2012 IndyCar Testing at Iowa Speedway

Attention all Speed Freaks and IZOD IndyCar Fans.....    Check out who and what was turning laps at Iowa Speedway recently.  It's the new oval aero package for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar.

So what do you think about the new design for the 2012 season?  Personally I think it looks pretty cool.  It's got one heck of a nose on it and I'll bet we see quite a few nose replacements during racing action in the early part of the 2012 season but I like the looks of the car.  It's going to be really cool to see different aero packages and more than just one engine manufacturer on the track in 2012.  It should be a really great season for the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012.  


The start of the 2012 season will be cool but seeing new designs and new engine manufacturers roll across the yard of bricks in 2012 at Indy will be very cool.  Kudos to Randy Bernard and the entire IZOD IndyCar team for giving the fans something really exciting two straight years in a row.  This year the 100th running of the Indy 500 and next year the new motors and aero packages!

Take a good look everyone...   This is the IZOD IndyCar that represents the future of the sport.  Follow the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system and this could be you in the years to come.

Did you know that you can start on the first rung of that ladder right here with BP Motorsports Group and "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series"?  Of course you did....   This weekend one lucky Tag Senior driver will take the first step at making it rung number two in the "Mazda Road To Indy Scouting Combine".  Will it be Luke Waller, Kaylee Granberg, or Alex Nowyse making the trip to Palmetto, Florida in November?  Come out this weekend and find out...

See you all at the races.

The Last Race Of The Season!

The final race of "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" presented by Russell Karting Specialties is this coming weekend, September 24 -25, at the Precision Driving Center in Kansas City.  It's been a tremendous season this year and we have our promotional partners and our racers to thank for that!  We couldn't have done this without them and we're certainly looking forward to some very exciting things for next season.

The highlight of the season came early in the year for all of us at BP Motorsports Group when we received confirmation that "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" was the first IZOD IndyCar Series Regional Karting Partner for their Scouting Combine as part of "The Mazda Road to Indy".  We'll crown our Champion in the Tag Senior Class this coming weekend and that driver will participate in the first ever Scouting Combine in November at Anderson Raceway Park in Palmetto, Florida.  What an amazing honor to be the first regional karting series selected to be part of this program with Mazda and the IZOD IndyCar Series. 

Shortly after that announcement we solidified our partnership with Mazda and we couldn't have asked for a better partner to be associated with.  Mazda has a passion for the grass roots of racing and it was a perfect fit with our series.  We're proud to be associated with such a wonderful company that has helped create the ladder system, with the IZOD IndyCar Series, for young grass roots racers to find their way from the local tracks to the big leagues of racing.  Then to add to that we've had the pleasure of working with one of the best known karting shops in the United States in Russell Karting Specialties.  Drivers started to come in from several other states and kart counts continued to grow this season  This is been the biggest and the best season for "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" to date and we're all looking forward to the final race this weekend and the seasons still to come.

There are tight battles in several classes and some big money to be earned this weekend.  One driver in the Tag Senior Class will be headed to Florida in November for the first ever Mazda Road to Indy Scouting Combine.  Another driver will win a pair of tickets to the IZOD IndyCar Series World Championship race in Las Vegas on October 16th and get to meet the winning driver in Victory Circle after the race as part of the Mazda Summer Cash Dash.  Several other classes have money on the line as well and every class (excluding Kid Karts) that has ten drivers or more in it's class gets a 50% payout for the top three drivers. 

