From MM: The Illini Racing Series began it's 21st year of prodiving (sp) fun, affordable, competitive midget racing with it's annual winter rules meeting and discussion today at Hero's West Sports Bar in Joliet, Il.
A number of topics were discussed including the updated engine rules package as well as the release of our 2012 Scedule which includes the addition of Sycamore Speedway. It will be the first time in 30 years since midgets have raced at the historic Illinois oval, and they will test both the 1/4 mile and the 1/2 mile. The rule book will be posted on our web site, www.illiniracing.com.

2012 Illini Racing Series Schedule

Sun. April 29 Kankakee County Speedway 1/3 Dirt Practice
Sat. May 19 Grundy County Speedway 1/3 Pavement Practice (Rain date Sun,20th)
Sat. June 2 Grundy County Speedway 1/3 Pavement (w.STARS)
Sat. June 9 Sycamore Speedway 1/4 Dirt
Sat. June 23 Rockford speedway 1/4 Pavement
Fri. July 6 Kankakee County Speedway 1/3 Dirt
Sat. July 14 Grundy County Speedway 1/3 Pavement (w.STARS)
Sat. July 21 Rockford Speedway 1/4 Pavement
Sat. July 28 Sycamore Speedway 1/2 Dirt
Sat. August 4 Sycamore Speedway 1/4 Dirt
Sat. August 11 Grundy County Speedway 1/3 Pavement (w.STARS)
Sat. August 18 Rockford Speedway 1/4 Pavement
Sat. August 25 Grundy County Speedway 1/3 Pavement (w.STARS)
Sat. September 1 Grundy County Speedway 1/3 Pavement (w.STARS)
Sun. September 2 Grundy County Speedway 1/3 Pavement Tom Arthur Memorial
Fri. September 7 Kankakee County Speedway 1/3 Dirt
Sat. September 22 Madison International Speedway 1/4 Pavement
Sat. September 29 Rockford Speedway 1/4 Pavement

From TJslideways - Ian Loudoun Wins the Classic:

Saturday Preliminary Feature: 1. Craig Dollansky, 2. Kerry Madsen, 3. Ian Loudon, 4. Darren Pittman, 5. Brooke Tatnell, 6. Kyle Larson, 7. Garry Brazier, 8. Robbie Farr, 9. Jason Johnson...

Sunday Classic Feature: 1. Ian Loudon, 2. Craig Dollansky, 3. Kerry Madsen, 4. Grant Anderson, 5. Darren Pittman, 6. Robbie Farr, 7. Brooke Tatnell, 8. Shane Stewart, 9. Ian Madsen...18. Kyle Larson, 19. Jason Johnson...22. Jason Meyers

From Jayski:

Travis Pastrana has had no desire to get back on a motorcycle in the last couple of months as he tries to rehab his shattered right ankle. The action sports star competed in the Race of Champions in December, tested a car for the Rolex 24 At Daytona a couple of weeks ago and is scheduled to test a Nationwide Series car next week. "We'll start out with seven Nationwide races and that's kind of a let's see how we do, let's see what we need more work on," Pastrana, who doesn't need a brace on his foot to compete, said. "If we're running OK or if I can get sponsorship to keep running wherever we're running, we're going to keep trying to get seat time." Mike Greci will serve as his crew chief for both cars, which will come out of Michael Waltrip Racing. Because Pastrana is a Red Bull athlete and MWR has sponsor ties to 5-Hour Energy (as primary sponsor for Cup driver Clint Bowyer), it expected that the Nationwide team, known as Pastrana Waltrip racing, will undergo a name change.

From www: Richard Petty Motorsports will not renew Robbie Loomis’ contract for 2012.

Loomis, who was most recently listed as chief operating officer for RPM, first joined Petty Enterprises as a crew chief in 1991 at the end of the King’s driving career. Two years later, Rick Wilson jumped into the seat of the hallowed No. 43 followed by a variety of drivers — Wally Dallenbach Jr., John Andretti and Bobby Hamilton — all under Loomis’ watch. In 10 seasons and 274 starts as a crew chief at Petty Enterprises, Loomis guided his drivers to three wins.

loomis left after the 1999 season to join Hendrick Motorsports, where he enjoyed his greatest success. After Ray Evernham departed to start his own Cup operation, Loomis assumed the crew chief role for Jeff Gordon in 2000. The following season, Gordon won his fourth Cup title.

After the 2005 season, Loomis returned to Petty Enterprises in a supervisory role for the next three years. At the end of 2008, it was announced that Petty would join forces with Gillett Evernham Motorsports and was rebranded RPM for 2009.

Kasey Kahne provided the King with his first trip to Victory Lane in a decade when the No. 9 Dodge won at Sonoma and again in Atlanta. However, the mismanagement of RPM by team owner George Gillett and his son Foster led to the organization’s financial collapse in 2010.

