shape before last year’s crash. Recovery from injury occurs much faster for someone who’s in such good shape.

He came back to us this time and we worked on recovering his range of motion and getting him back in shape to drive his car. Due to the severity of his injury, I expected him to be off for six months. Then I found out after eight weeks every doctor had cleared him to return to the race track.

So what special challenges do race car drivers present? In other words, why are you necessary? There are lots of personal trainers out there.

Making the right decisions under stress as quickly as possible. That’s essentially what we train them to do.

If race car drivers lose strength, if their physical stamina is not what it should be, that can mean everything from a loss of their position in the race to even death. Very few sports have death out there as a possibility all the time.

But guys have been racing cars for years without a specialized gym at their backs. In fact, some race car drivers have been – and still are – in not-so-great physical shape.

Look, it’s an evolution. Every sport out there has been raised to another level. Cyclists didn’t wear helmets – now they do. Certainly drivers back in the day were daredevils. Safety was not as big a factor. Fitness was not as big a factor.

But today, the speed of the cars is greater. The tires have more grip, so the cars don’t slide as much, and more is possible. Plus the sport is far more expensive than it’s ever been. Drivers are looking for every advantage they can find.

The cheapest thing you can invest in is your overall fitness.

What is different about working with a race car driver versus, say, a basketball player?

There are some similarities. General conditioning principles apply to any athletes. But race car drivers in particular see the most stress in their neck, shoulders, wrists, forearms and core, and they have heart rates similar to those of a triathlete.

Also, there’s the cognitive issues: a lot of the skills a driver has to use in a race car are impacted more and more as you get fatigued.  Even when it’s hot, even in a long race, you have focus for the entire race. Our drivers don’t exactly get breaks in the action. We try to train them to have the ability to make the right decisions quickly, so their brains are conditioned to think and react as quickly as possible.

How do you do that?

One thing we do is add simulators that mimic driving on the track. They’ll do some cardio workouts, then spend time on the sims, then back to the workout.

Famous UFC fighter Chris "Lights Out" Lytle works on the Dynavision D2, the same light-board simulator used by Bernstein, Lucas, and other NHRA drivers to stimulate reaction

We also do visual training. One way is with a light board that’s about three feet by three feet, and they have to hit lights in response to the board’s prompts. So they’ll do 60 seconds on the rower machine, to get the heart rate high, and then it’s over to the board. They can sit or stand and work on visual reactions, peripheral vision, lights and numbers and so on. They’ll go back and forth – one minute on the board, one minute on the rower, then again on the board.

But you have to continuously offer them different stimulation, and change what they see, what they do. Our goal is to make our training outside of the car far more difficult than anything they will encounter in the car. So when they’re in that car, they know what to do, it’s all easy-breezy.

We found a video online of race car drivers wearing helmets while playing badminton at your gym. Really? Impaired badminton?

We started doing that over at IU (Indiana University) Health Center. We’re trying to simulate the environment they race in. In that video you saw, they are actually going back and forth from the soccer field to the badminton court, with the helmets on, running drills with limited peripheral vision, because of the helmet, ten minutes at each drill, for about an hour workout. It’s fun. They get in phenomenal shape. And every day is something different.

So you’re a gym? Or a forced-cognitive-impairment facility? Or….

We offer many things. Our facility itself is 10,000 square feet, but we also partner with IU Health, which gives us access to their 50,000 square foot facility and their network of physicians and physical therapists. We also use a rock-climbing facility and a pool nearby, and we have a rock-climbing coach and a swimming coach. There’s a chiropractor on staff, a boxing coach, a yoga instructor who teaches hot yoga classes. We go outside as well, and do stand-up paddling and kayaking on the lake.

Sounds expensive.

We’re certainly not as expensive as anybody thinks. It’s so varied on the costs. If we get a driver who signs up for a full season, we charge $10,000 for virtually the whole year with unlimited use of the facilities. But we also have online training, with drivers who have the work-out e-mailed to them and they send us back weekly updates with information like heart-rate data. For instance, Memo Rojas, Jr., he’s the current Grand Am champ, we work with him in Mexico where he lives. All his work-outs are e-mailed to him, and he e-mails the data back, then comes to visit us for a week at a time when he’s up in the area.

And now you’re building a facility as well in NASCAR land – Mooresville, N.C.  That sounds redundant, though. Don’t the teams all have their own gyms and trainers?

Most of the NASCAR teams focus their fitness programs on the pit crews, their performance and their focus. Fitness for pit crews in NASCAR is huge. One driver told us the trainers for  his team only have time to work with him once a week for 45 minutes.