Heading into this weekends final race of the season John Pennington holds a five point lead over Ted Hite in the Clone Class with Andrew Pennington close behind in third place.  The Clone Championship is still very much up for grabs this weekend.   In the Kid Kart class last years champion, Luke Howard, holds a solid lead but has been challenged much more this season than last year.  Tyler Hagan currently sits in second place and Zach Granberg, a rookie this season, is currently in third place.  The S2 Shifter class is all but locked up by Chris Tomasson with Dennis Brandon and Mike Parker in second and third place coming in this weekend race.   Jacob Winslow looks to take the Tag Cadet championship this season as well as the added Mazda Summer Cash Dash bonus money.  He's currently holding off Caden Bolz and Will Burke.  Cole "Monster" Hannah has a rather commanding lead in the Tag Jr. class coming into the final race of the season with Wyatt Maness and Kyle Potts rounding out the top three positions.  Angie Hannah has a solid lock on the top position in the Tag Masters division ahead of Chris Koster and Carl Hayward.  The Tag Senior Division has been a solid battle all season long and Luke Waller currently holds a seventy point lead over last years champion, Kaylee Granberg.  Alex Nowyse, currently sitting in third place, is only twenty points out of second and ninety points out of first place.  It will be a serious battle for the top three podium spots this weekend.  Something else on the mind of all three of these racers is Jim Russell Jr.  He may be in their rear view mirror in points but he's seldom in that spot on the track.  Will Jim Russell Jr. be the spoiler this coming weekend and sneak up to grab a podium spot?  The Tag Senior Class is set to be a very big race this weekend!

The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series is one of the fastest growing karting series in the Heartland attracting drivers from:  Arkansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma, as well as our home states of Kansas and Missouri.  It has been a wonderful season and all of us at BP Motorsports Group would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of our promotional partners and to each and every driver and his or her crew that came to race with us.  Best of luck to you all this weekend, thank you for coming to race with us and we'll see you all at the track.

Heartland Sprint Series Update

BP Motorsports Group is looking forward to the final race of the season this coming weekend and we hope to see you all at the track. 

Attention Tag Senior Class:  It has come to our attention that the current points in the Tag Senior Class are incorrect and we've been trying to rectify the situation.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do so locally so we've had to ask for assistance from MyLaps and it's taking a little time to correct.  Please note that Alex Nowyse, currently in 3rd place in the Tag Senior Class with 775 points, should have an additional 40 points making his official points total 815.  BP Motorsports Group and MyLaps are working together to correct the error and we apologize for any inconvenience.  

Race #6 Brings Big Prizes!

It's about that time everyone.  The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series will draw to a close at the end of this month and with it champions will be crowned, money will be won, and two of our drivers will be getting ready to pack their bags to take some very exciting trips!

The first trip will be to Florida to Anderson Raceway Park for "The Mazda Road to Indy Scouting Combine".  The champion in the Tag Senior Class will make that trip in November to compete against some of the best kart racers in the country.  It's much like the "Top Gun" of karting where all drivers will be competing against each other in a USF2000 car in hopes of winning the battle and earning a shot to race in St. Petersburg for the start of the 2012 season.  Who will will this highly sought after opportunity?  Come watch the race September 25th and find out.

Trip number two will be the chance to go to Las Vegas to watch the IZOD IndyCar Series World Championship race on October 16th.  The driver in the Tag Senior class who earned the most points for the final three races is the driver who will make the trip to Vegas and get passes to be in the pits and meet the winning driver in Victory Circle immediately following the race.   


Not only is this the final race of the IZOD IndyCar Series but it's also the race with the FIVE MILLION DOLLAR challenge!  There's now a new twist to the promotion as well.  One lucky fan in attendance will win 2.5 Million dollars as part of the Godaddy.com challenge.

It's been a tremendous season for BP Motorsports Group and "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" presented by Russell Karting Specialties and we're looking forward to the final race of this season and many more seasons to come.  We couldn't have done it without the help of all of our wonderful promotional partners:  MAZDA, Russell Karting Specialties & Dunlop Tires, Car Car Motorsports, The IZOD IndyCar Series, Maxxis Tires, Bike Stop, TAG USA, Bridgestone Tires, Northern Lights Motorsports, and The Greater Kansas City International Auto Show.  We would also like to extend a special thank you to Marcus Moore from KMBC TV Channel 9 for doing the story about the kids racing in the extreme heat.  


As the season draws to a close BP Motorsports Group and "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" would also like to extend our sincere thanks to you, the racers.  While we realize that we've had some growing pains along the way we never forget that there wouldn't be a series like this if it wasn't for you!  We'll continue to do the best we can to provide you the opportunity to race and we'll continue to try to make it bigger and better as we grow.  Thanks again to all or our promotional partners and to you the racers.  We wish you all the best of luck in the final race and we'll see you at the track!