MARC News is BACK as Region's Racing Information Leader

Horsepower Happenings Podcast, 500 Sprintcast, KG Media, Gridline Social Among MARC Network Members

Jonesville, MI - In 1965, Dick and Pat Beebe launched the Michigan Auto Racing Chronicles after discussion with friends around a dining-room table. Dick wrote in the paper with the Fifth Turn and Pat wrote Grandstand with Pat. The paper featured results from around the state, editorials, and other news, giving fans one place to keep up on everything going on in racing. The MARC Times Racing News quickly became a must-have for fans across the state, then the region, and later the broader United States.

By the 2000s, the MARC Times Racing News faced the same challenges as many print media began to face - rising costs, declining membership, and competition from the internet. By the end of the 2000s era, the MARC Times Racing News began to fade, with multiple ownership changes before the paper dissolved completely, and the name was essentially lost from the public eye. The status of the MARC Times Racing News remains mostly unknown to anyone around the area.

Now, 60 years after the official launch of the MARC Times Racing News from a dining-room in Kalamazoo, MI, the MARC name is back to serve Michigan and the surrounding areas. The Michigan Area Racing Connection News is the new parent company founded by Zach Hiser with support from his wife, Becca. Hiser has history with motorsports media in Michigan, launching the Horsepower Happenings podcast in 2018 before selling the entity later that year. Now, the podcast is back in Hiser's ownership, and he says it was time for a brand expansion.

"When the opportunity came to purchase back Horsepower Happenings, I knew I had to do it," Hiser says. "But, Horsepower Happenings didn't feel like the right brand to do what I really think is needed in our area. The podcast has a great brand that reaches thousands of race fans each month and is well known in the region, so I knew we couldn't rebrand it. Then, in a brainstorming session, I came upon Michigan Area Racing Connection and knew I needed to find out what was happening with the MARC Times. The status of the actual MARC Times Racing News brand was very inconclusive, so we've made some adjustments to our brand, while still paying homage to the path that was laid by the Beebe family."

In a discussion with Linda (Beebe) Bloom, the daughter of Dick and Pat, she said she believed her parents would be proud to hear that MARC is coming back to the public eye and serving the purpose it was built for.

"I think my parents would be so proud," Bloom said. "They put their heart and souls into the MARC Times and into everything that has to do with auto racing. I think what you're doing is really great, and you have my blessing," she continued. "I want to thank you for thinking about us and even asking [to use the MARC name], because a lot of people would just go ahead with what they want to do, and I think it was very respectful of you to do that, and we appreciate it."

The next chapter of MARC begins on Saturday, January 17th with the launch of Michigan Area Racing Connection News. www.MARCNews.org will host news, results, podcasts, photography, and so much more. From national headlines to local happenings, MARC News is the new home for all things racing in the Michigan Area.

For more information, find www.MARCNews.org. To inquire about marketing opportunities, podcast production, or to become a member of the MARC Network, email contactmarcnews@gmail.com.