There’s no one down there doing what we’re doing. The technology, the knowledge, the experience, the single-minded focus on racing – it’s hard to find that.

This Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Posse – or a good chunk of it, anyway – travels to southern New Jersey to race 410 Sprint Cars at the Bridgeport Speedway, about a half hour outside Philly. Why Tuesday? Why Bridgeport? And hey – isn’t that a 5/8^th  mile track? To answer these questions and more, we rang up Mike Heffner, Sprint Car team owner and co-promoter of Tuesday’s race.

Your Heffner Racing team – piloted by driver Daryn Pittman – sees plenty of action all summer at races other people promote for you. Why jump into this business yourself?

It was always an ambition of mine to go out and promote a race. Now I’ve lived Sprint Car racing first-hand. I know what the racers want and I know what the owners want. It might be a way I can contribute back to the sport of Sprint Car racing. Certain things need to change in the sport, but no one’s willing to change them.

Mike Heffner, third from right, with his racing team

Such as….?

Like the time trials. At Bridgeport on Tuesday, the way we’re doing time trials, you’ll time within your own heat race. So to make the feature redraw, you have to be either one of the first two finishers in your heat race, or the driver with the fastest time in your heat.

Because the track gets a little worse after each heat race. It dries out. So the guys who time at the end can’t get grip like the ones who go first. This way we’re trying, it’s a much more equal playing field. It’s a system everyone seems to like but no one had gone out and tried yet.

Another rule we’re changing is the tire rule. It’s not that I have anything against Goodyear, but I think teams should be able to make their own choice when it comes to tires. I mean, it’s $235 for a right rear Goodyear tire. You can get other brand names for $50 less than that. The people who are losing out the most are the car owners. We have to buy the $235 tire but we’re not getting anything back from it. So at Bridgeport on Tuesday, we have it open tire. You can run any brand you want.

But you’re a Central Pa. guy. Why get involved in a race in New Jersey, and on a Tuesday at that?

The 5/8th mile dirt track at Bridgeport Speedway in southern New Jersey

The track promoters are Doug and Gina Hoffman, and I’ve known the Hoffmans for years. They’ve been involved in racing for a long time – Doug was a modified racer since I was a kid. They wanted to bring new divisions to New Jersey and I wanted to expose fans in Southern New Jersey to more Sprint Car racing also. Most of the year, those fans have to travel at least two hours to see a race.

As for the date of the race, I checked the calendar and there’s nothing else going on. It didn’t conflict with any other Sprint Car race.

You’v got quite a roster trekking out with you to Bridgeport.

Most of the Central Pa. people are coming, and all the professional guys, like Aaron Ott, Lance Dewease, Fred Rahmer, of course our driver Daryn Pittman.

In total, we have 20 cars pre-registered and I anticipate having at least ten enter the day of the race. I’ll be happy with a field of 30 cars.

The biggest factor there was the purse. If you pay the $100 gamblers’ fee, it’s $7000 to win. We are paying more than a weekday Outlaw show. That’s what really attracts the teams. They’ll do anything – even cross a state line – for $7000.

Bridgeport’s a bigger track than the usual half-mile, as well. Are you worried about the speeds at a track like that?

It’s a very fast track, 5/8^th of a mile, so yes, speed is a concern. If it’s too fast, that doesn’t make for good racing. Doug Hoffman has slowed the track down a bit, not making it so heavy, so that should create better racing.

We’re doing all we can to make it a good show. My hope is people walk away and say that it was a fun race, a safe race, it provided good entertainment.

Daryn Pittman winning for Heffner Racing at Selinsgrove in March 2012

We love this quote from your website: “Though leading a sprint car team requires more time, money, and insider knowledge than the rookie owner anticipated, Heffner is learning as he goes and having the time of his life.” Could you elaborate on that?

I was surprised at the amount of work and dedication the crew members put into it. It never ends, especially when you race three or four nights in a row. I haven’t been able to dedicate all the time to it I would like. It’s hard for me to get to every race, but luckily I have a really good crew and driver and I usually get to about 75 percent of the races.

What’s the draw for you?

It becomes an addiction. Winning – there’s nothing like it. Racing has provided me with the highest highs, and the lowest lows. I know it’s not realistic, but I want to go out every day and win.

But you can’t – at least, go out to the track every day. There’s this day job of yours, as president of Lelands.com, an auction house for sports memorabilia. I watched an interview with you on Bloomberg News, discussing your purchase of a Babe Ruth jersey. That work must have its fun moments as well.

