TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Two people riding a dirt bike were killed after colliding with a Kia SUV at the intersection of East 22nd Street and South Country Club Road late Monday night, the Tucson Police Department said.

The crash occurred Jan. 5 at about 10:00 p.m. Police identified the victims as 18-year-old E’Lyanha Nevaeh Valenzuela and 20-year-old Mickey Daniel Ortiz. Both were pronounced dead at the scene; their next of kin have been notified. The driver of the Kia was not injured.

According to investigators, an SSR Motorsports dirt bike was traveling eastbound on 22nd Street when a Kia SUV made a left turn from westbound 22nd Street onto southbound Country Club Road. The dirt bike struck the passenger side of the SUV. Police say the two on the dirt bike were not wearing helmets and that the dirt bike was not equipped with a working headlamp.

Traffic Detectives and the Crime Scene Unit responded and are continuing the investigation. Detectives are working to determine the color of the traffic signals at the time of the collision, and it has not yet been confirmed which of the two victims was the rider and which was the passenger.

Spring Mountain Motor Resort & Country Club, located near Pahrump, operates as one of the region’s primary motorsports training and track venues, hosting a range of programs from public track days to high-level driving experiences. The complex uses multiple track configurations to accommodate instruction programs, private club events and national-level activities, attracting both local drivers and out-of-area visitors.

For Nye County the facility is more than a hobbyist destination; it functions as an economic engine. Visitors attending multi-day instruction sessions and track events generate demand for hotel rooms, restaurant meals and automotive services in Pahrump. Local businesses benefit from increased occupancy and customer traffic, particularly during the cooler months when many events are scheduled. That seasonal concentration means revenues tied to track activity are uneven through the year, with a heavier share of spending clustered in fall, winter and spring months.

Operational details matter for residents and businesses planning around events. Advance registration is required for track participation, and the resort enforces safety and helmet requirements for drivers and passengers. Public access to some resort areas is limited during events, and event weekends typically bring higher traffic volumes and louder ambient noise levels near the facility. Residents planning travel or outdoor activities near the track should consult the event calendar before heading out.

The relationship between the resort and the wider community also presents opportunities and trade-offs. The flow of visitors supports local hotels, restaurants and service providers, but it also creates short-term externalities that require management – from traffic routing to noise mitigation. Local businesses can leverage event schedules by aligning staffing and inventory with peak weekends, and service providers can market maintenance and hospitality packages to visiting drivers and teams. Event organizers and county officials can reduce friction by coordinating permits, public access rules and traffic plans in advance.

Practical steps for Nye County residents and businesses include checking the resort’s event calendar before travel to anticipate noise and congestion, confirming which areas are open to the public on event days, and contacting the resort directly about permits or potential business partnerships. As a multi-use motorsports venue that draws national-level participants, Spring Mountain will remain a notable contributor to Pahrump’s visitor economy and a focal point for community planning around tourism, traffic and local services.

Over 70 drivers are expected to hit the high banks as the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season fires up with its annual Pre-Race Practice at Daytona International Speedway on Friday and Saturday, January 9 and 10. 

The entry list for the two days of track activity leading into the season-opening Daytona ARCA 200 is led by pre-season championship favorites Isabella Robusto and Thomas Annunziata, both of whom will be campaigning full-time for Nitro Motorsports. Nitro, led by team principal Nick Tucker, will also field cars for 2024 Daytona winner Gus Dean and 2024 Talladega winner Jake Finch, as well as ARCA Menards Series West winner Jake Bollman. Youngsters Jade Avedisian and Gavan Boschele will also make laps in a Nitro Motorsports Toyota at the pre-race practice. 

Reigning championship team Pinnacle Racing Group, who took Brenden “Butterbean” Queen to the title in 2025, will not be chasing the ARCA Menards Series drivers’ championship in 2026 but the team’s Chevrolets will be loaded with talent at Daytona, with drivers Jack Wood, team manager Shane Huffman’s son Landon S. Huffman, Carson Brown, and Taylor Reimer set to make laps. Brown, just 17 years old, will compete for the ARCA Menards Series East championship in 2026. 

