2006 AMA Speedway Motorcycle Racing

December 21, 2006
News Release
Contact: Heartland Media & Events LLC
Contact: USA Speedway Inc.
usaspeedway@earthlink.net

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR 2006 USA SPEEDWAY SPECIAL AWARDS;
WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT JANUARY 27 BANQUET

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Several new awards will be presented to the finest talents in the sport of motorcycle Speedway racing at the USA Speedway Nationals Awards Banquet aboard the historic Queen Mary ocean liner in Long Beach, California, on January 27-28. Major awards announced during the 2nd Annual USA Speedway National Awards Banquet and Testimonial Presented by System Edström will include:

2006 USA Speedway Rider of the Year.

Here are the nominees:
• Billy Hamill, Carlsbad, California…Former World Speedway Champion Billy Hamill, 36, was runner-up in the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series and a key member of Team USA Speedway, ranked No. 6 in the world.
• Greg Hancock, Costa Mesa, California…Another former World Speedway Champion, Hancock, 36, earned a record-tying 7th AMA USA Speedway National Championship, was runner-up in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series and as captain lead AMA Team USA Speedway to a No. 6 world ranking.
• Charlie Venegas, San Bernardino, California…The 39-year-old veteran won the opening round of the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series and ended the series ranked No. 4. His numerous 2006 victories included the SRA US Nationals and AMA USA Speedway track championships at Fast Fridays Speedway and Industry Speedway.
• Bryan Yarrow, Citrus Heights, California…By far the youngest nominee at age 22, Yarrow won numerous main events at Fast Fridays Speedway and Industry Speedway in 2006 and for the second straight year qualified for an "A" main event in the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series, where he ranked No. 7 in the nation.

2006 USA Speedway Under 21 Rider of the Year

Here are the nominees:
Dale Facchini, Riverside, California…This 18-year-old charger had his best-ever result at the national level with a runner-up finish behind his brother Neil in the 2006 AMA USA Speedway Under 21 National Championships.
Neil Facchini, Riverside, California…The elder of the Facchini Brothers closed out his Under 21 career with a convincing victory in the AMA USA Speedway Under 21 National Championships at Industry Speedway, where he was also the 2006 Division 2 Track Champion.
T.J. Fowler, Palermo, California…The fiery Fowler was the top young Division 1 rider in Northern California in 2006 and placed third in the Under 21 Nationals, losing a runoff for second to Dale Facchini.

2006 USA Speedway Youth Rider of the Year

Here are the nominees:
Krystal Cramer, Chino, CA…The talented Ms. Cramer's final season in the AMA USA Speedway Youth ranks produced 13 main event wins, a runner-up finish in the California State Championships and a fourth-place finish in the final Youth Nationals of her Speedway career.
Ben Essary, Yuba City, CA…The major youth championships of 2006 eluded Ben Essary in 2006 but he was runner-up to Ricky Felicio in the AMA USA Speedway Youth Nationals and placed third in the California State Championships. He was a dominant force in weekly racing at Fast Fridays Speedway with six feature wins.
Ricky Felicio, Orangevale, CA…Felicio peaked at exactly the right moment, turning in a dominant performance to capture the 2006 AMA USA Speedway Youth National Championship in his final year of eligibility.
Jason Ramirez, Garden Grove, CA…This promising Southern California racer ran a limited schedule of events in 2006 but stood out in the season's final race as he won the AMA USA Speedway Youth Division 1 California State Championship.

2006 USA Speedway East & Central Rider of the Year

Here are the nominees:
Todd Eads, Avon, Indiana…Eads scored a come-from-behind season points championship at Indianapolis National Speedway and was runner-up in the inaugural AMA USA Speedway Central Championship Series.
Joe Garrison, Lawrenceburg, Indiana…Garrison started the season on a hot streak with several feature wins but injury sidetracked his shot at a second straight Indianapolis National Speedway track championship.
Wieslaw Oskiewicz, Chicago, Illinois…This quick Polish import was champion of the new AMA USA Speedway Central Championship Series in 2006 and also won the Valpo Speedway Track Championship.

Other special awards will be presented to AMA USA Speedway members in the following categories:
Sportsman of the Year, Comeback Rider of the Year, Hard Luck Rider of the Year and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award…This award was established last year and was presented to one of the sport's all-time greats, Bobby Schwartz.
The award's second recipient will not be revealed until the January 27 USA Speedway National Awards Banquet.

