After 40 starts at Newcastle Motorsports Park in the Kart Racers of America (KRA) series, Bellefontaine student Jerome Wickham has taken home his first win in the Cadet class.

Wickham has been a strong competitor all season, posting four pole positions and seven top-five finishes in the first 12 races.

On Sunday, starting from third on the grid, he moved into second by lap 5 and bided his time, carefully sizing up the leader on the 0.8-mile track.

Knowing he had the advantage in three corners but limited opportunities to pass, Jerome made his decisive move in the final, high-speed turn at 57 mph.

With a well-timed push from the third-place kart, he slipped past the leader on the outside and crossed the finish line just 0.2 seconds ahead.

The top three karts recorded fastest laps separated by only 0.01 seconds.

Jerome now prepares for the biggest challenge of his young racing career: the CKNA Grand National race on September 28 at his home track in Indiana.

The event is the largest 4-stroke kart race in the world, with over 600 entries expected.

Recently, News Director April King caught up with Wickham for a quick interview:

Now here’s a residential project that’s unconcerned with traffic noise. 

Atlanta Motorsports Park announced this week construction has started on a housing venture called “Motor Club Circuit Villas” that aims to set “a new standard for trackside real estate in the Southeast,” while doubling as vacation rentals at a gateway to the North Georgia Mountains. 

The Dawsonville racetrack, opened an hour north of Atlanta in 2013, has become a unique mishmash of enthusiast motorsports, resort-style amenities, and residential development in recent years; an earlier project of 45 trackside condos that asked buyers to swap “oceanfront for asphalt” quickly sold out, priced as shell units from $225,000 for 640 square feet and up. 

Now, the villas are bringing larger for-sale dwellings to a main turn at what’s billed as “one of North America’s most celebrated driving destinations.” The two-mile track—designed by renowned Formula One racecourse architect Hermann Tilke—is carved into rolling hills outside downtown Dawsonville, tucked a few miles off Ga. Highway 400.

Exactly how many AMP villas will rise isn’t specified in promotional materials, but we count about two dozen in renderings. Prices start at $650,000. 

That buys a three-story floorplan with a two-car garage at the base (lifts can be added to fit four racing machines), fronted by all-glass garage doors. Above that are two levels with two bedrooms and one and ½ bathrooms, a kitchen with Bosch appliances, a laundry, and storage. 

The top floor at each villa will have two cantilevered balconies with sliding glass doors that open the space to two racetracks (the main circuit and a karting track) and North Georgia Mountain views. 

According to AMP reps, villas interiors can be customized to owner tastes, from the wine storage and wallpaper to fingerprint-resistant cabinetry. 

Added draws of the location are nearby hiking options and wineries, along with a Dawson County economy AMP officials describe as booming with new development. Leading industry publication Road & Track magazine named AMP one of North America’s top 10 tracks. 

Zoom up to the gallery for a closer look at this unique, OTP residential venture that recently broke ground. 

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• Photos: Priciest house on Georgia’s most expensive lake just sold in days (Urbanize Atlanta) 

For David Miller, principal of USNEPower, sponsoring Stafford Speedway’s First Responders Night on September 12 is more than a sponsorship. It’s a heartfelt tribute to the bravery of first responders and a family commitment to honor those who risk it all for the safety and well-being of others.

Miller has long been known as the steady force behind more than 26 local and Northeast regional racing teams, and his support now stretches nationally, including backing Michael Christopher Jr. in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on September 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Justin Bonsignore in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. But this Friday’s event is especially close to his heart.

Miller’s brother-in-law, Andy Alexander, is a volunteer firefighter in Fremont, Iowa, embodying the selfless spirit the evening is designed to recognize. His mother, Paulette, is flying up from Daytona Beach, Fla., to personally greet USNEPower guests and customers at will-call. His sister Kim and her granddaughter Leila will help organize activities, while his wife, Angela, will ensure every detail reflects the family’s gratitude for first responders.

“This night isn’t about just putting our name on a race car, race night or a banner,” Miller said. “It’s about making real connections — supporting racers, celebrating first responders, and giving fans racing they can cheer for. Just like our employees are always there for operations and maintenance professionals who rely on USNEPower, we’re here for the people who put themselves on the line for us. The drivers we sponsor aren’t just fast — they’re USNEPower fast. That’s the same service and support you can expect from us.”