Auction items from a Lelands.com auction

Every day at work is like a treasure hunt. Every day, there could be a major score, just like in Sprint Car racing. People will say they have something for you to look at, and you chase out to their homes or businesses or whatever, and it turns out to be no good. Then somebody else will call and it sounds like nothing, but you get there and it’s the real deal. There’s a rush there too.

You love sports so much, we guess you must have been one of those kids who grew up dreaming about athletic glory.

I was never a great player, but I always dreamed of being a professional baseball player or a professional Sprint Car driver.

Well you own a car now. Do you get in and take it for a spin?

(Laughs) I don’t think my crew wants me to get in and take a chance on damaging it. I pretty much know my limitations. But one day, when no one else is on the track, I will get out there and try.

But over the winter he had to find a way to survive. His wife’s salary as a nurse doesn’t cover all the bills, and they’ve got an 8-year-old daughter as well. So Sides turned to his fans, who donated money and/or bid on his racing items in an auction he announced on his Facebook page.

Here at the Winner’s Circle, we wondered why, with so many different charitable causes out there in the world, people would want to give their hard-earned money to a 410 Sprint Car driver? In a moment, we’ll get to their answers. First, however, we contacted the WRG to see what it had to say about the conflict with Sides.

Tom Deery

Chief Operating Officer

World Racing Group

It’s a matter that’s in litigation. None of us can say much about it right now. (Our side of the story) is considerably different than what his is, but because it is in litigation, we are advised not to make those points right now. We felt we were well-advised (to do what we did in order to) maintain the value of the World of Outlaws and the contract the driver signed.

Now, on to the Sides’ donations….

John Deckard, Indianapolis, IN

General Counsel for Indiana and Michigan Caterpillar dealerships

Representing Jason Sides, pro bono

He doesn’t have to hire a lawyer. This is my donation. I don’t mind donating $50,000 to $100,000 worth of time to see that Jason Sides gets what he’s owed.

Gregory Zank, Minasha, WI

Technical illustrator, O’Neil & Associates

Donated $10 and bought two t-shirts

I’m not in the habit of donating money to race teams, as they’ll spend more money in a year than I’ll make in three years, but something about this case struck a nerve … Any team should be able to pick where they want to run … So, it becomes a David vs. Goliath story … There are guys that really can’t afford it, giving their all to put on a show for the fans and to make enough money to get to the next race. … The WoO will not survive without the Jason Sides in the series. Kinser, Swindell, Saldana, and Shatz won’t be around forever. I’m afraid it will become an over-governed marketing tool that uses the cars and drivers as props, and not “The Greatest Show On Dirt”. They are not NASCAR and shouldn’t try to be!

Bill Driber, Jobstown, NJ

Executive in charge of television production (decline to name employer)

Purchased a helmet for $750 and a team crew shirt for $250

I understand the thinking behind this non-compete rule … However, I also believe in America and an individual’s right to earn a living … Following the WOO’s since I was a kid and participating in a number of charity events with the drivers afforded me the opportunity to meet Jason and his family … He and his patchwork crew work their asses off to get to where they are today with a little bit of sponsorship backing and some engineering help from other teams. …  I love the helmet and it is proudly displayed along with his signed crew shirt in my home office. …  I did what I could, not only for a friend but for a true Outlaw and American.

Gina Doogs, Sedalia, MO

Office manager for an attorney

Former owner, with her husband, of a 360 race team

Purchased “$600-$700 worth of stuff”

We were a team that …  got by with what we needed to race. For example, we used cooking spatulas to scrape mud off the cars. When we raced with WOO when Brian Brown drove for us, we sometimes pitted by Sides. I noticed one day that Sides only had usually one crew member and himself. I then noticed that he was using spatulas to clean mud off his car. No glitz, no glamor, just the love of the sport. I then started buying his shirts from time to time because he appealed to me as a racer that did it for the love of the sport and not for the money or glory …
These guys are on the road and if you don’t have a major backing, you need to do what you can to make it to the next track. When there is a rainout or a cancellation and there is another race in the area, then they should be able to race there… I always told one of Jason’s crew guys that if I ever won the lottery big time, my husband and I would travel with him one year and pay for as much as we could. He is our type of racer.

