HOLLY, Mich. – After a three-month stretch plagued by rain, the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series presented by Engine Pro is finally getting to the proverbial “meat and potatoes” of its season.

The stretch run toward the championship kicks off Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25, with a doubleheader split between the rivaling states of Michigan and Ohio.

Aptly named Border Wars Weekend, the two-day sojourn will see the stars of Must See Racing visit the three-eighths-mile Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Mich., before journeying back south to the half-mile Sandusky (Ohio) Speedway for a matinee showing on Sunday in front of a new crowd for the series.

While Must See Racing has visited Owosso Speedway at least once every year since 2016, with the tour’s inaugural run at the track coming in the 2014 campaign, Sandusky joins the calendar for the first time.

A new crowd is a source of optimism for the series, as are two events on back-to-back days, after just three events being completed from May through the middle of August due to wet weather.

This weekend’s festivities mark the fourth and fifth races of the year, with Anthony McCune – the nephew of four-time defending series champion Jimmy McCune – leading the series into battle.

Anthony McCune heads the point standings by 14 markers over Charlie Schultz, who picked up his first Must See Racing win last year and is vying for his maiden series title this time around.

For Anthony to maintain his grip on the season lead, however, he’ll have to fend off an all-star field of drivers led by his uncle Jimmy, a three-time Owosso winner who most recently swept the two series stops at the facility in 2017 en route to his third of four championship trophies.

Also expected to attend the Border Wars double are title contender and Ohio favorite Schultz, two-time Owosso winner Brian Gerster; National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jeff Bloom; series veterans Tom Jewell and Jerry Caryer; and standout rookie driverss Joe Liguori, Bobby Komisarski and Jacob Dolinar.

On Saturday at Owosso, the pit gates open at noon, with hot laps for all divisions kicking off at 2 p.m. Qualifying rolls off at 5 p.m. and racing begins at the three-eighths-mile at 7 p.m.

Sunday at Sandusky, the pit gates for the Buckeye State Shootout open at 10 a.m., however hot laps won’t roll off until 2 p.m. local time. Qualifying follows at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 5 p.m.

The Midwest Compact Touring Series will join the Must See Racing sprints on both event cards, while the Owosso Speedway pure stocks also hit the track for the Saturday portion of the weekend.

ROCK HILL, S.C. – CORE Autosport will end its participation in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s DPi division at the conclusion of the season.

The news comes as Jon Bennett, the team’s owner and co-driver of the CORE Autosport Nissan DPi entry shared with Colin Braun, announced he is stepping down from his driving responsibilities at the end of the year.

“The 2019 Petit Le Mans will be my last race in a DPi,” Bennett said. “In fact, I have no racing plans of any kind in the near future. But, for those who know the power of being passionate, I will leave the door slightly ajar.

“The obvious question is why? The time has simply come for me. I have lived the dream of so many who are passionate about motorsport and it’s time to reflect and enjoy racing, once again, from outside the race car.”

CORE graduated from GT competition to the top prototype class in 2018, earning two victories at Road America and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Bennett and Braun ended the 2018 season ranked second in the division standings behind Action Express Racing’s Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr.

Despite the team’s departure from IMSA’s top class, Bennett indicated CORE will remain active in IMSA by fielding Porsche’s GT Le Mans program.

“I look forward to completing the 2019 season and returning next year as CORE Autosport’s team owner in pursuit of another IMSA GTLM Championship for our incredible partner, Porsche Motorsport,” Bennett said.

GLENDORA, Calif. – NHRA officials announced Thursday that Racing RVs, an Ohio company that specializes in new and used Semi-style motorhomes, has extended its agreement as the presenting sponsor of the NHRA Top Dragster and Top Sportsman national championships.

Drivers in the Top Sportsman and Top Dragster classes will be awarded points at various NHRA divisional events, the JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals, and at selected NHRA national events toward the annual year-end Top Dragster national championship and the annual year-end Top Sportsman national championship.

In the program, each champion in the Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com and the Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com classes earns $5,000 and the series runner-up claims $2,500. The two champions will receive their championship bonus purse, championship jacket, championship Wally trophy and championship ring while being recognized during the annual NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series awards ceremony.

Racing RVs has been working with NHRA to elevate these categories and expand their impact on the sport. This year, for the first time, the Top Dragster and Top Sportsman categories will compete at the iconic 65th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, thanks in part to the efforts of the team at Racing RVs.

“Racing RVs is proud to be a part of the NHRA,” said Racing RVs owner Joe Fisher. “Our business has been built because of racers and we are blessed to be able to give back in some small way to help our fellow sportsman racers with the Top Dragster and Top Sportsman national championships as well as being able to be a part of the first time Top Dragster and Top Sportsman will compete at the prestigious U.S. Nationals. This is one of the most exciting things we have been able to do with NHRA. Being a Top Dragster competitor myself and having a small part in getting these classes to compete at Indy is a dream come true.”

