“Texas Trey” Mitchell takes top honors in the 2010 ARBodies.com Most Popular Driver contest
January 22, 2011
According to the contest organizers, over 40,000 race fans voted in the 2010 edition of the Speed51.com ARBodies.com Late Model Most Popular Driver contest and after the votes were tabulated, “Texas Trey” Mitchell was declared the winner.
Trey Mitchell in his PASS SLM
The obviously popular Mitchell will receive a brand new ABC “Package A” kit from ARBodies.com for winning the contest. ARBodies are among the most sought after stock car racing bodies in the racing industry and are worth nearly $3.000.00.
“It feels good to know that so many people from all over the country voted for me,” Mitchell said. “We came pretty close to winning last year, but I am proud to say that a Texan won it with another Texan, JT Schild, among the top three. I just want to thank everyone for taking the time to vote for me and JT.”
Trey Mitchell
For the past two seasons the personable Wimberley, Texas, native has run up near the front in the PASS South Super Late Model Series, finishing a strong fifth in the 2010 final PASS point standings despite running one less race than the rest of the drivers who finished in the top ten. While it’s only on paper, if Mitchell had been able to compete in the all 13 PASS events and earned his average points (213 points per race) for the missed race, he would have won the PASS South Super Late Model championship by 39 points.
Mitchell caught the racing bug at fourteen, competing in four races in his Allison Legacy Mitchell Motorsports ride at the very end of the 2004 season at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas, not far from his hometown of Wimberley. In spite of his brief season, he proved a quick learner and was named the “Most Improved Driver” in the series that year.
With the racing bug fully implanted, in 2005 Trey started his first full racing season in style by breaking the track record in the Allison Legacy season opener at Red River Speedway in Wichita Falls, Texas. Although 2005 saw no wins, he was in the lead pack all season with seven second-place finishes – more than good enough to win the coveted “Rookie of the Year” honors.
In what many saw as a daring move, the 16-year old made a huge jump to the highly-competitive asphalt Pro Modified division in 2006. The move took him from a relatively calm 120 horsepower scale-model stock car to a fire-breathing, low-slung , open- wheel modified, but it didn’t take the high school athlete-scholar very long to learn the ropes. In fact - and to most everyone’s astonishment - the youngster recorded a win in his rookie season at one of the most demanding, half-mile, high-banked tracks anywhere – San Antonio Speedway - making him the youngest winner ever in the Texas-based Pro Modified division. With that impressive notch in his belt, Mitchell was named “Rookie of the Year” for the second year in a row.
The following season, Mitchell raced his Pro Modified at Houston Motorsports Park, picking up three wins, six top 5’s and 9-top 10’s in 12 starts at the 3/8-mile concrete and asphalt oval, almost winning the championship except for a costly wreck during the season finale.
Mitchell, who combines his studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with his racing career, says he will be putting his new ARBody to good use in 2011.
“We are planning on running the whole PASS South schedule this season – this time without missing a race,” Mitchell said. “We have a great team and the best part is that we have learned a whole lot about all the tracks that were new to us over the past couple of season. To me the PASS Super Late Model Series is the best Super Late Model group in the country with a first-class group of drivers and teams. Like a lot of other drivers, I hope to move up the racing ladder - paying my dues along the way - and eventually land a ride in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, so the awesome experience I am gaining now is invaluable.”
For more information about Trey and opportunities to be part of his 2011 racing efforts, check out Trey’s website at http://www.treymitchellracing.com.
by Nick Holt, Lone Star Speedzone
Photos courtesy of Trey Mitchell Racing
Thunderhill Raceway expands its operations with new business ventures
January 10, 2011
The season opener for stock car racing at Thunderhill Raceway is only a couple of months away and the future for this racing venue looks promising. Mary Ann Naumann, Thunderhill Raceway’s Owner and Promoter, has been looking at ways to expand the operations at this 3/8-mile asphalt oval track.
Mary Ann Naumann (Photo by June Boone)
“We had already made a couple of big announcements over the past few months about the future of the track, and now we get to add some more excitement to the pile,” stated Naumann.
“At a drivers’ meeting in October, we had announced that Thunderhill Raceway had been selected for a non-scripted TV series by two producers from Los Angeles,” commented Naumann. “Not long afterward, we announced our agreement to become a NASCAR-sanctioned track with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and our partnership with Houston Motorsports Park in naming the NASCAR Modifieds as the feature division at both tracks.”
The latest plans for Thunderhill Raceway include the introduction of a new business venture – On Track Experience LLC dba NasKart Racing Experience. NasKart rentals will be offered to the general public at Thunderhill Raceway when the track is not in use for stock car racing or other events. Known as “Arrive and Drive,” racing enthusiasts can rent powerful Honda GX 270 powered NasKarts and get the thrill and excitement of real side-by-side racing on Thunderhill’s 3/8-mile paved oval.
The NasKarts go three-wide entering turn one at Thunderhill Raceway
On Track Experience will supply the drivers with all of the safety gear, including gloves, helmet, driving suit and neck brace. Each driver must be at least 16 years old and must have a valid Driver’s License.
In addition to offering individual kart rentals, On Track Experience will also host corporate events to provide an opportunity for companies to entertain clients, reward vendors, build sales relationships and teach team-building skills. “Arrive and Drive” league racing will also be available weekly. Participation in League Racing will be limited to drivers who have completed the NasKarts High Performance Racing School and have qualified for their required Competition License.
Gary Smith, who is the Managing Partner for On Track Racing Experience, feels that this new business is a perfect fit for the racing environment at Thunderhill Raceway.