Sean Harvey, Australia

I started a Facebook page (“We Support Jason Sides Against the WRG”) because of how Jason treated me when I was just a fan wanting to buy a t-shirt when he was here in Australia in 2010-11. Jason made me feel more important than the racing that night and was the most down-to-earth, gracious driver I have met … The Sides Family are some of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever had the fortune to meet and speak with, so that is why I am so passionate about this.

This blog is created by Del West Engineering , manufacturer of titanium racing valves and other valvetrain components.

March 20, 2012 UPDATE: The WRG has now paid all its tax bills in Cayuga County and is up to date, according to Jim Orman, the county treasurer

It’s all over the news in Syracuse this week: the World Racing Group owes $44,316.74 in back taxes on its Weedsport Speedway(AKA New Cayuga County Fair Speedway), and the property is in foreclosure. World Racing Group is the Concord, N.C.-based sports entertainment company that owns the World of Outlaws, SuperDIRT, and DIRTcar racing series. Here at The Winner’s Circle, we were surprised to learn that the company would allow an Upstate New York track – or any property, for that matter – to fall into foreclosure. So we called around, to find out what was the deal.

Jim Orman, County Treasurer, Cayuga County, New York

We are in the process of foreclosing. The papers have been served and they have until the 23^rd to respond. I have not talked to them. They may have called the office to get the total amount they owe, or other information about the taxes. I don’t know anything about that. But to discuss any payment plans, they would have to talk to me.

Tom Deery, Chief Operating Officer, World Racing Group

I wasn’t aware of any papers being served. I don’t know what that means. I also know that people in our office have talked to people in his office.

We have managed how we pay the property taxes in that county. This is not newsworthy in any form. In the last five years, we’ve worked it out with the county on a payment plan.

We have no intention of letting the property go into any kind of sale. We’ve been talking to them (the county). That’s the way it’s been managed throughout.

One of the things that brought this on was we had an issue with the water authority up there. For years, we were running water bills of $3,500. Suddenly, in 2010, it jumps to $41,000. Most of that increase was during the off-months of the year. Apparently on our side of the water meter, there was an underground break, and all that water ran into the ground. Turns out, you’re responsible for paying for all the water on your side of the meter, whether you used it or not. At some point, somebody at the county should’ve raised a red flag about the meter readings, but no one did. So, we negotiated with the water authority and in the end, we worked it out.

But, that meant we had to put so much of our resources into paying the water bill, so we ended up having the 2010 taxes fall behind. It was an allocation of resources.

Corky Stockham, Promoter, Parts Peddler Trade Show, Syracuse, NY

It’s like everybody today. They’re operating close to the bone. There’s not a lot of people around here that are worried about it. Those guys, I’m sure they can come up with the $44,000. I have all the confidence in the world they will resolve it.

Cory Reed, Marketing Director, Fulton and Brewerton Speedway (which no longer run WRG races), Fulton, NY

(The foreclosure) was in yesterday’s news. Yeah, the racers around here are talking about it.

Basically, you are stealing from the county if you’re not paying the taxes. They should never let it get to this point.

I used to work for (the WRG). I know this will get satisfied. They call it “managing the money,” and it works out in the end, although I disagree with this way of doing things. You figure, what it’s costing them in interest and penalties, it’s not a very good financial strategy. But they live event to event. That’s what the dirt track business is like today. Lots of businesses are in the same boat. Lots of tracks are in the same boat. You borrow from Peter to pay Paul.

All they would’ve had to do, to manage this thing right, is to call up the county guys and say, “Can’t we get on a payment plan?” But they don’ t do that. There’s nothing worse than bad press about owing somebody money. But they’ll end up paying it. They’ll wait until the 11^th hour, get an extension, whatever they have to do.

How did you get into this business?

Back in the old days, we used to street race. I ended up working on drag racing engines, and eventually had my own engine shop in Oregon, where I grew up. We did engines for circle track racers, some dirt and some asphalt. This was in the mid-70s.

Then, in the late 70s, I moved to Chatsworth, Calif. [a northern suburb of Los Angeles]. I worked for Dennis Fischer there, for about two to three years. Then I moved back up north, to Redding, Calif., and worked for Bill Schmitt there at his engine shop.

Eventually, I had an opportunity to move to North Carolina and share ownership of a NASCAR team. It was called the Winston Cup series back then. There were three of us that owned the team, and I ran the engine department. We had Bobby Hamilton driving a Country Time car – you know, like in Country Time Lemonade.

What changed? Why do you no longer own a team?

We had the team through 1997, but then the sponsorship started to dwindle away. Fortunately, we had other teams that came to us to use our engine shop. We had people that were confident that our stuff ran well, and they asked us to do their engines.  The next thing you know, I wasn’t racing, I was doing an engine shop again.