Additionally, a special Top Dragster Shootout and Top Sportsman Shootout presented by RacingRVs.com is held during the JEGS SPORTSnationals, September 20-22 at National Trail Raceway. In those shootouts, the winners in each class earn $1,000 and the runners-up receive $500.

“We are happy to continue this partnership with Racing RVs,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “We look forward to exciting racing action from these two very competitive categories.”

PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Trans-Am Series TA2 powered by AEM class has become a popular choice for up-and-coming NASCAR talent.

Combining the prowess of a purpose-built racing platform, relevant manufacturer power plants, and a rules package that focuses on excellent cost containment, the TA2 class represents an outstanding value platform in racing. With engines capable of lasting an entire season and cost control measures that allow drivers to fully focus on racing, not the financing of it, while showcasing their talents and skill.

Another force driving young talent to TA2 is Mike Cope Race Cars. This season Mike Cope Race Cars partnered with championship-winning NASCAR team Joe Gibbs Racing. In the last event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Florida-based team fielded a stable of cars which included several Joe Gibbs Racing drivers behind the wheel.

The Trans-Am event at Mid-Ohio was proof positive of this, as  drivers Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Riley Herbst and Justin Haley, all took part in the event to gain additional road course experience.

“We have a lot of driver training and driver coaching,” said team owner Mike Cope. “We have a lot of young drivers looking for a place to hone their road racing skills as they move up the NASCAR ladder, and they’ve chosen the Trans Am Series TA2 division to do it in. We’ve aligned ourselves with Joe Gibbs Racing and we are doing some good stuff with Ty Gibbs. The cost controlled approach of the TA2 class and the competition among the field is very attractive to these drivers.”

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East points leader Sam Mayer made his Trans Am debut earlier this season at Road Atlanta under the SLR/Fields Race banner where he qualified 12th in a very competitive 28-car field. The 15-year-old Midwesterner is a key member of Team Chevy’s Driver’s Edge Development program and made select starts in the ARCA Menards and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck series this season.

In effort to accelerate his career, NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver Derek Kraus joined the Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship TA2 roster at Sonoma International Raceway, winning his debut race after qualifying on pole with Shockwave Motorsports.

Another racer who pushed his development forward with his Trans Am outings was Justin Haley, who polished his road racing skills in the TA2 powered by AEM class with outings in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Haley claimed his maiden Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona Int’l Speedway earlier this season.

The roster for this weekend’s Ryan Companies Road America Classic is also shaping up to have several NXS drivers join the TA2 field. Bell and Haley will return with Mike Cope Race Cars. In addition, the team added Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Brandon Jones for the weekend. NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Natalie Decker will return to the Tony Ave tent, competing in the TA class.

“We firmly believe that the TA2 powered by AEM class is not only a tremendous value for the competitors, but it is also an outstanding platform from the competition side,” said Trans-Am President John Clagett. “We’ve attracted a lot of different kinds of racers to this class, and it is a testament to the structure of the class that some of the next guard of NASCAR racers are coming here as part of their development.”

For the TA2 regulars like points championship leader Marc Miller, the addition of rising NASCAR talents entering the class only adds to competition. Miller showed his unwavering talents at Mid-Ohio, topping the results.

“The TA2 class is one of the most competitive and challenging in the country,” said Miller. “We have a great mix of very quick young rising stars and pro drivers and at several races each season another crop of young drivers being groomed as future NASCAR champions jump into the fray. It makes the series always feel fresh and challenges us regulars to be pacesetters and not followers. I love the challenges this class brings.”

CONCORD, N.C. — As SPEED SPORT celebrates its 85th anniversary, I wonder…

Had the Internet not popped up and made it so that the breadth and depth of what SPEED SPORT offered on a weekly basis (which is a hoot because you’re reading this on the ‘Net!), where could the publication have gone?

Nobody covered the sport like we did. Sure, others tried, but no one had the reportage, the reach and the cachet that we did. SPEED SPORT went into NASCAR and went toe-to-toe with the old NASCAR Scene empire of Rob Griggs, and we gave as good as we got. We were on even keel with the Indy Car pubs in coverage, the sports-car rags in terms of their myriad classes and races, and even Formula One. Autosport knew we were in the building across the pond, too.

Where no one could touch us was national short-track racing. From Maine to California, Florida to Washington, we had it all. In the old days, when Editor Mike and I would pass out papers at a NASCAR race somewhere, Ken Schrader used to stalk us until we got to his trailer. If you didn’t have at least two copies on Tony Stewart’s hauler, he would send Jeff “Gooch” Patterson out to make sure they arrived.