KLAS Motorsports will be at Daytona with two cars for the first time, as perennial contender and fan favorite Andy Jankowiak looks for his first career series victory with teammate Glen Reen alongside. YouTube superstar Garrett Mitchell, known to his fans as Cletus McFarland, will also return for his second attempt at Daytona in a Ford prepared by Rette Jones Racing. 

Former Daytona runner-up finisher and 2024 pole winner Willie Mullins is expected to participate, along with 2012 pole winner and five-time Daytona top-five finisher Sean Corr. Tim Richmond, who started on the front row and finished a career-best fifth at Daytona in 2024, will be on track, as well as Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drivers Max Reaves and Gio Ruggiero in addition to 2025 ARCA Menards East champion Isaac Kitzmiller. 

Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Racing Team will field entries for Presley Sorah, Ed Pompa, Ohio’s Austin Hill, and Takuma Koga in addition to six drivers participating in the ARCA Menards Series Road to Daytona program. Hudson Bulger, Albert Francis, Robbie Kennealy, Kody King, Craig Lutz, and Brad May will all spend half a day on track in a car prepared by Hillenburg, a two-time ARCA Menards Series winner at Daytona in 1995 and 1997. 

Live timing and scoring data will be available throughout the two days of track activity via ARCARacing.com. 

The 2026 ARCA Menards Series formally launches its 74th season, as it has since 1964, at Daytona International Speedway with practice on Thursday, February 12, Pole Qualifying on Friday, February 13, and the 63rd Annual Daytona ARCA 200 set for 12 noon ET on Saturday, February 14. The race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast nationwide on select affiliates of the MRN Radio Network. Live timing & scoring for all on track sessions is available at ARCARacing.com. 

ARCA PR

Hendrick Motorsports has published a classy response following the announcement on Tuesday that NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps would be stepping down at the end of January after 21 years with the organization.

Phelps’ announcement came in the wake of the antitrust lawsuit, which was filed by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR, with both teams refusing to sign the new 2024 charter agreement, alleging “monopolistic” behavior on NASCAR’s part.

The lawsuit, filed in October 2024, ultimately went to court in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a series of damning messages from Phelps were unearthed, seemingly sealing his fate. Ultimately, the case was settled after eight days, with Evergreen charters being the major talking point of the deal.

Responding to Phelps’ decision, Hendrick published a statement later that day, saying: “We thank Steve Phelps for his leadership and dedication to NASCAR over the past two decades. 

“He helped our sport navigate opportunities, challenges and periods of significant change while positioning it for the future. We appreciate his service and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”

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The last month has been tough on Phelps after some of his irate messages during charter negotiations came to light.

The most brutal comments of all came in a chain of messages between Phelps and Chief Media & Revenue Officer Brian Herbst during charter negotiations with teams in 2023. At this point, NASCAR was also negotiating what turned out to be a blockbuster seven-year $7.7 billion broadcasting rights deal with Fox, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Phelps specifically aimed his frustrations at 80-year-old Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress, commenting: “Childress is an idiot. If they don’t like the state of the sport, sell your charter and get out,” before adding: “Did I mention Childress was an idiot?”

Later, Phelps would go on to suggest: “If he’s that angry (and apparently he is), sign your charter extension and sell. He’s not smart, is a dinosaur, and a malcontent. He’s worth a couple hundred million dollars — every dollar associated with NASCAR in some fashion. Total a–clown.”

The reveal of these messages not only prompted Childress to threaten legal action, but also drew the ire of major sponsor Bass Pro Shops in a public undressing of NASCAR via a letter released on social media.

The following day, a settlement was reached between the teams and NASCAR, which included evergreen charters and the reinstatement of both 23XI and FRM’s six full-time rides as chartered entrants. It is also believed that NASCAR would have had to shell out tens of millions of dollars to settle the case with both teams.

Fast forward to January 6, and Phelps announced he was stepping down, explaining in a statement: “As a lifelong race fan, it gives me immense pride to have served as NASCAR’s first Commissioner and to lead our great sport through so many incredible challenges, opportunities and firsts over my 20 years.

“Our sport is built on the passion of our fans, the dedication of our teams and partners and the commitment of our wonderful employees. It has been an honor to help synthesize the enthusiasm of long-standing NASCAR stakeholders with that of new entrants to our ecosystem, such as media partners, auto manufacturers, track operators and incredible racing talent. 