We did a Google search for independent NASCAR engine shops, and you were the only name that came up. So okay, there may be a few others left, but basically, you’re nearly a dinosaur. How did that come to pass?

It is interesting. We’ve talked about it internally. In 2003, there were something like ten engine companies in this industry, five or six locally, a few more up in Wisconsin, another guy in Michigan. And lo and behold, I looked up and I was the only guy left. I didn’t know if that was a good thing, or a sign that I was just too stupid to get out.

Where did everyone else go?

In 2002, NASCAR came out with a rule that we are going to run one engine. For me, I thought, well, that’s great. We didn’t have the resources to work on qualifying engines as much. I thought it would actually increase our business. As it turns out, the bigger teams, instead of downsizing, they started taking in outside customers to keep the volume going. Next thing you know, the customer base we pull from is a lot smaller. People went to the shops where the front-runners went, the ones who had bigger sponsors.

So how did you manage to stay alive?

Part of the reason is I used to be on the team ownership side, and I realized what it takes just to survive. I might be a little more flexible with payment structures, things of that nature. I’ll work with them. And as far as the engines go, if a big-team shop provides an engine that’s what you might call a “perfect 10” for quality, we can provide a “9” engine at two-thirds the cost. For the most part, I’ve been successful with teams that haven’t gotten their full sponsorship yet.

If you’re providing “9” engines, why use Del West parts? There must be someone out there willing to sell you valves at a cheaper price.

They will do that. There are people. But I still have to have what I consider the best stuff in it. The components of the engine have to be the same quality as the big teams have. That’s why companies like myself use Del West. But the bigger teams, they have more resources, they can put in, say, more R&D time into their engines than we can. So maybe ours doesn’t make quite the horsepower theirs does. But our overhead is way less, so we can offer a lower price than them.

That means you can’t promise your customers the same quality as, say, a Hendricks engine.

The big teams’ cars are winning races. They have more resources than us. Their stuff should be better than ours. Every once in a while, though, we’re able to beat them. But it’s tough to keep up.

Sounds frustrating. Why keep at it?

It’s worse than drugs. There’s no fix for it, other than going to the races. When you win a race, it’s just amazing how much gratification there is in it. You’re able to go in Victory Lane, get your picture taken, champagne thrown on you. Get eight or ten wins in a year and you get spoiled.

Of course, the flip side of it is, you’ve got six guys racing that day with your engines, one guy wins, you’ve got five losers. A lot of days you wonder why you do it, but you keep doing it.

This year, for the first time in a while, Keen’s team will stick close to home, only racing within a 200 mile radius of Keen’s home base in Central Pa. To do that, he’s got a new driver: Brian Leppo of New Oxford, Penn.

You had drivers begging you to take them on. Why pick Brian Leppo?

I didn’t pick a driver. I picked a crew chief and driver that I thought would work well together. I can give them the best equipment in the world, but if the crew chief and the driver can’t work well together, we’re not going to win.

Brian and Steve Suchy, the crew chief, have both put in their dues, coming up through the ranks. Steve has been on the World of Outlaws circuit and Brian races with them a lot . But they chose to have fulltime jobs and race in Central Pa.

Sounds like you got yourself a nice, mature driver.

Yes, Brian is very good with the fans, good with the sponsors. He’s an easy-going guy and can talk to all kinds of people. But when it’s time to race, his mind’s on the racing, his focus is on winning.

This year I’m going to have a lot more fun, because I don’t have to worry about a fulltime racer who has to make money off my Sprint Car. Brian’s from a racing family. His wife is Stevie Smith’s sister. He’s racing because he loves racing.  The money we win will be icing on the cake.

And so do you.

I’ve golfed, done rodeo, I’ve had high-end show horses, motorcycles, yachts. I’ve done it all. I always come back to racing.

Because…?

The thrill, the adrenaline and the people. Racers for the most part are working, salt-of-the-earth people. Plus, the one thing about race cars: if you start to lose interest, with a race car you can park it in the garage or sell it. You can’t do either with a horses. The horse needs to eat, it has to go to the vet and be shod. And then you can’t sell it, because everybody gets attached to the horse.

But you can sell a Sprint car.

Well, if you still have it in your possession when the season ends. People will write on these racing forums and say, “Why are there so many great big haulers for teams that have only one car, and that one don’t go that fast?” Listen – if you want to be involved in racing, the safest way is to own a rig. There’s a title that goes with a truck and trailer. When the deal falls apart, you can pick up your truck and trailer and go home.