“The NasKart Racing Experience will be a less-intimidating, less-expensive way to race,” commented Smith. “You’ll have an opportunity to experience the thrill of close, side-by-side racing on a real NASCAR-sanctioned track without having to buy and maintain expensive racing equipment. It’s like racing at Talladega (track used for NASCAR Sprint Cup races) in your own backyard.”
Plans are also underway to use the facility for community events, such as cook-offs, concerts, monster truck shows, car shows, etc., on non-race weekends. “Thunderhill Raceway has been an underutilized facility, and now we feel we can help expand it into a full-time operation,” added Smith.
These new opportunities for the facilities at Thunderhill Raceway have provided a way to secure a five-year lease agreement for the track facility.
“I’m very excited about all of the opportunities that are on the horizon for 2011 and beyond,” said Naumann. “Most importantly, racers can build their race cars knowing that they will have a place to race for many years, and our race fans can also be assured that stock car racing will be here in the local area for quite a while.”
Thunderhill Raceway is a 3/8-mile, D-shaped asphalt oval track that’s located at 24801 IH-35, Kyle (TX), just north of San Marcos and south of Austin, at Exit #210 (Yarrington Road), just behind the Roger Beasley Hyundai dealer (formerly ThunderZone). Information on Thunderhill Raceway may be found on the track website at www.thunderhillraceway.com.
by Debbie Williams, Thunderhill Raceway PR
Ms. Naumann’s photo by June Boone
Neil Upchurch, Texas racing icon, announces his retirement after 53 years in the sport
January 6, 2011
With the completion of the 35th consecutive Texas Pro Sedans racing season, I am hereby notifying all concerned of my full retirement from racing and working in behalf of TPS.
Neil Upchurch at his last race as TPS Race Director, October 10, 2009
For 53 years, I’ve been involved at all levels of auto racing. I tried to retire after the 1997 season, but returned to TPS when I felt it was essential to assure the continuance of TPS. I announced at the 2009 TPS Awards Dinner that I was stepping down from the position of TPS Race & Administrative Director, but would continue during the 2010 season as the TPS Administrative Director in the interest of organizational continuity, which I did throughout the 2010 racing season.
I have worked tirelessly to solicit sponsors to supplement and increase TPS race purses. Frequently sponsor searches proved fruitless. I worked hard to promote, arrange and pay to repair lacking TPS purses due to reduced pit gate payments to TPS during past seasons.
To insure my fiduciary responsibility and the legal management of the TPS Treasury, I have refunded all 2011 member dues, but will continue my TPS work until the 2010 TPS IRS return is completed after-which, I will not do future Texas Pro Sedans work.
I understand that CCS owner Dan Monroe and TPS Race Director David Mackey have negotiated a schedule in principle for several race dates and that David has sent a contract to Dan Monroe and that TPS racing at CCS depends upon prompt contract signing by Dan. TPS car owners have been advised they should wait for David’s notification of the signing before spending money on their cars. Approval of a 2011 TPS race schedule at CCS rests with Dan Monroe and is TPS’s only chance for a 2011 racing season solely at CCS. I won’t see any of the races, but I support TPS Driver’s and CCS’s joint arrangement next season.
I sincerely hope, but seriously doubt that local area racing can recover and exist as it once did. It distresses me to see car owners and drivers having to pay more, travel more to race at tracks and then compete for small purses usually made only from a percentage of their own pit pass purchases or worse, no percentage at all. Racing veterans can remember a time when tracks actually promoted and advertised the sale of admission tickets and compensated racers for providing the show and attraction from part of track ticket and concession sales. I do understand that tracks face economic problems, but so do the car owners, drivers and crews. Perhaps the public is no longer a willing customer to buy admission tickets to fund local track operations. It has become easier for some tracks to exist by simply selling expensive pit passes than by working, promoting and advertising to increase their spectator sales base. Today’s racing reminds me of buying an amusement ticket on a carnival ride. The only difference is that racers bring their amusement ride (their own cars) to the carnival.
When TIDA-LM ceased operations thirteen years ago, I wrote “We have witnessed the gradual degradation of our sport, at the local level. We have seen local tracks closing or losing their fan base, car counts and profit potential. Minor league local racing simply cannot compete with Saturday night FREE televised NASCAR races. It’s not even a fair fight. Most local tracks just go dark on NASCAR race nights. Some tracks even naively pay 10% of their purses to NASCAR for affiliation membership sanction fees and to purchase higher priced NASCAR insurance. The big dog continues to eat more of its own puppies”.
The proudest thing I’ve done in sports has been to dedicate 53 years of my life to our sport of auto racing. I very much appreciate all of the fine people who either worked with or for me. They all know who they are. I’m thankful for the support of the loyal members of Texas and TIDA Pro Sedans, the TIDA Late Model Series and Texas World Speedway’s Texas Race of Champions and Texas Grand Prix participants and all of our generous, but hard to acquire sponsors. I sincerely thank all of the fine people from my driving days. I thank all of my co-owners, co-drivers, crew people and sponsors who helped me own and drive many great race cars for more than 20 years.
As I have been doing for the past eleven years, I plan to continue working in San Antonio high school football as the PA Announcer at Heroes Stadium and the Alamodome.
My racing career is over. It has been quite a ride. I have enjoyed almost every mile of it. I won’t be seeing you around the tracks in the future. If you have time in your race through life, please stay in touch with me, say hello and remember this “old racer”, who I sincerely believe, worked hard for the good of our sport of Texas auto racing.
Thanks to all of you.
Signed Neil Upchurch
Founder, Driver, Race Director, Administrative Director - Texas Pro Sedans, TIDA Pro Sedans, TIDA-LM’s and TWS
By Neil Upchurch
Photo by Tory Christopher
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