Also receiving accolades will be the top 10 riders in all national championship series and events, the top 5 in the Central Championship Series, California State Champions in several divisions and track champions from the following USA Speedway affiliated speedways:
• Fast Fridays Speedway, Auburn, California (Promoter: Dave Joiner)
• Indianapolis (Indiana) Ntl. Speedway (Promoters: Dean and Jessica Knipp)
• Industry Speedway, City of Industry, California (Promoter: Hugh Randolph/American Speedway Coalition)
• Valpo Speedway, Valparaiso, Indiana (Promoter: Drew Gatewood)
• Wheel2Wheel Raceway, Victorville, California (Promoters: Steve Evans and John Aden)

System Edström of Sweden returns as the overall presenting sponsor of the USA Speedway Awards Banquet and Testimonial and other major sponsors include Youthstream Events and the 2007 Motocross of Nations and the American Motorcyclist Association.

In addition to the January 27 National Awards Banquet, the weekend of activities in Long Beach will feature the 2nd Annual AMA Team USA Speedway Testimonial on Sunday, January 28. The testimonial will be held after a buffet breakfast in the Queen Mary's Royal Salon and will honor Speedway legends Scott Autrey, Mike Bast, Barry Briggs and the late Cordy Milne.

Activities, with profits benefiting AMA Team USA Speedway, will wrap up on Sunday with a classic Speedway bike show and auction.

Enthusiasts who are interested in more information about the 2007 USA Speedway Awards Banquet and Testimonial, about donating auction items, or about attending the auction as buyers should contact Heartland Media & Events by phone or fax at (740) 397-1647 or email to usaspeedway@earthlink.net.

News updates will also be posted at www.USASpeedway.org.

The 2007 USA Speedway National Awards Banquet and Testimonial are a promotion of Heartland Media & Events LLC, which provides management, consulting and editorial services to a variety of clients with emphasis on international motorcycle sport.

December 14, 2006
USA Speedway Rider Rep Election Results
News Release
Contact: USA Speedway Inc.
usaspeedway@earthlink.net

USA SPEEDWAY ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF RULES COMMITTEE RIDER REP ELECTIONS

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – USA Speedway announces the results of the election for three rider reps on the 2007 Rules Committee:
• Northwest Region: Tommy Hedden of Auburn, California has been elected to represent USA Speedway members in the Northwest Region
• Southeast Region: Scott Brant of Riverside, California, has been elected to represent USA Speedway members in the Southeast Region
• East & Central Regions: Jim Terchila of Indianapolis has been elected to represent USA Speedway members in the Eastern and Central Regions

USA Speedway was established early in 2006, and in April of 2006 gained formal recognition as the exclusive competition affiliate of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) for the sport of Speedway motorcycle racing. The organization is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors with oversight of AMA USA Speedway competition rules promulgated by a Rules Committee including the three elected rider reps.

All USA Speedway events are AMA-sanctioned, and for the 2006 season USA Speedway adopted the AMA's 2005 Pro-Am Speedway Supplementary Regulations. Beginning in 2007, USA Speedway will issue a proprietary rule book which incorporates the protest and appeals process of AMA Sports.

The USA Speedway Rules Committee will meet to consider 2007 rule changes on Saturday, January 27, 2007 in Long Beach, California. All members and interested parties are invited to submit rule proposals. To be placed on the formal agenda, proposals must be received on or before January 10, 2007. A Rule Proposal form is available for download from www.USASpeedway.org or on request to usaspeeway@earthlink.net.

December 13, 2006
USA Speedway Banquet and Testimonial News

USA SPEEDWAY NATIONAL AWARDS BANQUET & AMA TEAM USA SPEEDWAY TESTIMONIAL SET FOR JANUARY 27-28

LONG BEACH, California – An all-star field of past and present stars of American and International Speedway motorcycle racing will come together here aboard the historic Queen Mary ocean liner on January 27-28.

The 2nd Annual USA Speedway National Awards Banquet and Testimonial Presented by System Edström will attract several of the sport's all-time legends as well as today's stars for a unique weekend benefiting AMA Team USA Speedway. The activities will include:
• USA Speedway National Awards Banquet, Saturday evening, Jan.27
• AMA Team USA Speedway Testimonial, Sunday morning, Jan. 28
• AMA Team USA Speedway Benefit Auction and Classic Speedway Bike Display, Sunday morning/afternoon, Jan. 28

The activities follow on the heels of last January's successful inaugural event, which attracted nearly 300 members of the Speedway racing community.

