If you ever wondered which compound a racer is running, the Appalachian Mountain Speed Week has a way to satisfy that curiosity. They have color-coded the different compounds like some other national and international series do.
“I saw the concept while watching F1 racing,” Appalachian Mountain Speed Week promoter Jim Bernheisel said. “Color denotes compound, but also engages the fan base. Diehard fans will see who runs better on a soft compound as opposed to a medium or hard compound.”
Both American Racer and Hoosier tires will carry colors. The softest tires will be green, with medium red, hard yellow and extra hard blue.
Unlike in F1, the tires won’t come with colors from the tire manufacturers. Instead, teams will paint theirs using a template from the series.
“Tech inspectors will make sure the compound numbers on the tires correspond to the color painted upon the tires,” said Bernheisel. “Anyone trying to do something tricky will be disqualified.”
Participation in the color coding will be voluntary. However, teams that participate will be rewarded at the end of the night. The top 10 cars with color-coded tires will receive an additional $40 each, and will be eligible for a new tire giveaway.
“It’s the first year — we’re having the program be low impact,” Bernheisel said. “We want to show that the program works, and at the same time work the kinks out, if there are any. Those who participate, we will make it worth your while.”
The Appalachian Mountain Speed Week runs for a little more than a week, with eight races scheduled. It starts on Friday, June 7, at Clinton County Speedway in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. It ends on Sunday, June 16, at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pennsylvania.
Bernheisel resurrected the series in 2023 after the last tour ran in 2017.
“I love racing and wanted to see this series return,” said Bernheisel. “Last year, we had eight events in 10 days and averaged 44 cars. Now, we need to build the fan base and I believe the color-coded tires will help that.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
