TRAC DEBUTS 21ST CENTURY STOCK CARS
Three Prototypes Revealed to the Public at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Team Sports Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq: TSPT.OB) through its wholly owned subsidiary, Team Racing Auto Circuit (TRAC), debuted the prototypes of the three cars that the new league will run in the 2003 inaugural season. The three cars were unveiled with fanfare and a mock play-by-play by PRN Radio in a ceremony held in the garage area at Lowe's Motor Speedway with invited media and guests on hand.
TRAC National Spokesman and stock car legend, Cale Yarborough, presided over the festivities and commented: "These TRAC cars look great and handle even better. We are getting our first look at the 21st century stock car". The three prototypes are designed using a Kevlar composite body with a tubular steel chassis. All three prototypes have the same chassis, but have different body styles to more accurately resemble the American sports car. The cars are designed to be raced on oval courses, but can be raced at road courses with minimal modifications. TRAC will run a 600-625 horsepower, 7.0 liter, fuel-injected engine. The engines will be dyno-matched to ensure parity among the teams. The cars will utilize coil-over shocks, and the wheels will use center wheel nuts with safety latches. Teams will not be able to make adjustments to the body or the engine of the car. Teams will be able to make drivability changes to the car (e.g. shocks, springs, camber, sway bars, etc.). Riley & Scott used the highest safety standards in racing, the FIA standards; to make sure that the prototypes will be the safest stock cars ever built. Every part of the car was built with safety in mind, from the crush zones at the front and sides and lift-off prevention systems, to the driver's seat and cockpit. The air jacks are integral to the cars, which should reduce the number of crew members required to be over the wall during pit stops.
TRAC commissioned premier race car builder, Riley & Scott Race Car Engineering, to build their cars in October of last year at the company's Indianapolis headquarters. Since then, Riley & Scott has conducted wind tunnel testing in Virginia along with other tests at the 5/8th mile Indianapolis Raceway Park and last week at the 1.54 mile Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Bill Riley, Vice President for Riley & Scott, said: "We are thrilled with these cars. They have performed better than we expected in testing and have a real modern look to them. By starting with a clean sheet of paper for the chassis design, it was easier to incorporate a great deal of the current safety features available in racing today. The people at TRAC put this project in our hands about six months ago and we could not be prouder of our efforts. We are extremely excited to be involved in a project that we believe will have a dramatic impact on the way motorsports is run in the future." Riley worked on the project with his father, Bob Riley, who was named "America's most prolific and successful designer of race cars" by Car and Driver Magazine.
TRAC President and Chief Operating Officer, Jon Pritchett, stated: "We know that everything we do should reinforce the concept of a modern, 21st century, racing league designed to attract a broader base of fans. That's why we chose three of the most visually appealing car styles in America. Everybody loves a sports car!"
The league now sets its sights on closing a national television package as well as selecting the markets and owner/operators for the ten city league slated to begin in 2003.
Team Racing Auto Circuit (TRAC) is a newly formed national motor sports league debuting in 2003. By combining the best qualities of traditional motor sports with the best attributes of traditional team sports leagues, TRAC is creating a new and exciting form of stock car racing designed to reach the mainstream sports fan. Initially, the league will consist of ten, three-car teams that will be located in major U.S. cities with motor sports venues in the area. Each team will represent its city or region and will participate in a season long schedule of races, in addition to an all-star event and concluding with a season-ending championship race.
To learn more about Team Sports Entertainment and TRAC, please visit www.traczone.com.
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