There’s no title on those engines, frames, rears, etcetera. So say you’ve are buying those parts and now you’re three years into the deal and things are not going really well. You’re going to break up the team, and suddenly the driver saying, “Well, they’re my engines now. You gave them to me.” Sounds like a Judge Judy case and I don’t need that.

You purchased it all, though.

I have been a sponsor with parts and a sponsor with just money. Today I choose to be a active owner and own everything myself.

Sounds like owning a team can be not just expensive, but more than a little bit of hassle. Why do it?

Ego. (laughs). Probably ego, and control. You can afford to, you are in a position in life where you don’t have to have a bunch of other sponsors. The sponsors I have on this car, I choose to have them. They are inactive sponsors, happy to pay and have their names on the car. They have no control over the car.

Keen Motorsport's 2012 car, No. 17

On your Web site you have a long list of “sponsors.” What does that mean, exactly?

There are three types of sponsors – active, inactive and product.  Inactive sponsors for us are Peterbilt and Hunter Truck Sales. They get their names on the car. They supply money. The product sponsors – they may give you a good price on their stuff, or they may give you some product and you pay for some product. They may just provide excellent service to you. They may give you stuff. One example of that for us is Baps, our paint sponsor, which supplies us with paint at no charge.  Free parts are not any good unless they perform. I only deal with sponsors that have good products.

This really is a business about connections. You’ve got to know people or you end up shouldering the cost of that car all by yourself.

There’s nothing worse than being a salesman and cold-calling. Because when you are a salesman and doing cold calls, you get rejected. And I don’t like rejections. (laughs).  Most sponsors, most large sponsors, anyway, come from somebody knowing somebody.

Which leads to the obvious question … how much does a 410 Sprint Car team cost?

To race a top Sprint Car team in Central Pa., you should figure on spending $150,000 to $200,000 a year. If you have good money sponsors, that will offset some of that expense. Also, having a winning car can make a big difference. Last year, for instance, we won the Eldora Kings Royal and made $50,000 in one night.

Can you as an owner make money at it?

You ever hear the one, “You know how to make a million dollars in racing? Start with two million dollars.” (laughs) Some years you make a profit, some years not.

Amid speculation that the half-mile speedway might be closed or sold in the face of dwindling crowds, its management issued a one-sentence statement announcing the cancellation and providing no other details.”

Los Angeles Times, February 13, 2012

With the closure of Irwindale Speedway, the Los Angeles area is short yet another racing track. Since Del West Engineering is located just north of L.A. (in Valencia, Calif., to be exact), that caught our attention here at The Winner’s Circle. What, we wondered, have we lost this week? Following are thoughts from a few folks. at our company and beyond.

Dan Esslinger, owner, Esslinger Engineering, El Monte, Calif.

Midget engine builder

We only got to race there once a year, but it was Turkey Night , so that’s a big one for us. But we think we (as midget engine builders) might actually gain from this change. We’re hoping to see that thing get sold. There’s some rumors that a pretty well known NASCAR driver and a pretty well known oil company might be interested in buying it. Who knows, maybe someone gets there with a fresh vision, and money always follows vision.

Toyota Motorsports, former racetrack sponsor, Torrance, Calif.

Official comment on Irwindale closure

Toyota’s contract with the Irwindale Speedway ended at the end of December. Toyota still supports motorsports in Southern California, including the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (2012 marks the 38th year), motocross and NASCAR. In March, Toyota’s Camry Hybrid will be the pace car at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at California Motor Speedway in Fontana.

AJ Hampton, founder, proposed AV Motorplex in Northern LA County

The news of the closure takes me back many years ago, when on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, you had seven tracks you could go to and race. It’s a sad thing to see those places disappear.

That’s why we’re trying to bring a drag strip to Southern California. We’re still negotiating at this point, and doing some planning, but we know it will be in LA County.

I went to Irwindale one time, right after it opened. Now keep in mind, I’m a drag racing guy, but it wasn’t what I expected. They stepped it up somewhat from (what used to exist in) Saugus, and I thought some of the interest was lost. They brought in more competition, more professional people, which is okay, but it pushed out the other guys. You couldn’t go to your garage and build a car and expect to compete there.

Phil Martin, sales manager, Del West USA

Irwindale was the most famous paved short track in the area. And it was a NASCAR regional track. With that track gone, where do you get your future West Coast NASCAR stars? Where are those guys going to race? If Perris Auto Speedway is the dirt track hub in Southern California, then Irwindale was the paved hub.

