DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The bright lights of the “World Center of Racing” will shine on the stars of NASCAR’s regional and touring series, as NASCAR announced today Daytona International Speedway will host the inaugural “UNOH Battle At The Beach” on Feb. 18-19, 2013.

The two-days of racing will be headlined by three non-points special events: the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified tours, and the Late Model division of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

A temporary oval will be set up on Daytona’s Superstretch to host the races, It is tentatively slated to be approximately .4-mile.

“This is all about the stars of tomorrow vying for glory at Daytona International Speedway,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of regional and touring series. “During two days and nights of intense competition, fans will be able to see today’s aces of short track racing and some great young talent.”

The event will include live television coverage on Speed.

The process for setting the field for the 2013 UNOH Battle At The Beach will be:
• Winners of 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West events as well as the series champions will automatically be locked into that series’ race at Daytona next year.
• Similarly, winners of 2012 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour or NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races and series champions will be locked into the Modified race next February at Daytona.
• The top 10 finishers in the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I national standings will earn a starting spot in the 2013 Late Model race.
• In addition, the champions of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Toyota Series from Mexico, and Euro Racecar NASCAR Touring Series in 2012 will earn a protected starting spot in whichever one of the three 2013 Daytona races they choose to run.
• The remaining spots in the 2013 Daytona features will be filled through time trials and heat races during the two days of racing next February.

”Grassroots short track racing is the foundation of this great sport and we are thrilled to give these young drivers the opportunity to fight for a win at the ‘World Center of Racing,’ ” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood. “Many of NASCAR’s greatest stars cut their teeth on short tracks around the country and we look forward to hosting the stars of tomorrow in 2013.”

Chitwood also announced that Daytona has reached an agreement with a number of area hotels to secure special room rates for those nights next February to make it more affordable for racers and fans to attend the Battle At The Beach.

Event entitlement sponsor, the University of Northwestern Ohio, has been heavily involved with NASCAR’s grassroots racing programs. The school, which offers a degree in High Performance Motorsports, owns NASCAR-sanctioned Limaland Motorsports Park and is the sponsor of several NASCAR touring races.

Next season’s schedule features 12 dates at 12 different tracks across six provinces. The slate includes tracks and events familiar to the series, with Edmonton returning to the schedule after a one-year hiatus.

“The 2012 schedule has a great mix of tracks that will deliver the exciting racing that our Canadian fans have become accustomed,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “Each year with the help from our friends at Canadian Tire, this series continues to grow and evolve. This upcoming season should be the best yet.”

For the first time in series history, on May 20, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series opens its season at the 2.459-mile Mosport International Raceway road course near Bowmanville, Ont. 

For the sixth consecutive year, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will share Montreal’s legendary Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on IÎe Notre Dame with the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Additionally, in a pairing with the IZOD IndyCar Series, the series returns to Edmonton on the new 2.256-mile Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport course that debuted last year.

Joining the Edmonton event, the annual swing through Western Canada includes two other stops: At Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, B.C., and Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Sask.

In what has become a tradition, the season will close with a new champion crowned at Kawartha Speedway, the .375-mile oval near Peterborough, Ont., on Saturday, Sept. 22.

“Canadian Tire has been a proud sponsor of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series since 2006,” said Allan MacDonald, Senior Vice-President of Automotive for Canadian Tire. “It’s thrilling to see how the sport of racing has continued to grow over the years alongside the enthusiasm of Canadian racing fans. We’re looking forward to yet another exciting season on the track in 2012.”

Other 2012 highlights include:
•  The 2012 schedule includes races on seven ovals: Auto Clearing, Barrie Speedway, Delaware Speedway, Kawartha, Mosport Speedway, Motoplex and Riverside International Speedway; and five road courses: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Circuit ICAR, Circuit de Trois-Rivieres, Edmonton, and Mosport.
•  On June 2-3, the series returns to Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Que., for the second straight season.
•  June 16 will be the series’ sixth consecutive year of competing at Mosport Speedway.
•  June 23 will mark the fourth consecutive visit to Delaware (Ont.) Speedway.
•  The wildly popular Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres in Quebec is on tap for Aug. 4-5.
•  The Barrie (Ont.) Speedway date is set for Saturday, Sept. 8. Each of the past five trips to Barrie on this weekend has resulted in overflow crowds.
•  Riverside International Speedway, in Antigonish, hosts the series on Sept. 15. Riverside, with its high-banked turns, is a .333-mile scale version of the legendary Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Subject To Change

The schedule stretches from March to November and includes visits to 13 venues in 10 states as the West’s oldest stock car racing circuit celebrates its 59th season.

