by Skip Wall 

Mike Kurkowski went to USA International Speedway with driver Daniel Johnson earlier this year to run a race in the Procup series. When he made the long haul back, an 10 hour drive back to his North Carolina home, he had plenty of time to reflect his disappointments within the USAR Hooters ProCup.

Johnson had blown an engine at the Lakeland Fl. track and found themselves coming back up I-95 early. Moreover the team had a steel bodied car and couldn't compete with the new fiberglass body that USAR had allowed this new season. Kurkowski, like other Procup owners find. its hard to get a sponsor, and more so this year because the USAR had altered its TV package down. USAR also shortened its schedule to try and make the series more affordable for race teams.

Some track promoters, drivers and sponsors are concerned. Some of them question the future of the USAR series.

One of the key elements Kurkowski paid attention to was the series plans to abolish the steel bodied cars next season. Kurkowski knows there are plenty of those teams out there that have these outdated steel bodied cars in their garages.

The drivers want a place to go race. Kurkowski and Shotime Motorsports has some solutions. As an independent owner, Kurkowski, knows there are plenty of those teams out there that has these outdated steel bodied cars in their garages. They cant afford the 5-6K new fiberglass body.

Some of them for various reasons cant afford to go racing in Procup any longer or haven't the past couple of years. Some because of the distance it takes going to tracks coupled with the rising costs of gasoline.

Kurkowski wants to get a group of drivers and race a couple of exhibition races this year and possibly form a series next year at a much more affordable price of racing.

Sherry Clifton, track promoter, for Hickory Speedway, and former ProCup official and businessman Joe Schmalling helped make it possible.

On October 13th at 2 p.m. Kurkowski and his group will get its chance to run in a 100 lap race. He has 12 drivers already entered and feels like that number will grow now that the group has its first race date.

"If we pull this off and other events off this year, it will open the doors up to run a series next year as stand alone events or even as companion events" says Kurkowski.

"We would run for late model purses but will run for much less expense. We will run on used tires or only one set of tires at each race."

If you did that Kurkowski says it would also dwindle down the total costs.

He also says the entry fees would be much lower than the current entry fee that USAR charges.

Kurkowski proposes to run 100 lap features to draw the attention of the fans.

There are lots of things to be decided and Kurkowski is very open minded about the whole situation. He insists he isn't he isn't trying to take away from the Procup but trying to open the doors for teams without the high dollars it takes to run in the bigger series. An affordable series and all for the fun of the sport is the target of this proposed new series.

Interested parties can contact Mike Kurkowski at ShoTimeMotorsports@juno.com

Skip Wall is Editor of Southern Motor Racing and a regular contibutor to KARNAC.com and Real Racin USA.