The USA Speedway National Awards Banquet will be a new element of the busy weekend and will recognize 2006 National, Regional, State and Track Champions of USA Speedway and feature announcement of special awards including the USA Speedway Lifetime Achievement Award, Rider of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Under 21 Rider of the Year, Youth Rider of the Year, Comeback Rider of the Year and Hard Luck Rider of the Year.

"We were overwhelmed by the support of the Speedway racing community to the inaugural event and have enhanced the program based on suggestions we received," said event organizer Bill Amick, USA Speedway's executive director.

"Along with the new USA Speedway Awards Banquet we will continue the tradition of a Testimonial Breakfast ceremony honoring all-time greats of Speedway. We knew it would be hard to top last year's group of honorees, all of whom were past World Speedway Champions,but couldn't be more excited about this year's group:"

• Mike Bast: Seven-time AMA National Speedway Champion, a determined champion and natural talent considered the sport's most dominating rider ever
• Barry Briggs: Four-time FIM World Champion and influential figure in the re-launch of Speedway in America in the 1960s and 1970s
• Cordy Milne: Four-time AMA National Speedway Champion in the years before and after World War II and thought by many to be the greatest rider of his era.

"We're delighted that Mike and Barry have accepted our invitation to be 2007 AMA Team USA Speedway Honorees, and that the late Cordy Milne will be represented by his daughter Sandy Hicks, whose family carries on his Speedway tradition," Amick added.

A fourth honoree will be announced around the first of the year.

The final element of the hectic weekend will be a benefit auction for AMA Team USA Speedway and a classic bike display.

AMA Team USA Speedway has won five FIM Team World Championships and three FIM Best Pairs titles, the most recent in 1998. Those championships have since been consolidated into a single event, the FIM Speedway World Cup, which America has yet to capture. AMA Team USA Speedway bowed out of the 2005 competition in the first round, but bounced back to finish as World No. 6 in the 2006 World Cup.

Proceeds from the 2006 Team USA Speedway Testimonial will be used to defray the cost of participation in the 2007 FIM Speedway World Cup and also to assist individual American entries in the FIM World Junior Speedway Championships and Speedway Grand Prix Qualifiers. Their efforts are also aided by the North American Motorcycle Union and the American Motorcyclist Association.

The USA Speedway Awards Banquet and Testimonial offer a wide range of sponsorship opportunities to companies and enthusiasts and three major sponsors have already committed to the event:
• System Edström of Sweden returns as the overall presenting sponsor.
• Youthstream Events will be a major sponsor of the awards banquet on behalf of the 2007 Motocross of Nations, scheduled at Maryland's Budds Creek Motocross Park in September of 2007.
• The American Motorcyclist Association will be a major sponsor of the Testimonial Breakfast

"We greatly appreciate the support of System Edstrom, Youthstream and the AMA," Amick said. "More sponsors will be announced in the near future, and it looks like the auction will again offer some great items for sale."

Enthusiasts who are interested in more information about the 2007 USA Speedway Awards Banquet and Testimonial, about donating auction items, or about attending the auction as buyers should contact Heartland Media & Events by phone or fax at (740) 397-1647 or email to usaspeedway@earthlink.net.

News updates will also be posted at www.USASpeedway.org.

June 19, 2006
News Release SP-10-06
Contact: USA Speedway Inc.
usaspeedway@earthlink.net

COSTA MESA SPEEDWAY TO HOST AMA/USA SPEEDWAY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES OPENER

Costa Mesa, California, and Mt. Vernon, Ohio – USA Speedway and International Speedway Inc. have jointly announced that the opening round of the 2006 American Motorcyclist Association USA Speedway National Championship Series will be held at famed Costa Mesa Speedway at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California.

The event on Saturday evening, August 5, will mark the return of AMA championship Speedway racing to Costa Mesa after an absence of nearly 10 years and reflects a new level of cooperation between USA Speedway, the AMA’s exclusive Competition Affiliate for Speedway racing, and International Speedway Inc., which operates Costa Mesa Speedway.

“USA Speedway is thrilled to have ISI/Costa Mesa Speedway join our 2006 national series,” said USA Speedway Executive Director Bill Amick. “Not only does this bring another premier facility into the series, but it marks a major step forward in USA Speedway’s efforts to unify and expand American Speedway competition.”

On behalf of International Speedway Inc., its president Brad Oxley said, “We’re really excited to have this opportunity to participate in the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series and bring another premier event to our fans in Costa Mesa. We’ve been impressed with some of the new directions taken by USA Speedway and we’re optimistic that this event will help forge new and positive relationships within our sport.”