“The 2012 schedule for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series reflects the continued growth of the series, with the addition of some first-time events,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “This slate of races will allow the drivers and teams to showcase their talent and provide exposure for their sponsors in key major markets across the country.”

The schedule for NASCAR’s top developmental series features the first series visit to the state of New Mexico, with an event at Sandia Motor Speedway in Albuquerque on Saturday, Sept. 29. The series will also make its first visit to Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., on Saturday, April 14.

An inaugural race at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway on Saturday, May 26, will mark one of four road course events on tap for 2012. In addition to the Minnesota race, the schedule includes visits to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah on Saturday, April 28; Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on Saturday, June 23; and Portland (Ore.) International Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 26.

The 2012 season will feature a return on Saturday, May 5, to Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway, which the series last visited in 2006.

A key addition to the schedule is a second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The first combination race is set for Saturday, May 19, with a return engagement on the .875-mile track east of Des Moines on Friday, Aug. 3. Both events are in conjunction with NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Iowa Speedway.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West begins its 2012 campaign at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, March 3, and concludes the season back at the one-mile track on Saturday, Nov. 10. The Phoenix races are two of three series events in conjunction with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

Other 2012 highlights include:
• Four other popular short-track events on the 2012 schedule include The Bullring at Las Vegas Motors Speedway on Saturday, June 2; Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., on Saturday, July 14; Colorado National Speedway in Dacono, Colo., on Saturday, July 28; and All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 13.

2012 SCHEDULE

The 26th season of K&N Pro Series East competition will see NASCAR’s top developmental division visit 10 states, and will be highlighted by three additions to the calendar: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Raceway Park in Clearfield, Pa., and Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.

“The NASCAR K&N Pro Series continues to establish itself as a desired destination for developing talent and the schedule has been designed with that in mind.” said George Silbermann, NASCAR Vice President of Regional & Touring Series. “With a diverse mix of historic short tracks and speedway companion events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, the 2012 calendar will provide competitors with the experience they need to further their careers.”

The 2012 season will commence with the inaugural K&N Pro Series East event at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, on March 17 as part of the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend. It will be the third event in series history in the Volunteer State.

Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway is back on the schedule with both spring and fall dates for the second year in a row. The first race at the venerable half-mile is slated for March 31 with a return engagement on Sept. 3 during Labor Day weekend.

Iowa Speedway has also added a second date for 2012. The sixth edition of the traditional spring combination event with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West returns to the schedule on May 19 and it will be complemented with a second combo race on Aug. 3. Both events at Iowa will be held in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

In addition to Bristol and the two Iowa races, the K&N Pro Series East will have three more companion events in 2012 with NASCAR’s national series. The East will return to Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on April 26, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Sept. 22, and Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sept. 28.

The July 14 date at Raceway Park will mark the third time the K&N Pro Series East has visited the central Pennsylvania facility, and first since 1988. The reconfigured facility now features a .625-mile layout.

The 2012 season will conclude with the inaugural stand-alone race in K&N Pro Series East history at Rockingham. It will be the series’ first visit to the high-banked mile, since the East competed in combination with the Nationwide Series at “The Rock” six times from 1987-92.

Additional 2012 schedule notes:
•  In addition to Richmond, three other facilities that welcomed the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for the first time in 2011 have returned to the schedule. Historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., is slated for June 2, Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va., returns for a June 23 race and Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway’s event will be July 21.
•  Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga., is on the calendar for the third year in a row with a June 9 race date.
•  The event at New Hampshire moves from a Friday in recent seasons to Saturday as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
•  The Rockingham date will be a doubleheader with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
•  Bristol, Clearfield and Rockingham will bring the total of tracks in which the K&N Pro Series East has held stand-alone races to 43 since competition began in 1987.
•  All 14 events will be contested directly in – or in the coverage area of – the top 100 media markets in the nation.

2012 SCHEDULE

Next season’s schedule features 12 dates at 12 different tracks across six provinces. The slate includes tracks and events familiar to the series, with Edmonton returning to the schedule after a one-year hiatus.