Andrew Murstein, Petty and Doug Bergeron purchased the assets of RPM, and the organization cut back to two teams for the 2011 season.

However, the competition side of RPM, which has been under Loomis’ direction during past three seasons, has produced just three wins in 360 starts and one Chase for the Sprint Cup berth by Kahne in his last full season in the No. 9. Last year, Marcos Ambrose won at Watkins Glen but finished 19th in the standings. AJ Allmendinger, whom Petty recommended to Penske Racing knowing that RPM could no longer afford the driver’s contract, drove the No. 43 Ford to 15th in the point standings.

“I’m taking some time off,” Loomis said. “My contract was up in December and I’m looking to explore what’s next. Richard is still family — so is everyone else at Richard Petty Motorsports. The future is exciting because it’s unknown, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty in what the future brings.”

Loomis wouldn’t acknowledge whether he would continue on as a consultant for the team but added that he’d “do anything to help Richard Petty Motorsports be in a better place.” But with Best Buy pulling out of RPM and Smithfield signing up for a limited schedule on the No. 43 Ford, it has become increasingly clear the company could no longer afford Loomis’ reported seven-figure salary.

“Obviously, what we saw in December there had to be some corrections to make everything continue on to move forward,” Loomis said. “As we do that, I’ll do anything I can to help them move forward at the same time I’m looking at future opportunities down the road.”

While no successor for Loomis has been appointed, Sammy Johns, RPM’s director of operation, is more than capable of overseeing the competition department, considering he has 20 years of racing experience.

FROM NASCAR: CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- How much technology is too much?

Jeff Gordon recognizes that NASCAR racing, of necessity, has embraced technological enhancements, but he would be loath to go too far down that path.

"If you look at other forms of motorsports and the evolution of technology -- and I mention Formula One -- yes, we're behind them in technology and cost and all these things, and I think it's a good thing," Gordon said Saturday after a press conference at the NASCAR Hall of Fame celebrating DuPont's 20-year sponsorship of his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

"We're heading in that direction, because that's just evolution. It's going to happen. Once you learn, and you create knowledge, you can't take it away. In Formula One, what's important? Qualifying. Qualifying becomes extremely important, because it's almost impossible to pass. Strategy, and how you strategize your pit stops. Speed of pit stops. And I'm saying that's the extreme. That's where we're headed."

In a question-and-answer session after his induction into the Hall of Fame on Friday night, eight-time champion crew chief Dale Inman addressed the current parity in NASCAR racing.

"It's hard to believe how sensitive these cars are, and my hat's off to them [current crew chiefs], because they've just about got them so fast they can't race them," Inman said.

Gordon thinks he knows how to keep the action in stock car racing, and his solution grew out of a successful test at Daytona earlier this month, where NASCAR experimented with smaller spoilers, larger restrictor plates and a reshaped shark fin running from the roof to the spoiler.

"I'm so encouraged right now after that Daytona test [with] that little tiny spoiler and seeing the speeds that we're running and the shark fin and the restrictor-plate that I'd like to see us get downforce off the cars in general," Gordon said. "If we don't start to do some of that, then we are continuing to head towards that direction of high-tech downforce cars that you don't see any passing.

"I think that, if we continue to add downforce to the cars, we're going to see less and less passing at the race track. The less downforce you have, the more passing you're going to see. If it works at Daytona, why can't it work somewhere else? I may be shooting myself in the foot by saying that, but I think it's something that we might need to look at."

That said, Gordon has no quarrel with the quality of racing in the Sprint Cup Series, which he thinks is excellent.

"I think our racing's still unbelievable," Gordon said. "There are still days when cars come from the back to the front, and that's because of our high-banked oval tracks. I think it's important for us to look at every aspect, from the track to the tires, aerodynamics, horsepower -- all those things.

"But there's no doubt that the competition has been brought closer, and I don't think that's ever going to change. It's only going to get tighter and closer."

Gordon's thoughtful commentary on the direction of the sport followed a more lighthearted session in which he and seven-time champion Richard Petty reminisced about the 1992 season finale at Atlanta -- Gordon's first Cup race and Petty's last -- and the race that gave Alan Kulwicki his Cup championship.

Petty remembered Gordon as "a little pipsqueak who looked like he was about 14 years old."

"He had this little moustache, and I couldn't tell if it was drawn on with a magic marker," Petty said.

"Just trying to be like you, King," Gordon retorted.

Gordon and Petty also can boast the two longest-lived continuous sponsorships in Cup racing, Gordon with DuPont and Petty with STP. During the press conference, Gordon unveiled a new paint scheme, designed by artist Sam Bass, that will adorn his car for the 14 races in which DuPont serves as primary sponsor.

The AARP Foundation's Drive to End Hunger will serve as the primary for 22 races, and Pepsi will be on the hood of the No. 24 for two events.