As I embark on new pursuits in sports and other industries, I want to thank the many colleagues, friends and especially the fans that have played such an important and motivational role in my career. Words cannot fully convey the deep appreciation I have for this life-changing experience, for the trust of the France family and for having a place in NASCAR’s amazing history.”

Two Event Entitlements Included in Multiyear Deal, Partnership Expansion with Hitachi Energy

SOUTH BOSTON, VA…..Hitachi Energy has expanded its partnership with South Boston Speedway to become the title sponsor of South Boston Speedway’s Late Model Stock Car Division, which will be known as the Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division starting in 2026.

In addition, Hitachi Energy will sponsor two events at the speedway in both 2026 and 2027 as part of a two-year agreement.

“Hitachi Energy is proud to extend our partnership with South Boston Speedway by sponsoring the Late Model Stock Car Division for the next two years, along with two marquee events,” said Ryland Clark, Senior Corporate Real Estate Facility & Capital Projects Manager for Hitachi Energy.

“South Boston Speedway is a cornerstone of our community, and we’re excited to support the drivers, fans, and families who make this place so special. Investing in local traditions like SoBo strengthens the connection between our team, our neighbors, and the future of Halifax County.”

Hitachi Energy has played a big role at South Boston Speedway including its sponsorship of the lucrative Championship Loyalty Bonus Program which provided awards for eligible drivers in South Boston Speedway’s NASCAR-sanctioned racing divisions.

In addition, South Boston Speedway and Hitachi Energy partnered to collect donations of non-perishable food items to be donated to the Feed Halifax organization at the track’s CARS Tour event in September. Each non-perishable item donated earned a fan one chance at being chosen to wave the green flag for the start of one of the two late model features that night. The Feed Halifax organization set up a trailer at the speedway during the event to collect donations.

South Boston Speedway and Hitachi Energy will revisit the Feed Halifax initiative for 2026.

“We are very appreciative of Hitachi Energy’s partnership with the speedway,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Brandon Brown, “and are excited about Hitachi Energy extending its partnership to include becoming the title sponsor of our Late Model Stock Car Division and sponsoring two of our events for the next two years.

“Hitachi Energy is a tremendous supporter of the South Boston-Halifax County community through its partnerships with community events and its donations and assistance to community organizations and schools. We thank Hitachi Energy for its support and bringing a new level of excitement and interest in racing at South Boston Speedway for competitors and fans alike.”

The Late Model Stock Car Division is South Boston Speedway’s featured racing division, with the upcoming 2026 season being the 43rd year of the division being the track’s feature division. There have been 103 different winners in 757 NASCAR-sanctioned Late Model Stock Car Division races at South Boston Speedway.

One of the closest championship points battle in the track’s history was waged in the Late Model Stock Car Division this season, with Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia winning a record eighth South Boston Speedway title by a narrow two-point margin over Trevor Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Sellers broke the previous record of seven South Boston Speedway titles held by David Blankenship of Mosely, Virginia which had stood for 27 years.

South Boston Speedway will open its 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, March 21, with one of the biggest events of the season, the SMART Modified Tour’s King of the Modifieds event. The track’s Late Model Stock Car Division competitors will be in action as well.

The first event of the season to feature all four of the track’s regular NASCAR-sanctioned racing divisions will be on Saturday afternoon, April 4.

South Boston Speedway’s 2026 season schedule can be found on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com. Additional information about South Boston Speedway is available on the speedway’s website and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by calling the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.

Source: South Boston Speedway

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — In 1966, France’s 24 Hours of Le Mans put Ford on the map as one of the world’s premier sports car manufacturers. Sixty years later, Ford is determined to make its mark again — this time as one of the world’s premier off-road makers by taking on the world at the 14-day, 2026 Dakar Rally in the desert of Saudi Arabia.

Ford v Ferrari meets Ford v Toyota.

The Japanese manufacturer, builder of the internationally-ubiquitous Hilux trucks, has dominated this race in recent years, just as Ferrari dominated Le Mans in the early 1960s.

Ford Racing is determined to dethrone Toyota at the end of this Jan. 3-17 race and, in the process, establish its Raptor truck performance badge (synonymous with its F-150, Bronco and Ranger bruisers) as a global icon just as Le Mans made GT40 an international sports car icon (ultimately, GT40 became a movie as well with its Oscar-winning turn).