“The 2012 schedule has a great mix of tracks that will deliver the exciting racing that our Canadian fans have become accustomed,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “Each year with the help from our friends at Canadian Tire, this series continues to grow and evolve. This upcoming season should be the best yet.”

For the first time in series history, on May 20, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series opens its season at the 2.459-mile Mosport International Raceway road course near Bowmanville, Ont. 

For the sixth consecutive year, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will share Montreal’s legendary Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on IÎe Notre Dame with the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Additionally, in a pairing with the IZOD IndyCar Series, the series returns to Edmonton on the new 2.256-mile Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport course that debuted last year.

Joining the Edmonton event, the annual swing through Western Canada includes two other stops: At Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, B.C., and Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Sask.

In what has become a tradition, the season will close with a new champion crowned at Kawartha Speedway, the .375-mile oval near Peterborough, Ont., on Saturday, Sept. 22.

“Canadian Tire has been a proud sponsor of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series since 2006,” said Allan MacDonald, Senior Vice-President of Automotive for Canadian Tire. “It’s thrilling to see how the sport of racing has continued to grow over the years alongside the enthusiasm of Canadian racing fans. We’re looking forward to yet another exciting season on the track in 2012.”

Other 2012 highlights include:
•  The 2012 schedule includes races on seven ovals: Auto Clearing, Barrie Speedway, Delaware Speedway, Kawartha, Mosport Speedway, Motoplex and Riverside International Speedway; and five road courses: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Circuit ICAR, Circuit de Trois-Rivieres, Edmonton, and Mosport.
•  On June 2-3, the series returns to Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Que., for the second straight season.
•  June 16 will be the series’ sixth consecutive year of competing at Mosport Speedway.
•  June 23 will mark the fourth consecutive visit to Delaware (Ont.) Speedway.
•  The wildly popular Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres in Quebec is on tap for Aug. 4-5.
•  The Barrie (Ont.) Speedway date is set for Saturday, Sept. 8. Each of the past five trips to Barrie on this weekend has resulted in overflow crowds.
•  Riverside International Speedway, in Antigonish, hosts the series on Sept. 15. Riverside, with its high-banked turns, is a .333-mile scale version of the legendary Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

The points system was simplified to make it easier for fans, competitors and the industry to understand.

Beginning in 2012, the system will be integrated into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and NASCAR Mexico Series.

The new structure awards points in one-point increments. As an example, race winners earn 43 points, plus three bonus points for the win. Drivers also can earn an extra point for leading a lap and leading the most laps, bringing the race-winning total to a possible maximum of 48 points.

All other drivers in a finishing order are separated by one-point increments. A second-place finisher earns 42 points, a third-place driver 41 points, and so on.

“Implementing the simplified points system at the regional touring level will make the points structure consistent with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “The change at the national level was welcomed in the industry this year and has provided a points system that is much easier for everyone to understand.”

This year’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup ™ demonstrated that use of the new points structure is viable with a shorter schedule, such as with each touring series.

“Considering the tight competition in NASCAR’s touring series, we anticipate that with the new points system in place we will see close championship battles similar to the ones this year in all NASCAR national series,” Silbermann said.

The move to bring the simplified points system from NASCAR’s national series to the regional touring level is part of an effort to integrate uniform race formats and procedures throughout the NASCAR ranks. Earlier this year, two race procedures were changed to bring the touring series in line with the national series. One of those procedures stipulated that if a green-white-checkered finish is necessary, a maximum of three attempts will be made. The other change directed that on all restarts, passing will not be permitted until the car reached the start-finish line.

In some cases, race procedures developed at the touring level have been adopted at the national level. In 2009, the double-file restarts that had come about in the regional series, became a part of the national series race procedures.

Blaney, the 17-year-old son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dave Blaney, took the lead for the third and final time on Lap 104 and cruised to victory following a spirited battle with Alex Bowman that saw the pair swap the lead five times through the race’s final 55 laps. In the end, Blaney cruised to the victory by more than two seconds.

From High Point, N.C., Blaney had just two starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series prior to Saturday, both in the East division. He registered top 10s in those outings at Richmond International Raceway and Iowa Speedway.

Bowman settled for second after also leading the race on three different occasions. Chase Elliott, Eric Holmes and Derek Thorn brought home the top five.