Now, everybody will tell you – Southern California, that’s where racing started. But that’s not where it’s ending.

And finally, on a hopeful note…

Jim Liaw, founder and co-president, Formula DRIFT, in an official statement

There has been recent news regarding the status of Irwindale Speedway.  This situation is still very fluid and there is nothing definitive on the future of the facility or Formula DRIFT’s event there.  There are rumors ranging from full closure to “business as usual” with changes only to staff and their in-house NASCAR and drag racing events, again nothing is definitive.  The current issue from what we understand is between the facility operators and the property owners. Formula DRIFT will be monitoring the situation at Irwindale and will provide updates via our website and social media channels.  As we have proven in the past, no matter what happens, Formula DRIFT will be prepared.

- Jim Liaw, President and Co-founder of Formula DRIFT

When he’s not at the racetrack, Keen serves as vice president of his family’s business, Keen Transport, and its five operating trucking subsidiaries. Keen Transport has facilities in seven states, including Pennsylvania, where Keen works out of the Carlisle headquarters. That is, until he retires at the end of March, leaving him more time to – what else? – enjoy racing.

Part I of II

You keep leaving the sport, and coming back to it. Just can’t stay away?

Racing’s kind of like a magnet. You get hooked on it, you try to pull away from it, but eventually it always pulls you back.

Jesse Keen at the 2011 Kings Royal

Like it did in ‘08?

Back in the ‘80s, my brother and I owned a team that Randy Wolfe drove for. In 2008 he called me up and said, “My son Lucas is driving a Sprint Car. We’d like to run on the next level, do the World of Outlaws tour. Are you interested?”

2008. Start of the recession. Heck of a year to return to racing.

(Laughs and laughs). Couldn’t have picked a worse year. It wasn’t the recession so much as the price of diesel fuel. It was $5 a gallon. And then, in 2008, thirty percent of the races got rained out. We went to California and back without racing. It rained us out in California!

Today, everybody’s a weather guru with all the technology we have. People make sure you’re going to race before they buy tickets. So if it looks like it’s going to rain, you don’t get as big a crowd as a sunny day, even if you do run the race.

So it wasn’t the greatest experience.

World of Outlaws is the best in 410 racing, the best return per dollar spent on a per night basis. The problem is that tonight, that’s in Mechanicsburg (Pa.), and tomorrow it’s in Canada. Then five days later it’s in Minnesota. It’s the traveling, yeah, but it’s not so much the miles as the expense of the team and the motels. You’re going to have to have at least a crew of three. People say, “Hire those young guys. They won’t charge you hardly nothing.” Then you know what? That’s what you’ve got. Hardly nothing. Nighttime comes, they want to party, then in the next day, it’s time to race and they’re still feeling bad from the night before. A professional crew costs good money and you need a high quality crew.

In World of Outlaws, you’d better have somebody who hands you half a million dollars, and then you might make some money.

You also own a business, and your family is here in Central Pa. How do you keep a life going at home and attend to your team on the road?

As an owner of a WOO team, you need to like Internet racing. You’re really going to watch your race car on the computer. Or you’re going to be on the phone with your crew chief as he’s telling you what’s going on. Most WOO 410 Sprint Car owners probably watch their car 25 percent of the year. That’s just not of interest to me. With that kind of investment, I want to see my car race.

Jesse Keen with his 2011 driver, Tyler Walker, after No. 17 won at the 2011 Grandview Speedway

After 2008, then, you raced closer to home?

In 2009, ’10 and ’11, we did a combo, raced in Pennsylvania, traveled to Ohio, Florida, Iowa, to the Nationals, then did some all-star racing. I had two drivers (first Daryn Pittman, then Tyler Walker), who were fulltime racers. The fulltime racers want to race every chance there is. That’s how they earn a living. To do that, you have to travel. We went to a lot of races that cost me money, so the driver could make money. That’s not what I’m doing this year.

You’re done with fulltime racers and traveling.

That’s not what I’m doing this year. That’s not to say I’m done with it. (Laughs)

Keen Motorsports 2011 Car

There’s tons of guys out there looking for a ride. Owners like you must have your pick of a pretty big litter.

Yeah, you get lots of calls, especially as soon as they hear you are going to make a change. They’ll call even if they think you are not winning as much as you should. They want to put their names in the hat. The guys from Australia, they’ll call from down there saying they “want to put their names in the ringer.”

