Welcome to The Villages Motor Racing Fan Club website!

SHARING INTERESTS IN ALL FORMS OF MOTOR RACING

Curious about who we are and what keeps our engines running? Take a spin through our website -- it's built to keep both members and racing fans up-to-speed (pun fully intended!) on everything we do.

Our club is open to all Villages residents, and we're united by one passion: motor racing in every form. Whether you're a die-hard NASCAR fan, love the roar of NHRA dragsters, root for super late models on dirt and asphalt, or get a kick out of go-karts and motorcycles, you'll find fellow enthusiasts here. The photo above? Believe it or not -- that's not even half our members!

From the legendary 2.5-mile high banks of Daytona to the gritty 1/4-mile dirt of Marion County Speedway, we live and breathe the tracks that make Florida a racing hotspot.

Want to keep the excitement going? Connect with us on Facebook or through our Contacts page. We would love to welcome you into the club!
  


Paul Diatlovich debriefing with John Paul Jr. at The Mickyard.

Our next club meeting is on February 4 at Colony Cottage Recreation Center, with the green flag dropping at 7 p.m.

Our guest speaker will be Paul Diatlovich, a fellow Villager whose 40-plus years in Champ Car and IndyCar racing put him right in the middle of some of open-wheel racing's most exciting eras.

Paul's racing journey began on Long Island in the early 1970s, crewing on an SCCA Toyota Celica driven by trailblazing racer Janet Guthrie. A few years later, she called and asked him to join the crew of a Champ Car team preparing for the Indy 500, and from that moment on, open-wheel racing became his life.

After years as a respected mechanic in Champ Car, Paul launched his own team, PDM Racing, when the Indy Racing League began in 1996. The team competed full time through 2003 and earned its best finish in 2000, when Sam Hornish Jr. drove to a thrilling third-place finish at Las Vegas.

If you enjoy behind-the-scenes racing stories - from the garage to the grid - you won't want to miss this one.

Meetings are open only to club members, but Villages residents are welcome to join at the door. Click Here for more membership information.

DARLINGTON -- So our top three Predictors all picked Hamlin to win. It's probably not a good idea to bet against them, but let us have some fun with this and cheer for Ross Chastain to give Bob, our last place Predictor, a chance to move up in the standings.

Standings are based on the number of wins with points breaking any ties. The top three advance to our Chase Segment.

Darlington Predictions

  1. Bob Patterson - 2 wins, 157 points - Denny Hamlin - Looking for back to back wins, after winning last week in Vegas. Won the Spring 2025 race here. He is currently fourth in driver points.
  2. Jim Rezendes - 1 win, 201 points - Denny Hamlin - Dominant revenge win at Las Vegas! Expert at tire management. Spring 2025 win and 10.6 average with Gen 7 car. Top 5 pit crew.
  3. Pete Zaagman - 1 win, 161 points - Denny Hamlin - In his career, he has won five races at Darlington. He won last week at Vegas and is looking for two in a row.
  4. Craig Simundza - 0 wins, 194 points - Kyle Larson - Despite being atypically down in the standings at seventh, he will tame The Widow Maker and put the #5 in the Winner's Circle.
  5. Larry Palermini - 0 wins, 107 points - Christopher Bell - Three top 5’s in 2026. Bell is confident that his car is dialed in and his track times confirm it.
  6. Bob Woodsford - 0 wins, 81 points - Ross Chastain - No Cup race wins here, won the truck race in 2024. Off/on track clashes with Suarez in Vegas may affect his racing today.

Click on the PREDICTION ROW tab at the top of this page so you can keep up with the competition from race to race. Check the notes at the bottom for an explanation of scoring.