News

(Photo by Malcolm White Photography) Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Sept. 16, 2015) – Tommie Estes Jr. made a name for himself as a gritty, tough competitor on the track. He has only added to that reputation since replacing his helmet with a headset. Estes Jr., who earned approximately 350 career sprint car feature victories during his 20-plus seasons as a racer, has developed into arguably the premier competition director in the country. The Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown welcomes...more

Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Sept. 1, 2015) – Tickets for the 2nd annual Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown are on sale. General admission seats are available for the marquee 410ci sprint car event, which will be held Jan. 1-2, Jan. 5 and Jan. 8-9, 2016, at Cocopah Speedway, by visiting the event’s new website – http://www.CocopahWinterHeat.com. “Ticket sales are now live and we’re excited to see many of the fans from last year return as well as new ones who’ve heard great things...more

(Photo by Lisa Dynes Photography) Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Aug. 19, 2015) – The 2nd annual Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown will feature the Big Al Sportsmanship Award, which will include a custom plaque for an outstanding individual. A driver, car owner or team representative who demonstrates the values shown by Al Tschider – known as Big Al in the racing community – will be selected as the recipient during the final night of the premier 410ci sprint car event at Cocopah...more

Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (July 2, 2015) – As the midpoint of the 2015 season arrives plans are going into effect for the newest marquee event of the offseason. The second edition of the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown, which is a prominent 410ci sprint car event that debuted at Cocopah Speedway in 2015, is only six months away. The 3/8-mile oval will host Winter Heat races on Jan. 1-2, Jan. 5 and Jan. 8-9, 2016, and will feature the same purse of approximately $250,000. The...more

Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (May 20, 2015) – The inaugural Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown proved to be an immediate success on the track at Cocopah Speedway last January. The event was an achievement away from the 3/8-mile oval as well. A recent study by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce showed that the local economy was boosted by $2.4 million during the five-race, nine-day event throughout the first two weeks of this year. That was approximately a quarter of the track’s $10.1...more

(Photo by Joe Orth Photos) Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (April 23, 2015) – The five drivers who scored a victory during the inaugural Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown last January have used the offseason event at Cocopah Speedway to springboard themselves into the 2015 season. Event champion Danny Lasoski, Paul McMahan, Aaron Reutzel, Steve Kinser and Kyle Larson have since combined to earn seven feature wins during the rain-plagued first part of the year. Reutzel has captured five...more

Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Feb. 23, 2015) – While the 2015 season recently kicked off, it’s not too early to plan ahead for the most exciting event of the offseason. The Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown will return in January of 2016 following a successful debut earlier this year at Cocopah Speedway. “We are working hard to continue the momentum of the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown,” Cocopah Speedway Director of Operations Greg Burgess said. “We had a great time this year...more

February 20, 2015 Phoenix, AZ: Something Old, Something New named the weekly column of old facts and new opinions of my late father, Bob Eckert of Allentown, PA. Barry Shultz and later Galen Koller were the editors who printed pop in Keystone Auto News from 1977-84. Father was so flattered by Barry’s offer that he never left despite allure of Area Auto Racing News in Trenton, NJ. Then as now, AARN is The Race Paper around dad’s Delaware Valley backyard. That his column stayed in one spot...more

(Bill W) January 14, 2015 – Following the “Winter Heat” event in Arizona, the Wayne Johnson Racing #77x team will take a brief respite in their Knoxville, Iowa headquarters. Racing in Florida heats up next month and the team will be back on the road. They found speed as the events at Cocopah Speedway near Yuma, Arizona went on last weekend. One place they couldn’t find any luck with was the draw. Wayne acknowledges that the team learned a lot on the trip. “We learned a lot with the KPC...more

(Photo by Malcolm White Photography) Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 13, 2015) – Shark Racing wrapped up the inaugural Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown at Cocopah Speedway last weekend. Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen combined to make the feature in all but two races, but it was an act of kindness that got the racing industry talking. Shark Racing loaned fellow Pennsylvania driver Ryan Smith an engine to compete during the final weekend after he endured a couple of mechanical...more