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NEWS
Current Press Release (click here)
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Leo Capaldi to debut 2008 Spec Focus Coupe for 2008
Leo Capaldi will debut the new 2008 Focus Coupe in Spec Focus for the 2008
Season.
The car will future the 2.0L Duratec motor, along
with the new Spec Focus Suspension from Ford Racing.
In
cooperation with NASA, Co-Series Directors Ted Severns and Leo Capaldi have
formed a Spec Focus Advisory Board to refine and expand the 2008 Spec Focus
rules. In addition to Ted and Leo, racers Chris Kisner and Matt Marks are
serving on the on board. Initial drafts of the 2008 rules are in process
with the publication date to be announced in the next two weeks.
The rules are being looked at with a focus on simplification, clarity, and
cost reduction with the goal being enhanced competition and growing the
series by encouraging new competitors.
To current and prospective racers, as there will likely be some detail
changes that may affect your off-season purchases, so we recommend that you
consider waiting until the final rules are published before making large,
performance impacting purchases in order to properly budget for the year.
Also, please watch this space for news and announcements over the next
couple of weeks. 2008 is going to be a great year for Spec Focus!
Links for the NASA Spec Focus Website
http://specfocus.drivenasa.com/
For the Spec Focus Rule Request Form
http://specfocus.drivenasa.com/Request.htm
And the Spec Focus Part Request Waiver
http://specfocus.drivenasa.com/partswaiver.htm
Craig Capaldi Wins NASA Spec Focus National Championship
It’s that time of the year again when racers from across the country descend upon one of Americas most challenging and beautiful road courses for the who’s who of motorsports….the NASA National Championships at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. Not only was this the second year for the Championships, but also the sophomore year for the newly created Spec Focus Series.
The weekend started on Thursday with the first practice sessions of the week. As teams and drivers began to warm up the drivers were already flirting with the track record for the Pro Course at Mid Ohio. Lowell Marx held the track record at 1:47.020 but after just the first day of testing Craig Capaldi turned a 1:47.235 and Jack Baruth at a 1:47.730 with the others closely in tow. Chris Kisner, Matthew Marks, and Lowell Marx all were within .092 of a second as the day came to a close.
Friday would bring another great day of competition with a morning warm-up followed by a qualifying session and the first of two qualifying races for the main event. With temps in the lower to mid seventies qualifying would bring some of fastest times the Spec Focus pilots have seen at this track. Baruth set a new blistering track record of 1:46.618 followed by Capaldi at a 1:46.805 with Matthew Marks, Lowell Marx, and Chris Kisner rounding out the top five. Time for race one! As the cars got the green, pole sitter Baruth was passed by Capaldi and Marx as the field headed into turn one, but the first passes would be short lived as Baruth easily worked his way back to the front in just a few short laps. As the laps passed, Capaldi stayed in tow until Baruth got wide heading into the esses which allowed Capaldi to slip by on the inside and hold onto a .507 lead when they reached the checkered flag. Not only were Capaldi and Baruth so close at the finish, they also turned best laps within .008 of a second with Baruth once again on top. That’s just the beginning, at the stripe Marks brought home a third place finish followed by Marx and Kisner, all of which ran times within .425 of each other! Now where can you find a budget minded race series where cars can be so close after 20 minutes of battle…..Spec Focus come on down!
Saturday would bring more very close and exciting racing amongst the Spec Focus drivers. With the same schedule as Friday the teams warmed-up and then headed out for the second qualifying. This time once again the Foci managed to lay down consistently faster laps than the previous days with Capaldi coming out ahead this time. Capaldi would start on pole at a 1:45.495 followed by Baruth with 1:45.889. And for the third day straight the next three competitors were all within tenths of a second with Marks, Kisner, and Marx rounding out the top five. Race time!
This time the green flag waived and Baruth got the jump on the field leading them into turn one. Chris Kisner’s car then got a little tail happy which resulted in some contact with Matthew Marks, both drivers continued with little damage but Kisner would later be DQ’ed from the session for the resulting contact. Capaldi once again was chasing the taillights of Baruth for several laps as they headed into the keyhole. Baruth turned into the corner but as the cars began their exit Baruth ran wide over the curb and into the grass as all he could do was hold on and watch Capaldi drive by on the inside. For the second day straight Capaldi would take the win followed by Baruth, Marks, Marx, and Kisner.
The Big Day! Up until this point, lap times, finishing order, and even luck really didn’t mean a whole heck of a lot, these guys were here to be the next Spec Focus Champion! With the reigning champ Brett Mars not competing this year, Spec Focus would see a new champ for 2007! Your starting order for the 2007 Spec Focus National Championship: Pole Craig Capaldi (CapaldiRacing.com Ford Focus ZX5), 2nd Jack Baruth (Ford Focus ZX4), 3rd Matthew Marks (It-ROX Racing Ford Focus ZX4), 4th Lowell Marx (CapaldiRacing.com Ford Focus SVT), and rounding out the top five in 5th Chris Kisner (Ford Focus SVT).
