With an astounding 180 plus cars at Pueblo, and Miller right around the corner, its full on Racing Season!
On May 17th and 18th, at Pueblo Motorsports park, NASA held their second event this season, Nostalgia Days. Suffice it to say the paddock was brimming with over 180 cars, of which there were two Vintage groups, open and closed wheel. Visitors and racers alike got to see new Mustangs and old GT350s, new Porsche 944s and their vintage elders, as well as a great turn out of British cars, and of course those beloved new Japanese models as well.
Now, normally the major problem with 180 plus cars at an event is the lack of track time, not to mention scheduling nightmare, but the NASA crew pulled something simply amazing off this past weekend. Not only were there two groups of vintage, but there were also two groups of new cars as well. Not to mention four groups of HPDE (Drivers Education) as well as time trials, and even worker rides. That comes to a total of 10 plus groups! Yet, the event ran on time both days, and yielded over 4 track sessions PER DAY!! That would be more track time than most average clubs weekends, and the fact that it ran so smoothly made it super fun.
Once again, the skill of the NASA drivers was prevalent through out the weekend, both in the Lightning and Thunder, as well as the up and coming HPDE drivers. The Vintage groups were completely separate from any of the new car groups, though a certain Union Jacked Mini sure caught the eye of the Knuckledraggers, as it performed a three wheeled trick around turns 7 and 10.
Oh yeah, did I happen to mention that the band was great? The Pranksters led the party with 60’s rock Saturday night, accompanied by a hog roast, courtesy of Rocky Mountain Hog Roasters. Between the racing and the partying, I’d say that Nostalgia’s spirit is carried over, and then multiplied.
Interestingly, I along with a few fellow vintage racers participated in NASA’s instructor school for HPDE (High Performance Driver’s Education), and I must say, this is the hands down, best driver education program that I have seen. Not only are there the four levels of HPDE, designed to stair step participants gradually from zero track experience, level 1, to rookie and instructor race groups, level 4. However, this stair step doesn’t all happen in the same weekend. Seeing this program in action made me realize how lucky I was not to have had an incident when I was going through driver’s school, and consequently thrown into the ‘mix’ the very next weekend. If you have a chance, check it out, we can always use more instructors, and it is simply a blast. Believe it or not, instructing at NASA is actually pretty darn fun!!
All this being said, Miller looming ever closer. It should turn out to be a simply astounding event, pulling cars from multiple regions, both Vintage and New alike. If you haven’t ever been to Miller Motorsports Park, you must attend June 13 – 15, and if you have been to the facility, then I would love to see you there.
Click here for a fantastic video of the weekend!!
Rocky Mountain Summer Jam - Miller Motorsports Park
June 13-15, 2008
Click here to Register (Scroll to the Bottom of the Page)
Click here for an Event Schedule (Tentative)
This is NASA’s version of the Sprints at Road America. Drivers from all over the U.S. coast will be descending on Salt Lake City to see who’s who on the west coast. The weekend will be full of racing with all the regular NASA classes but will also feature American Stock Car.
HPDE Information
HPDE1/2 Pricing
1 day - $195 (Friday or Saturday)
2 day - $340 (Friday and Saturday)
HPDE3/4/TT Pricing
1 day - $195
2 day - $340
Transponder - $50/weekend
HPDE GENERAL NOTICE-
Note that due to the special nature of the weekend, there will not be HPDE1/2 on Sunday. Racers, this might be a great opportunity to put a favorite crew member or sponsor in the car for a day!!! If you do not see the HPDE Group that you want, it means that it's full. Please Click Here to get on the waiting list.
HPDE 1:
HPDE1 is where it all starts. If you’ve never been on track before or would like to be guaranteed an instructor, sign up for HPDE1. We do not rent transponders for HPDE1.
HPDE 2:
HPDE 2 is for drivers that have been signed off to drive on their own, but just want more time at HPDE 1 speeds and skill level. So, Group 2 is Group 1 (and runs with Group 1), but they do not have an instructor assigned to them. We do not rent transponders for HPDE2. Please see this notice before signing up: HPDE2 Notes
HPDE 3:
The day will slowly work up to additional passing by the end of the day. This should better prepare drivers for Group 4. Please see this notice before signing up: HPDE3 Notes
HPDE 4:
Only advanced drivers with open passing skills. Please see this prerequisite page to make sure you are eligible. HPDE4 Notes
TT Information
Time Trials:
You must have a NASA TT license to be in this class. If you need to apply for a license, click here for the form.
Instructor Information
Instructors:
Sign up as HPDE 4 or a TT class and we will place you properly. Detailed instructions on running TT and/or HPDE4 on Saturday and Sunday will be sent to you via email.
Racing
Pricing
Friday Test Day - $185
Sat & Sun 2 day - $340
Saturday 2 Hour Enduro - $180
Transponder - $50/weekend
Preliminary breakdown on race groups will be: Big Bore (AI/AIX/ASC/ST/CMC), Medium Bore (FFR/PT/SU/GTS), Small Bore (944/E30/SM/HC). If you don’t see a class matching your car, remember that ALMOST ANY CAR CAN BE CLASSIFIED IN EITHER PT OR SU.
Racers please enter early so that we can properly divide the groups. Remember the racer refund policy - you have nothing to loose. If you need a logbook or annual done, please make arrangements to have it done ahead of time.
Race Enduro
There will be a 2 hour race enduro from 5:30pm-7:30pm on Saturday evening. The event will be held under the NASA Endurance Racing Regulations. A minimum of 35 entries must be received in order to hold the enduro.
Pricing
Saturday 2 Hour Enduro (includes 2 drivers) - $180
Nostalgia Classes – You should find your familiar classes under the “Vintage” selection. If we missed one, please let us know.
Nostalgia FA & FC Open Wheel Classes – Please register as Racing/Other until we can get your classes added to the database. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Nostalgia Racing Finds a New Home! 
The Rocky Mountain Region of the National Auto Sport Association is bringing Nostalgia Racing, Inc. under its organizational umbrella to provide vintage racing at selected events.
The Rocky Mountain Region has been looking for a way to expand its audience and Nostalgia vintage racing presents itself as a logical next step. “The atmosphere, ideals and philosophy between the two groups are so similar that bringing Nostalgia members into our family is a natural fit. It’ll be possible to see a 2008 model sharing a paddock space with it’s elder from 40 years ago. I think that’s just plain cool.” says Dave Balingit, the Rocky Mountain regional director.
Vintage racers will use the existing Nostalgia classing as they have in the past but will be licensed through NASA. They will race in vintage only run groups using NASA’s 13/13 rules as a baseline for on- track etiquette.
NASA Rocky Mountain will acquire the rights and assets of Nostalgia Racing, Inc. from Jimmy and Debbie Aretakis, who have run Nostalgia for the past ten years. The Aretakis’ are looking forward to taking a step back from the administration side to concentrate on participating as competitors. They will however continue to provide valuable insight that has helped to nurture this successful vintage group over the years.
Nostalgia Racing, Inc. is a vintage racing club that promotes and organizes historic racing events throughout the state of Colorado. The goal of the organization is to provide interesting events and unique venues for participants and their families. Nostalgia has established a history of attracting rare and exotic cars to thrill workers and spectators alike.
The Nostalgia Racing web site will continue to provide information for NASA vintage racing.
