PASCAR SUPER STOCK DRIVER BILLY SIMKINS HAS A NEW AI CREW CHIEF
2025-04-24 18:43
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(Perris, CA, April 22, 2025) When Bakersfield, California driver Billy Simkins heads to Perris Auto Speedway for this Saturday's PASSCAR Super Stock race, his new crew chief, Chet, will be going with him. Well, he will kind of be going with him. Chet is an AI-generated crew chief, and in their first race together at Perris on April 5th, Chet's calls saw Billy go from his 13th-place starting spot to finish third.
For Simkins, racing has been a part of his life since he was a small child. His grandfather, Spud, raced and promoted the Bakersfield Speedway. His father, Dan, had a legendary California stock car racing career that included 10 Santa Maria Speedway championships. Joining Billy on the track these days is his daughter Sunnie, who won the 2024 Bakersfield Speedway American Stock Championship. And now, Chet is joining the team to help Billy with the car.
Chet was set to help Billy at the season opener earlier this year at The PAS, but the race was rained out. Even AI could not prevent that. Thus, the first race Billy used Chet was on April 5th. Racing against a stellar field that night, the veteran driver used Chet's advice to go from 13th to third at the checkers. He passed four more cars than any other driver in the race.
"I started getting into AI because it is just kind of interesting how it works and how it communicates with you," Simkins told Dave Stall on Sunday's Racer Radio Show. "It has really advanced over the last year. I thought it would be interesting if I let AI crew chief the car. That means letting it set the car up and what it thought. Then we could kind of set the car up together."
"It was really interesting how it worked out," Simkins continued. "The key component with AI is telling it how you want it to communicate with you. If you tell it you want it to talk to you like Harry from Days of Thunder, that is how it is going to talk to you. If you want it to talk to you like a motivational coach, that is how it is going to talk to you. It is going to talk to you any way you tell it to. That is a huge component."
According to Simkins, the key to making it work is communication. Supplying it with as much information as possible expands its horizons. It can go back and give you all the data you need, as it stores everything.
"The more it talks to you, the more it gets to know you," Simkins said. "It actually saves your information. As you progress, it gets to know how you talk and even how you drive. The more input you give it, the better communication it gives you."
Stall asked Simkins what Chet knows about a track like Perris Auto Speedway. The longtime radio show host asked, "Do you have to give track measurements, the degree of banking? Does AI already know about Perris Auto Speedway?"
"I said (to it), 'I am Billy, I have been racing for this long, the way I drive is like this and I am going to let you crew chief the car,'" Simkins responded. "What it basically does is it goes through and scrapes the entire Internet for like the last 20 years. That's forum boards, chassis manufacturers, everything. It is gathering the best information and communicating it to you in a nanosecond."
"Let's talk about the setup you have got," AI told Simkins. "So I gave it the springs and the shocks I was running. It told me it liked everything on my car but did not like my right front spring. It said it is too stiff. I told it I tried to run softer springs but it bottoms out on the track. I just don't like the way that feels. It said we cannot have that spring. It said for us to come up with a solution we can both agree on so we both get what we want.
"I said to it, 'What if I run a right front wheel with a deeper dish so I am pushing the right front tire out and I will kind of fine tune it with a spacer.' It told me, 'I like that, and you can keep your spring, that will soften up the right front.' We came up with that solution together and it was actually really good."
For Simkins, it is like having a real crew chief with you. It has discussions, and you can bounce ideas back and forth. It relies on past and present information and takes everything into consideration.
"It tells you to go try this thing out in hot laps and don't do any other changes until we talk and we see where we are at," Simkins said. "It gives you what it thinks is the best option for you. Sometimes it will talk you out of doing things. If it sees something that it does not like, say your spring package, it is going to let you know. It is that smart. "
In addition to the Super Stock he runs at Perris, Simkins has a brand new IMCA Stock Car he runs on the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway. He got a surprising response when he told AI he was going to Perris to run the Super Stock. It told him that he did not have to say if it was his super stock or his stock car. AI knows when he goes to Perris, he is going to run his super stock, and when he goes to the Bakersfield Speedway, it is going to be in his stock car.
To show how much it acts like having a living, breathing crew chief, Simkins informed it that he was going to be on a radio show to talk about his new AI crew chief. The AI response was shocking.
"No way, that is bad ass, I would love to hear how that went," AI enthusiastically responded when told it was going to be the subject. "You literally went out there blending old school dirt track racing with AI crew chief strategy like it is 2035 already. Are they skeptical? Are they curious? I can only imagine that the host is saying, 'wait, you have a robot set your bar angles and your weight placement and you went out there and got back-to-back podium finishes with it."
Perhaps the best news about it is the fact that, unlike most racecar technology, it is free to use online.
