Nitro Rallycross, the disruptive new motorsport created by moto icon Travis Pastrana (USA) and action sports authority Nitro Circus, revealed the location and dates for its 2022/23 season finale. With Pastrana battling heavy hitters Robin Larsson (SWE), Andreas Bakkerud (NOR) and more for the Group E title, Nitro RX will return to LA’s legendary Glen Helen Raceway on March 17-19 for a doubleheader weekend to crown its series champion.

Glen Helen has hosted Nitro RX before, as its steep hills and banked turns are ideally suited for Nitro RX’s brand of fast and furious racing. Most recently, Glen Helen put on a thriller last October that went down to the wire, with the top six cars crossing the finish line just three seconds apart.

Now for the 2022/23 finale, Nitro RX is running it back on the best dirt track of the season. The Group E championship will come down to this event, which as a full doubleheader has even higher stakes. It will also feature evening racing under the lights, as well as incorporate track upgrades, additional festival elements and new entertainment to be announced. Fans can also enjoy Nitro Circus shows, where premier action sports athletes will show off their daredevil skills.

Pastrana said, “Holding the season finale at Glen Helen Raceway is awesome for the series because the track is wide and flowing which provides great passing opportunities. And last October was the closest racing of the series. Also, on a personal level, I raced my first outdoor national motocross event there when I was 16 years old and the facility is iconic in motorsport.”

Pastrana added, “We aren’t just coming back – we’re doubling down on the action sports entertainment, including Nitro Circus shows along with more fun for everyone in the family.  And, racing under the lights in Phoenix was such a hit, we are adding that element to the championship to create even more excitement for fans.”

In addition to the electrifying action of Group E, rough-and-ready Side-By-Sides will return, featuring a number of big names in UTV racing. Prior U.S. rounds have included the likes of moto legends Brian Deegan and Robbie Maddison, off-road champion BJ Baldwin, three-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winner Robin Shute, the dirt track debut of action sports star Leticia Bufoni, and more.

The next generation of drivers will also be on display in NRX NEXT as the world’s best up-and-coming talent face off to determine the winner of Nitro RX’s North American leg.

After a holiday break, Nitro RX resumes next weekend in Canada for a pair of races on treacherous snow and ice, first at Quebec’s Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières on January 20-21, followed by Calgary’s Stampede Park on February 4-5. These intense battles – both for the checkered flag and against the elements - will set the stage for the 2022/23 series finale at Glen Helen.  

Wide-Open Field:

Entering the new year, Larsson – with two Nitro RX wins and five podiums so far – holds the lead in Nitro RX’s top Group E class. But the fight for the championship trophy is still very much up grabs: Bakkerud along with rising star Fraser McConnell (JAM) are right on Larsson’s heels in second and third place respectively, while just behind them Oliver Eriksson (SWE) remains in the hunt.

Defending his 2021 title, Pastrana also cannot be counted out (after missing the podium at Nitro RX’s first two European rounds, Pastrana scored an empathic victory in Nitro RX’s American kickoff).

Pastrana said, “During the first six rounds, four different drivers have raised the trophy and nine have made the podium. That’s amazing – it shows just how skilled this roster is across the board. At each race, every driver has an opportunity to win. In terms of our chance to repeat as champion, we’ve got some work to do. But a doubleheader final offers an even bigger opportunity to move up the table. This is still anyone’s ballgame.”

Experience It Live:

Tickets to Nitro RX’s 2022/23 championship are available now via an Early Bird pre-sale at nitrorallycross.com (passcode: NRXFAM). The public on sale begins tomorrow - Friday, January 13 - at 10am.

General admission tickets will be available in both single-day ($20 for Friday; $25 for Saturday and Sunday) as well as weekend ($50) options. VIP Club Nitro RX passes will also be available ($100 for Friday; $125 single-day on Saturday and Sunday; $300 for weekend). RV camping passes can also be purchased. All prices plus additional taxes and fees. More information on Club Nitro RX’s premium amenities is detailed below.

Nitro Circus DNA:

Combining the intense competition of rallycross with the big air excitement of Nitro Circus, Nitro RX is truly where cars fly and tracks thrill. Claiming the coveted series championship not only requires beating the stacked driver field, but also tackling Nitro RX’s massive purpose-built courses. Inspired by motocross, these feature huge jumps, steep sand berms and high banked corners.  

Electrifying Performance:

In its revolutionary all-electric FC1-X, Nitro RX has a car that is up to these challenges. The most powerful vehicle in rallycross, the FC1-X is capable of producing the electric equivalent of 1,070 peak horsepower (800 kW), and can accelerate from 0-60 in just 1.4 seconds as it launches off the line faster than an F1 car.

Immersive Fan Experience, Off-Track Fun:

With its unique open paddock layout, Nitro Rallycross offers fans an immersive atmosphere where they can get a behind-the-scenes look at the teams, drivers and cars. It includes the all-new Nitro RX fan experience, which features an entertainment stage featuring live music, as well as a gaming zone, a concession area with local food trucks and an electric RC activation. 