Founded in 2003, USNEPower backs its unequalled field service response with an in-shop service center and impressive component inventory. Their prompt response at their 1-call – does – it – all hotline of 413-485-7177 is the cornerstone of USNE Power’s operations. USNEPower features a full array of field services available from its Westfield, Mass. and new Midwest operations location in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Stafford Speedway’s First Responders Night will also feature the special TC 13 Shootout, honoring the late Ted Christopher. For Miller, blending racing tradition with heartfelt family involvement ensures this night will resonate long after the checkered flag. Qualifying starts at 6 pm on Friday, September 12, with features at approximately 7 pm. Tickets are available at staffordmotorspeedway.com

Stafford Speedway PR

As Justin Allgaier begins the defense of the long-awaited NASCAR Xfinity Series title he won at Phoenix Raceway last year, the focus, appropriately enough, is on his rookie JR Motorsports teammate, Connor Zilisch.

The 19-year-old driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet has won seven of the last eight races, including the last four straight, tying Sam Ard (1983) and Noah Gragson (2022) for the Xfinity Series record for consecutive victories.

Zilisch, the Regular Season Champion, is 59 points above the current elimination line for the Playoffs’ Round of 8 entering Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

He plans to keep his remarkable streak going as the postseason begins.

“This No. 88 team has been on a run this year, and four wins in a row is a rare feat, but we aren’t going to take any of that for granted going into the Playoffs,” Zilisch said. “(Crew chief) Mardy (Lindley), my whole team and my pit crew continue to execute every week, and we don’t plan on turning down the intensity anytime soon.

“It has been awesome to have the success we have had this season, and we plan to unload another fast WeatherTech Chevrolet this Friday.”

At 30 points above the current cut line, Allgaier is the only Playoff driver besides Zilisch with any degree of comfort entering the Playoffs.

The remaining 10 Playoff drivers, from Sam Mayer in third to Austin Hill in 12th, are covered by a spread of 16 points. Mayer is 11 points to the good while Hill, who lost his regular-season Playoff points under penalty for wrecking Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is five points below the elimination line.

The extraordinary closeness of the Playoff field all but guarantees an intense scramble for position in Friday night’s Playoff opener at Thunder Valley.

Josh Morris saw something in Niece Motorsports that reminded him of the company he and four friends started.

So it was no coincidence that Dearborn-based DQS Solutions and Staffing got involved in a joint venture to acquire the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was just spit balling, and it’s far from a formal announcement, but he does have a degree of FOMO (fear of missing out) on not running the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol this weekend.

While answering questions on the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt said he could see himself continuing to make one-off appearances in the lower national levels for many years to come.

“I should run one or two more,” said Earnhardt, who has not made a start this season after making at least one appearance in the Xfinity Series every year since his retirement from Cup in 2017. “But, I don’t know if and when I’ll do that.

“North Wilkesboro, I don’t really want to run Wilkesboro with the new pavement but there’s a chance by the time I’m 55-to-58 years old that maybe that pavement is kind of worn out a little bit and I can just hop on out there and do it.”

58?! He’s 50 currently.

“I don’t have any problem with getting in my Xfinity car in eight years and running a one-off,” he said. “What the hell? Why the hell not? I’d run Bristol again. I’d run Wilkesboro once the pavement wears out. If the Nashville (Fairgrounds) thing happens, I’d probably contemplate going and running that one as well.”

Earnhardt intends to race his Late Model Stock for at least another decade and says he still wants to make a Craftsman Truck Series start if it checks all the boxes.

“But it has to be fun for me and I just can’t figure out where to run one that would be fun for me, right,” Earnhardt said. “I have certain things that I think are fun. I like Martinsville but I don’t like the racing there. It’s a little short in that you don’t even get into the bad side of the tire … to where the tire’s messing around.

“I went to run an Xfinity race at Martinsville and its miserable because of the tire … the stages are too short. You don’t get to take advantage of being better at driving a race car because of the tire, once your tire starts to fail, and you lose the rear drive and different things … the brakes get mad and the tires blow up the air pressure.

“Like, if you’re smart, you can do good things early in the run that’ll make your car really great at lap 80 and 100, which is so much fun but they never get to that point. They never do. The stage is over and there ain’t enough power too in the Xfinity cars at Martinsville.

“You stand in the gas and it’s like stepping in a bucket of water.”

But again, don’t hold him to it, because he’s just ‘shooting the crap’ on his podcast.

“Maybe I’ll run that Truck race at 58-years-old at Wilkesboro. Don’t hold me to it, people.”