The field lined up and headed to the green, pole sitter Capaldi got a jump and the lead as the field bottled up heading to turn 1. Through the esses and up to “Maddness” the field bunched up as the top five of Capaldi, Marx, Baruth, Marks, and Kisner tried to gather their bearings and settle into a race pace. Capaldi began to pull out a slight lead as Baruth hounded the rear bumper of Marx for several laps. Then heading down the back straight Baruth got a good run on Marx and peeked to the inside to out brake. Side by side as they turned in both cars made contact sending Marx into a spin to the outside of the corner putting Baruth in 2nd and dropping Marx to 4th. Now Baruth chases Capaldi with Marks, Marx, and Kisner all in a heated battle for the third position. As the laps wound down Baruth consistently closed the gap to leader Capaldi while Marx who now is on the mission of his life pushed forward continuously battling with Kisner and Marks as he tried to make up for lost ground from the earlier contact. As the checkered approached Marx made a pass on Marks for third going into turn one. It more resembled a World of Outlaws move than a pass any sane drive would attempt on pavement, but amazing he made it stick. As the racers passed for the Championship checkered your order was Capaldi, Baruth, Marx, Marks and Kisner.
After review of video and reports from the corner workers, Baruth was assessed a one position penalty for contact with Marx placing him in the third position and boosting Marx to second. All in all, everyone managed to have a great time and experience. Many thanks to all the racers who have stepped up to support this new up and coming series! With racing this close, and more and more people investing in building cars the Spec Focus Series is sure to be a fantastic racing experience for all involved. All the racers would also like to thank all of the sponsors who helped make this everyday grocery getter vehicle into one of the most cost effective and fun racecars built in modern years.
written by: Leo Capaldi -NASA Mid west Spec Focus Director
1st Place: #67 Craig Capaldi
2nd Place: #6 Lowell Marx
3rd Place: #68 Jack Baruth
4th Place: #111 Matt Marks
5th Place: #25 Chris Kisner
photos by income racing
Ford Focus shines at Cal-Speedway
during Jetfest.
Over 200
Ford Focus enthusiasts descended on California Speedway March 17-18, 2007
for Jetfest 2. This is the second such event hosted by Focaljet.com, a Ford
Focus enthusiast web site, in as many years. Focaljet teamed up with NASA
and Ford Racing to help bring awareness to its members about NASA's wide
array of on-track programs that cater to everyone from the novice to the
experienced driver.
It also provided a venue for another round of the new NASA Spec Focus
series. Several west coast journalists were invited out to sample the cars
that compete in this affordable and competitive class.
Response to the Spec Focus was encouraging, as many had not driven or even
seen the cars in person. Interest in the series is high and response of
Focaljet's dedicated Spec Focus forum shows that there are several cars
being built around the country, all hoping to be on track yet this season.
In addition to the Spec Focus race cars prepped for the event by Ford Racing
and Leo Capaldi Racing, Ford displayed a new 2008 Focus Coupe for attendees
to inspect. Knowing these were hardcore Focus enthusiasts, Ford went one
better by bringing along both the car's Chief Designer and Vehicle Dynamics
Manager to answer questions.
The 2008 Focus has all new sheet metal but retains the current car's
driveline and chassis, making it immediately tunable for track duty or the
Spec Focus series with off the shelf parts.
"It was a
great event", says NASA Spec Focus Director Ted Severns. "We want people to
know if you have a Focus and you want to learn High Performance Driving, or
you want to compete in Time Trial events, Rally Racing and/or Road Racing
then NASA is the Place to go". "We also proved that Focaljet.com is the
leading online forum for the Focus and Focus Motorsports" adds Severns.
Similar events will be planned in the future. So, keep an eye on
Focaljet.com for details. The Fastest Focus for the weekend was FocusSport's
Turbo ZX3 running in TTU with a 1:52.4, and the Fastest Spec Focus ran a
2:02.3
Ford Focus runs in NASA's 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
Bob Evans Racing Ford Focus competed in NASA's
Famous 25 Hours of Thunderhill in 2007. The car finished 15th in E2 and did
about 250 laps before the stub hub broke and destroyed the axle. Luckily the
wheel didn't come off and the car just skidded out of turn 12. Evans racing
had no spare for this. A EVO had the same problem but the car rolled.
The car was changed from Spec Focus to ITA car, because of sponsorships from
Tire Rack, Vogtland and Avon Tires.
NASA Spec Focus National Championship Lexington, OH September 13th, 2006 The first ever NASA National Championship took place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Raceway. (Final Results)
1st Place: #68 Brett Mars, 2005 ZX4 2.3L Focus
2nd Place: #69 Scott Lear, 2004 ZX5 2.3L Focus
3rd Place: #67 Andy Slankard, 2004 ZX3 2.0L SVT Focus
4th Place: #32 Ted Severns, 2001 ZX3 2.0L Zetec Focus
(left to right) Scott Lear, Brett Mars, Andy Slankard
Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9030765438049339315&hl=en
FORD RACING TO JOIN WITH NASA IN SPEC FOCUS SERIES
NEW CAMBER PLATES FROM LC RACING
NASA LAUNCHES NEW YEAR WITH NEW IDENTITY
TOYO OFFERS LARGE CASH PRIZES FOR NASA CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
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