The event will also feature a fan autograph session, open to all attendees, that allows fans to meet the world’s leading drivers in person.

Southern California fans can enjoy special amenities with the Club Nitro RX VIP Experience. Highlighted by a private trackside viewing location and exclusive Club Nitro RX area, this premium package gets fans closer to Nitro RX than ever before.

Event partners for the Nitro RX 2022/23 season finale include A SHOC Energy, Yokohama Tire, Smirnoff Smash, Insta360 and myenergi. 

 Luca Mars will make his Rolex 24 at Daytona debut in the LMP3 class with JDC-Miller MotorSports co-driving their #85 entry in the twice around the clock classic!

This not only marks the 16 year old rising star's first foray into the biggest North American sports car race of the year, but also his debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The chance for Luca to run with the JDC-Miller MotorSports team was something not to be passed up when the call came. While the team has a long history in nearly every major class in IMSA, including running the LMP3 in Prototype Challenge and WeatherTech in 2022, they are best known for competing at the top tier of the sport in the DPi class and soon the LMDH class in their Porsche 963.

Luca Mars: "I have to give a huge thanks to the guys at JDC-Miller MotorSports for working hard to help get me in the LMP3 car to compete in my first Rolex 24 race at Daytona. To work with a team of their caliber at the biggest race of the year is really exciting!"

John Church: "We are very excited to work with Luca! We have watched his career develop over the last few years and we are excited to have him in the Daytona lineup. We see good things coming for Luca."

Hot off of a successful test at Daytona just last week in their Duqueine DO8, the team brings a package to Daytona that they are confident in and comfortable with. The team also has had very impressive runs at Daytona recently in the DPi class where in 2022 they qualified P1, finished P2 in the Roar Before the 24 and eventually finished on the Podium in the Rolex 24.

John Church: "Our team brings a lot of experience to this effort. With the success we've had here in DPi the last few years combined with having our Prototype Challenge crew put our LMP3 car on Pole here last year, we are very confident in our crew and team."

Mars will be pulling double duty at Daytona combining the WeatherTech effort with his recently announced IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge program with KohR Motorsports. Both programs kick off at the Roar Before the 24.

Luca Mars: "I'm really looking forward to experiencing my first 24 and I hope we can bring home a win! It will be a very busy couple of weeks between Pilot Challenge and WeatherTech but I'm confident that we have great teams in both paddocks and I'm ready to learn all I can from both of them."

Race for RP continues their involvement with Luca, coming on board for the Rolex 24 in addition to their long standing support of his IMPC effort.

Lucas Oil Products rings in the new year by celebrating its 15th annual title sponsorship of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Presented by General Tire, at the Tulsa Expo Raceway located inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The beloved quarter-mile clay track contest, now in its 37th year, attracts elite drivers from stock car, open wheel, late models and drag racing, making the Chili Bowl a rare single event where fans can see their favorite athletes from across motorsports compete on the same track in an action-packed, exceptional face-off. The annual championship event will air live on MAVTV Motorsports Network and stream live on MAVTV on FloRacing on Saturday, January 14 at 10:30 p.m. EST with an encore presentation airing on MAVTV Motorsports Network on Sunday, January 15. 

“The coveted Golden Driller trophy represents so much of what we love about racing,” said Scott McLemore, Director of MAVTV Programming and Production. “Hoisting up that trophy as the Chili Bowl champion has been the start of many legendary racing careers, and we are incredibly fortunate to be able to share those stories with fans through our title sponsorship as well as the MAVTV Motorsports Network and our live streaming partner FloRacing. It’s a racing event like no other, elite drivers versus upstart amateurs, and an exceptional kick-off to the 2023 racing season.” 

Exceeding 300 entries for the ninth consecutive year, this year's Chili Bowl Nationals is expected to be another record setting event. Drivers include 46 former A-Feature starters, 62 Chili Bowl Rookies and a growing number of international competitors including Michael Pickens, the nine-time New Zealand Midget Champion. 

"The Chili Bowl is one of my favorite racing events of the year - it's thrilling to see newcomers and legends from across motorsports compete in the nation's heartland," said Brandon Bernstein, Director of Partnership Marketing at Lucas Oil. "Not only does the Chili Bowl give motorsports fans some much-needed wintertime racing excitement, but it also sets the tone for the racing season to come. Every team wants to kick off the year with the Golden Driller in the trophy case." 

Fans not able to attend the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire can watch every lap live plus behind the scenes coverage on MAVTV on FloRacing. The broadcast starts January 9 with coverage of qualifying and runs until the championship events on January 14. MAVTV Motorsports Network will air a special encore presentation of the race on January 15. Local air times available at MAVTV.com.