My father, who was a subscriber from the mid-1960s on, used to leave his copy out where I could see it, and it soon began to be a battle as to who would read it first. He won, of course. My dad was a longtime contributor to SPEED SPORT as well, and he covered the Indy 500, Midwest NASCAR races and other events around our home in Indiana. It was a fantastic time for me, because I grew up working for him and he ended up being one of our reporters. We had some good times on the road, dad and I, and those are among my most treasured memories.

You can’t celebrate 85 years of SPEED SPORT without the man who made it work. Chris Economaki was, in all respects, a force of nature. Always on the move, if there was a rumor floating about his newsman’s nose would find it and have it in the book before anyone else knew it was a rumor. Of course, anyone who was anyone in the sport read his weekly column. When we went to computers, it was hysterical, because Chris would bang out his notes on half-sheets of typing paper and hand it to one of us to enter. That got old in a hurry, but nobody really minded once we got away from the old TRS-80 brick computers.

Once again, none of this was possible without the army (and I mean that!) of people who contributed. Photographers, correspondents, friends of friends…all of them were devoted to getting the news in on time.

The people who worked like maniacs seven days a week — because there weren’t eight, it seemed —were the real heroes. Guys like Ed Muzio and Mike Regina, who ran the cameras at the old base in New Jersey. Like Vince Robertiello and Walter Elliott, who typed thousands of stories and did everything we asked in the weekly slog toward publication. Like Anne Fornoro, who worked for SPEED SPORT before she became A.J. Foyt’s primary representative. When we moved down to North Carolina, the crew changed but the mission didn’t.

Of course, Corinne Economaki had a lot to do with the success of the paper/magazine when she became the publisher. A lifetime spent around the sport and her own qualities as a manager and businesswoman helped us modernize and adapt, and she was the spiritual leader of the group as well.

As the sport changes and adapts so does SPEED SPORT. I can honestly foresee a future in which SPEED SPORT, in some form, is still available in the year 2104, though I have no concept of how that will look (and I most likely won’t be around to see it!). Longevity is a gift, given to quality people and ideas. SPEED SPORT has a lot of both quality people and quality ideas, so I wouldn’t bet against it.

When 2104 comes around, if I’m still kicking, can a former associate editor get a complimentary copy?

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Last season didn't sit well with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

Unaccustomed to losing and no longer a rookie, Dahlin told The Associated Press on Thursday he feels better prepared and is far more driven to help transform the Sabres into contenders.

"I'm putting more pressure on myself. We're going to be a winning team and be in the playoffs," Dahlin said. "I think everyone is putting more pressure on ourselves now, and we're ready to go."

The first player selected in the 2018 draft is so eager to put last season behind him, he was among the first Sabres players to hit the ice at the team's practice facility, some three weeks before teams open training camp. He arrived in Buffalo from his native Sweden on Tuesday, and he would have been back in town a few days earlier if not for travel complications.

The Rookie of the Year finalist is motivated after how Buffalo unraveled immediately following a 10-game winning streak that had the team briefly sitting first in the overall standings at the end of November. The Sabres then won just 16 of their final 57 games to miss the playoffs for an eighth straight season, the NHL's longest active drought.

"We played so well in the beginning of the season, so that made you frustrated because we know how good we can play," he said. "Yeah, we're going to get something good going on here."

Expressing unhappiness and acknowledging frustration is new for Dahlin, who spent much of last season looking mostly at the bright side. When asked late last season if Buffalo's 49 losses (including overtime and shootouts) were the most he ever endured in one year, Dahlin smiled and responded by saying the team's 33 wins were also a season high for him.

A year ago, Dahlin was expressing hope he'd simply make the season-opening roster. Now he's begun to find his voice as a key member of the team.

"I feel more prepared. I feel more mature," said Dahlin, who turned 19 in April. "Like that one year of experience, I know what's coming this season. I feel more comfortable in my position."

He said he spent much of the summer adding weight and strength to better handle the rigors of an 82-game schedule and face elite opposition.

Dahlin's rookie season mirrored much of that of his team when it came to inconsistency. He had a goal and eight assists during the 10-game win streak, but he followed that with two goals and four assists over his next 17 games.

Though he led Sabres defenseman and finished third among NHL rookies with 44 points (nine goals, 35 assists), he closed the season with a goal and six assists in Buffalo's final 19 games.

Dahlin showed some rust Thursday when the usually smooth-skating player took a spill -- "Oh, yeah, I slipped," he said -- while being untouched at the blue line. He bounced back a few moments later when he drove in from the right point and converted Jason Pominville's no-look pass for a goal.

Declaring himself ready to go, Dahlin already had his first face-to-face meeting with new coach Ralph Krueger on Wednesday.

"He seems like a really good coach and a good man," he said of Krueger, who takes over after Phil Housley was fired following two subpar seasons.