Brian Leppo and his son, Lawton, on Lawton's first trip to the pits

This year, 2012, your driver Brian Leppo has a fulltime job outside of racing, plus a wife and two children. That’s got to put the brakes on any racing wanderlust you still have.

This year, we’re going to race primarily in Pennsylvania – 70 races, and never venture more than 200 miles from home. I want to settle down and enjoy it a little more.

Next week: Jesse Keen talks more about Brian Leppo; explains what sponsors bring to a team; and reveals how much the whole darn thing costs, anyway.

You’re located in Central Pennsylvania, a hub of Sprint Car racing. Are you feeling the punch of a down economy, or is the sport still going pretty strong out there?

It’s always been popular out here. There are so many tracks – probably five or six in the area where we live (Harrisburg, Pa.). There are a lot of people who enjoy going to watch it, who remember when they went with their dad or mom. We get a diverse crowd, people of all ages, it’s really cool. William’s Grove has the Beer Hill gang, a bunch of kids that sit up on Beer Hill and watch the races. And then, it’s always a big party in the parking lot.

What makes a winning engine? How do you choose which parts to use?

Your customers want something that’s really capable of winning. It’s a fine line of juggling the most performance that you can out of an engine but still keeping it reliable. The stuff we put in there are the best parts we can possibly find.

A dyno at Rider Racing Engines

Why use Del West valves and valvetrain components?

Del West’s reputation speaks for itself. You guys have been the top of the valve industry for years. The parts are absolutely trouble-free. We’ve been using them for years and never had a problem with them.

Anything else you do that you think gives your shop an edge?

There are definitely some builders out there that are like production shops. Here, there are five employees that rebuild two motors a week. We spend a lot of time making sure everything’s right.

Tommy Rider, right, with Daryn Pittman at Williams Grove, July 2010

What’s your routine at the race track? Do you stay in the stands or go down to the track?

I’m always in the pits. I spend the night walking around, seeing to the teams and trying to help them out. If you want your business to do well, you need to spend some time keeping your customers happy.

How about in the shop? What’s the atmosphere like there?

Most of the time it’s relaxed. People stop in to hang out and see us a bit. We’ve got music playing. But if you’ve got ten hours of work to do, well, you just do it.

It’s not hard, manual labor. It’s very precise work – working within tenths of thousands of an inch sometimes. It’s not about trying to get as much done as you can in an hour. It’s about trying to make sure the work you get done is done right.

Questions for… Kurt Rutthoff

Rotthoff holds rear slick from Mario Andretti's 1994 Indy Car

If winning isn’t everything, what else are sponsors like Monster Energy Drink and Office Depot looking for?

Getting your sponsor mentioned is what matters. We find that it is not just the act of winning, but also leading laps and having experience. Leading laps allows a sponsor to be mentioned throughout the race and the more experience the driver has, the more they are discussed in the sport. Because sponsors want their brand to be recognized, they are looking for drivers that get their name mentioned.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Busch Motorsports

In other words, it’s all about exposure.

The sponsors are not looking for someone that is only going to be talked about in one or two races, They are looking for exposure throughout the season. Because of this, they value drivers that will be talked about in many different races.

Can being the son or brother of another NASCAR driver get you that kind of exposure right from the start?

We find that being [related to a NASCAR] driver only matters … if you are the son of a superstar.

For a few years now, fans have grumbled about the shrinking NASCAR rookie class. But the way you explain sponsorship, we can see how it would be pretty hard for a young driver to break in.

Rookies are risky. These sponsorship contracts are for huge amounts of money, tens of millions of dollars. Because they are huge, the sponsors want people who will win races, and who will get their sponsorships mentioned and who bring capital.

Rookies are unknown commodities, in a sport where the career length seems to be increasing with time. These days, drivers can make it longer in the sport. Safety devices in general mean less injuries, so there’s not as many people being pushed out as they get older. With an older driver, you know what you are getting. There’s more of a guaranteed outcome for the sponsors.

So how does a newcomer enter NASCAR these days? Is it simply not an option?

You have to make a splash. Danica Patrick is doing that this year because, in part, of her gender. I remember when Joey Logano came in, he was young and was the star of the season. He got some big sponsorship deals coming in.

Take Dale Earnhardt Jr. He’s talked about all the time in NASCAR; at the same time, he’s probably not the most successful driver of all time. Sponsoring him is about building the brand name capital.

The sponsors’ ultimate goal is to get mentioned. The drivers who can make that happen are few and far between. Everybody is looking for them.