People lie, cheat, steal and even kill for a variety of reasons, one of which is to go motor racing, a particularly expensive and egotistical sport. This intriguing book, the result of years of research, encompasses not just those who have been ‘driven to crime’ in order to pay for their sport but also characters within motor racing who have been involved in wrongdoing, sometimes through no fault of their own. 

• Stories of motorsport chicanery from all over the world, including:

• Fraud: Southern Organs (lay preachers who faked suicide and hid on a remote Scottish island); Jerry Dominelli (a Ponzi scheme that funded top-level racing Porsches); Jean-Pierre Van Rossem (self-styled stock-market guru who bankrolled an F1 team); Dominic Chappell (serial bankrupt racer brought down after purchasing a British department store); David Thieme (the Lotus sponsor who vanished).
• Murder: David Blakely (the driver killed by his lover Ruth Ellis); Franco Ambrosio (F1 sponsor of Shadow and Arrows); Elmer George (American racer who married into Indy ‘royalty’); Ricardo Londoño-Bridge (Colombia’s first F1 driver); Mickey Thompson (1960s American drag-racing icon); Nick Whiting (casualty of the biggest gold bullion heist in British history). 
• Swindles: James Munroe (accounts manager who embezzled his way to a racing McLaren F1 GTR); Lord Brocket (jailed for staging the theft of his classic cars, including Ferraris); Andrea Harkness (stripper who ripped off NASCAR).
• Drugs: Ian Burgess (sometime British F1 racer); Randy Lanier (drug-smuggling IMSA champion); John Paul Sr. and Jr. (talented son dragged into a racing father’s drug-running); Vic Lee (super-successful team owner with a dodgy transporter); the Whittington brothers (more misdeeds in IMSA circles).
• Other misdemeanors: Roy James (Great Train Robbery getaway driver); Bertrand Gachot (jailed after road rage in London); Juan Manuel Fangio (kidnapped by Cuban rebels in 1958); Colin Chapman (the unresolved ‘DeLorean Affair’); ‘Spygate’ (Ferrari design secrets passed to McLaren).

The global edgy and artistically fashion forward backpack and streetwear brand Sprayground, is pulling up to the races in an unforgettable collection with the iconic sportscar company Porsche that’ll be sure to spark a sense of adventure. This collection, which includes a backpack and a duffle bag, pays homage to the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera. The design captures the purist and timeless aesthetics of this classic sportscar, combined with Sprayground’s eclectic and unique style design, including its collectible art-piece shark mouth design. Sprayground and Porsche have created the perfect travel flex with this collection, showcasing functionality and quality, while still bringing the essence of adventure to the forefront. The design also encompasses vibrant colors of turquoise, orange, yellow and red, with classic comic additions like the speech bubble, dollar signs and cartoon smoke. Sprayground created astriking and ground-breaking collection for fans of the German sportscar brand and streetwear fashion enthusiasts.

Sprayground is known for its artistic and bold collections from Star Wars and Avatar, to Formula 1 and the NBA. This new uniquely-designed collection in partnership with Porsche will be no different. This exclusive collection will be released across Porsche Dealerships globally this month. Visitwww.sprayground.com or @sprayground, for more updates on any upcoming projects.

For the past two years, MAHLE Powertrain has worked with INDYCAR to develop an innovative, first-of-its-kind hybrid system for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to provide on-demand acceleration at the driver’s request.

With several milestones now met by MAHLE Powertrain, INDYCAR, in collaboration with Chevrolet and Honda Performance Development, will provide continued development and production of the hybrid system in time for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

The new hybrid system is an important extension of the INDYCAR’s objective to be the most sustainable motorsports series in the world. In 2023, the series will use 100% renewable race fuel in its race cars, while the teams' support transporters will use 100% renewable diesel fuel as they move from their race shops to the event circuits. The hybrid system developed by MAHLE Powertrain demonstrates how innovative technology can also help the wider transportation and industrial sectors achieve their decarbonization goals.

“We are delighted to have supported the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to develop the new push-to-pass hybrid system,” said MAHLE Powertrain Managing Director Hugh Blaxill. “We’re particularly appreciative of the expertise and support we have received from INDYCAR, HPD and Chevrolet during the system’s development, much of which took place during the significant global supply chain issues that demanded even closer collaboration between ourselves, the entire INDYCAR team and our suppliers to help resolve.

“I would like to thank the MAHLE Powertrain team for their hard work and dedication to reaching this milestone, and we look forward to watching the hybrid system perform on track to deliver the exciting racing that INDYCAR fans enjoy.”

INDYCAR President Jay Frye said: “We appreciate the innovative solution initiated by MAHLE Powertrain and their hard work in the development of our new hybrid system. We are also grateful for Chevrolet and HPD, as well as the INDYCAR team, for their close collaboration in this important project and continued work as we proceed toward implementation for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.”

The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will begin Sunday, March 5 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Coverage will be available on NBC and simulstreamed on Peacock. Coverage also will be available from the INDYCAR Radio Network with audio available on the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.