For Bowman, a native of Tucson, Ariz., the Casino Arizona 125 was a homecoming after competing full-time in the K&N Pro Series East in 2011, where he won Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. The 18-year-old had one other West start this year, a ninth-place finish at Colorado National Speedway.

Daniel Suarez, Chad Boat, Brandon Davis, Johnny Borneman and David Mayhew rounded out the top 10 finishers in the K&N Pro Series West season finale.

After clinching the 2011 K&N Pro Series West title with one race to go, Greg Pursley celebrated with the championship trophy at Phoenix. The Casino Arizona 125 pole winner led two times Saturday night before tangling with Bowman on Lap 81, which resulted in a 23rd-place finish.

The race featured six lead changes among four drivers and was slowed by caution nine times with one red flag.

Pursley and the rest of the touring series champions will be honored as part of the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala on Dec. 10 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.

Pursley of Newhall, Calif., simply needed to take the green flag to nail down his first series title with one race left on the schedule, but that proved to be a little dramatic. At the drop of the green, Pursley, who started the race in the seventh position, was in a tangle of cars coming off Turn 4. The incident left Pursley and Michael Self turned around and damage to other cars, including Jessica Brunelli.

“The green flag flew and we got dumped,” Pursley said. “We didn’t even get into fourth gear. So, we started dead-last and kind of was on a mission after that. We probably had to burn the car down going from last to the top five. We tried to run a little bit and save a little bit. These guys were running hard tonight. We had a good race tonight. We got up to second and battled Eric for the win. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

That little scuffle aside, the 2011 season could not have gone better for Pursley. He picked up six wins in the season’s first eight events to open up a huge 298-point lead in the standings. Despite not having won since July 10 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., Pursley has continued to run well. Factoring in his runner-up finish in this race, Pursley has top-five finishes in each of his last four starts.

 “The Gene Price Motorsports team did a great job and gave me a great car,” Pursley said. “That’s pretty much how it’s been all year. It’s been a dream season to me, winning six races and five poles and finally winning a championship here. I can’t thank them enough.”

For Holmes of Escalon, Calif., the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Pick-N-Pull victory was his second straight series win and fourth in eight starts at All American Speedway, his adopted home track.

His victory did not come easy, however. In qualifying earlier in the day, Holmes had the fastest time for much of the session until the final car went on the clock and 18-year-old Jacob Gomes nabbed the pole position.

Gomes gained the early lead and Holmes hounded the teen through the early stages of the event, until finally getting by on Lap 31. Another teenager, 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Dylan Kwasniewski, had ideas of his own, however, and took command on Lap 68. A fierce battle continued among the leaders throughout the race.

Derek Thorn got past Kwasniewski on Lap 120, but a few laps later the two made contact coming through Turn 4. The incident left Thorn at the back of the pack and resulted in an aggressive driving penalty from NASCAR officials that put Kwasniewski at the back, also.

Fifteen-year-old Cameron Hayley inherited the lead, but had to contend with a pack of hungry challengers on the restart. Holmes took the lead on Lap 140 and then was able to hold off Pursley over the final 12 laps of competition.

“I always look forward to coming to All American Speedway,” said Holmes. “We’ve got a lot of support from NAPA and a lot of local fans. It’s one of my favorite races of the year. We usually win it or something happens.

“Tonight, we had a great car,” he said. “We had to give up the lead there for a little while. We lost the brakes – had a little brake issue. But we got it dialed in and saved the car for the end. The NAPA Toyota is in Victory lane two races in a row. I’ve got to thank everybody on the team. Ty Joiner coming back on board … I missed him. The two races we’ve been together, we’ve won two in a row. It’s great to have him back.”

Hayley closed out the race in the third position followed by Luis Martinez Jr. and Chad Boat in fourth and fifth, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 were Gomes, Ryan Philpott, Daryl Harr, Kwasniewski and Matt Scott – the local track champion who was making his series debut.

With his win, Holmes moved to second in the championship standings behind Pursley – 2,220 to 1,902. Moses Smith is third with 1,868, followed by Martinez with 1,854 and Kwasniewski with 1,792. Sixth through 10th are Brett Thompson at 1,763, Michael Self at 1,740, Daryl Harr at 1,591, Philpott at 1,545 and Carl Harr at 1,429.

The Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Pick-N-Pull will air on SPEED on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. ET.

The next event on the 2011 schedule for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will be the season finale Casino Arizona 125 at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, Nov. 12.