The 2006 AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series schedule is as follows:
Date Venue Location
Aug. 5, Costa Mesa Speedway - Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Sept. 1 Fast Fridays Speedway Gold Country Fairgrounds, Auburn, Calif.
Sept. 2 TBA -( Not run)
Oct. 7 Fast Fridays Speedway Gold Country Fairgrounds, Auburn, Calif.

USA Speedway and ISI both expressed gratitude to Harald “Howie” Zechner for his role in achieving the sanction agreement. Zechner, who operates RAZ Video and serves as a member of the USA Speedway Board of Directors, played a pivotal role in negotiations to reunite Costa Mesa Speedway and the AMA/USA Speedway. Differences over rules led to a parting of the ways in 1997 and several reunification initiatives in recent years have failed to bear fruit.

In January, Brad Oxley was a featured speaker at the AMA Team USA Speedway Testimonial and a new round of discussions between his ISI organization and USA Speedway began at that time.

The newly-refurbished Costa Mesa Speedway holds a special place in the history of American Speedway motorcycle racing and under the direction of promoter Harry Oxley and former World Champion Jack Milne was the epicenter of the sport’s post-war resurgence in Southern California. It is America’s longest-running Speedway venue and is currently conducting its 38th consecutive season of motorcycle racing.

Although today’s announcement encompassed only the single event on August 5, USA Speedway and ISI confirmed that discussions are taking place toward possible AMA/USA Speedway sanction of this fall’s US Nationals, a mainstay on Costa Mesa Speedway’s calendar and an event Amick called “America’s most prestigious single-day Speedway championship event.”

If the talks move forward as hoped, they will result in the full unification of American Speedway and mutual recognition of the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series and of the US Nationals as the sport’s premier championships.

“This is very good news for American Speedway,” commented Dave Joiner, whose Fast Fridays Speedway in Northern California will conduct two rounds of the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series in 2006. “Having Costa Mesa in the national series will strengthen the series and help us move forward with a real vision for the future.”

Fast Fridays Speedway hosted single-day AMA National Speedway Championships annually from 1998-2001, and in 2002 Joiner was instrumental in the launch of the AMA National Championship Series. He has also played a key role in the negotiations leading to Costa Mesa’s inclusion in the 2006 AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series.

For more information, contact USA Speedway at 118 East High Street, Suite A, Mt. Vernon, OH 43050. Phone and Fax: (740) 397-1647. E-mail: usaspeedway@earthlink.net

March 3, 2006
News Release SP6-06
Contact: USA Speedway Inc.

USA Speedway Inc. Recognized as AMA Competition Affiliate

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – The venerable sport of motorcycle Speedway racing in America will have a fresh look and structure in 2006 following the establishment of USA Speedway Inc., a new organization recognized as the exclusive Speedway Affiliate of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).

Under an agreement jointly announced today by the AMA and USA Speedway, the new organization assumes autonomous day-to-day management of AMA-sanctioned Speedway racing events and development of its Speedway championships. USA Speedway will operate as a non- profit association with its focus on unifying and expanding Speedway motorcycle racing throughout the United States.

USA Speedway will also provide management services for AMA Team USA Speedway in the world championship programs of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).

All events organized under USA Speedway will be sanctioned by the AMA, and USA Speedway will be the exclusive provider of AMA Speedway racing opportunities to AMA members and fans. The organization will operate under the AMA's disciplinary code and will work in cooperation with the AMA and AMA Congress in establishment of its pro-am competition rules.

USA Speedway will initially be governed by an appointed nine-member Board of Directors. Members of the USA Speedway Board of Directors will serve staggered terms of office and the Board will transition into a democratically elected body beginning in 2008.

Following are the inaugural members of the Board of Directors:

In addition to its Board of Directors, USA Speedway will have a standing Rules Advisory Committee and an Executive Director. Bill Amick, who served for 30 years on the AMA's professional staff and is the current AMA Team USA Speedway Manager, is the Interim Executive Director of USA Speedway.

The AMA will maintain a permanent seat on the USA Speedway Board of Directors and Rules Advisory Committee, and AMA Sports Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant has been assigned to those posts.

"Formation of USA Speedway is an exciting development for the sport of Speedway and for AMA Sports," Saillant commented. "It makes a lot of sense for the AMA to outsource the direction of such a specialized discipline, and the sport's most influential leaders are unified in support of USA Speedway."

USA Speedway's headquarters will be provided by Heartland Media and Events in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Here is the contact information:

USA SPEEDWAY INC.
118 East High Street, Suite A
Mount Vernon, OH 43050
Phone and Fax: (740) 397-1647
www.usaspeedway.org