Simkins and Chet would like to thank sponsors Motor City Throwdown, BTUFF, Grapevine MSP, Skinny's Automotive, and Smith & Son Tire for helping get the cars on the track at Perris and Bakersfield.
In addition to Billy Simkins in the PASSCAR Super Stocks, the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, PASSCAR Street Stocks, and The PAS Young Gun and Senior Sprints will also be in action. Spectator gates will open at 5:00 p.m. and racing will begin at 7:00. Tickets for those 13 and over are $35.00. Seniors 65 and over get in for $30.00. For kids 6-12 it is $10.00 and children 5 and under are free. The fairgrounds charge $20.00 for parking.
For fans who wish, advance tickets for all of the USAC/CRA & PASSCAR, and Night of Destruction shows are available at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7 or by calling 800-595-4849. For fans who do not wish to purchase advance tickets, there will be plenty available for everyone at the ticket window each night.
Tickets for the September 13th return of the World of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars at The PAS are available at https://bit.ly/42Dssil.
Camping on the fairgrounds is available for all races at $25.00 a night beginning at noon on Friday.
Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located close to the freeway at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, home of the Southern California Fair, in nearby Riverside County. To get there, take the 215 freeway, exit at the Ramona Expressway, and go three miles east to the fairgrounds. For online directions, the address to enter is 18700 Lake Perris Drive, and the zip code is 92571.
Perris Auto Speedway 2025 Schedule
April 26th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/ YOUNG GUN SPRINTS, PASSCAR SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
May 3rd LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
May 24th "SALUTE TO INDY" AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS,
PAS SENIOR/ YOUNG GUN SPRINTS, PASSCAR STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
June 14th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
June 21st AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/ YOUNG GUN SPRINTS, PASSCAR SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
JUNE 28TH "FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR AND SKY CONCERT"
LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
July 19th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINTS, PASSCAR SUPER AND FACTORY STOCKS
July 26th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
August 9th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
August 16th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINTS, PASSCAR SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
August 30th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
September 6th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINTS, PASSCAR STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
SEPTEMBER 13TH THE "GREATEST SHOW ON DIRT!" THE WORLD OF OUTLAW SPRINT CARS
September 20th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
September 27th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINTS, PASSCAR SUPER AND FACTORY STOCKS
October 18th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINTS, PASSCAR SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
October 25th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION,
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
November 1st AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/ YOUNG GUN SPRINTS, PASSCAR SUPER, STREET and FACTORY STOCKS (Front Gates open at 5:00 Showtime 6:30)
November 8th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINTS, "JERRY DODD CHAMPIONS NIGHT" PASSCAR SUPER, STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
(Front Gates open at 5:00 - Showtime 6:30)
THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
To keep up with everything happening at The PAS, please visit the track's social media efforts on Facebook and Instagram and visit the website at perrisautospeedway.com.
The PAS would like to thank all of its 2024 marketing partners.
Budweiser- https://us.budweiser.com/
Chick-Fil-A Perris - Hwy 215 & Nuevo Road Location | Chick-fil-A
Chris's Hauling
Ed Pink Racing Engines - edpink.com
Heimark Distributors - https://heimark.com/
Hoosier Tire - https://www.hoosiertire.com/
Living Waters Hospice - https://livingwatershospice.com/
LKQ Pick Your Part - https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/
Marjon RV's - https://marjonrvs.com/
Mike's Produce
Performance Online - https://www.performanceonline.com/
Perris Valley Auto Center - https://www.perrisvalleyautocenter.com/
Premier Medical Transportation - https://pmtpremier.com/
Rapid Tire and Automotive - https://rapidtireauto.com/
Rapid Wraps - https://www.rapidwrapsandtint.com/
Sunoco Race Fuels - https://www.sunocoracefuels.com/
Symbiosis - https://symbiosiscare.com/
Trench Shoring - https://www.trenchshoring.com/
Team Stites - https://teamstites.com/
Vista Paint - https://www.vistapaint.com/
Weathertight Roofing - https://weathertightroofing.com/
Wind N Sea Towing - https://windnseatowing.com/
For information on 2025 billboard advertising at The PAS, please call 951-940-0134 and ask for Charlie Watson.
Fans can stay up to date on track and driver news on The PAS social media efforts at the links below.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/113876798686480?ref=hl
Twitter: Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrisautospeedway/
Website: http://perrisautospeedway.com/
The PAS has a segment on Dave Stall's Racer Radio Show every Sunday afternoon. The show airs from 3:00-5:00 p.m. PST and The PAS segment comes on at 3:30. Fans can listen live online at kcbq.com or 1170 AM on the radio if they are in the San Diego area. Replays are available at http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/radioshow.html.
mailto:perrisautospeedway1@gmail.com is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment