PRI Founding Member Forgeline Motorsports welcomes State Rep. Andrea White to its facility to discuss challenges, opportunities, and economic benefits to the region.

PRI’s Government Affairs officer Christian Robinson wryly noted, “For PRI members who run businesses, it’s always better to have good relationships with your lawmakers before you need them.”

This truth is especially important today. We in the racing business must often face off against overreaches in government regulation while at the same time working to partner with legislators—local, state, and federal—to foster economic growth in their districts. Good relationships help facilitate good outcomes. 

The team at Forgeline Motorsports—a PRI Founding Member—recognizes the importance of having allies in government. Company owners David and Steven Schardt recently welcomed their State House Representative Andrea White to their Dayton, Ohio, factory. 

White is a first-term rep for Ohio’s District 41 that includes the area around Forgeline’s factory in Dayton, and she saw the value in visiting the facility to better understand the company’s current challenges, as well as its economic benefits to the region. Forgeline has been in business for more than 25 years making aftermarket and OEM alloy performance racing wheels for cars and light trucks. This past year the company has seen a significant increase in national and international sales.

White’s visit deepened her understanding of the Dayton area’s offerings in the global automotive, military, and aerospace industries. These economic sectors are key for the region’s long-term success, but there are challenges that were discussed as she toured the facility. “The high level of quality, customization, and precision that goes into every wheel built by Forgeline’s workforce was evident at every turn during my visit. Ohio’s workforce development and support are key factors in helping our specialized manufacturers like Forgeline continue to meet the demands of their customers while balancing today’s business challenges. I appreciated the opportunity to hear more about industry needs during my time at Forgeline,” White told PRI. 

Mary Miller of the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) accompanied Representative White to further UDRI’s long-standing relationship with Forgeline. Miller commented, “It was a great visit. It is important for our representatives to take an interest in local businesses.”

Forgeline, like many companies with complex machining and manufacturing operations, is facing an acute shortage of qualified CNC operators and applicants skilled in Computer Aided Design. Good paying jobs are unfilled due to the shortage. “Dayton, being an engineering and manufacturing hub—filling these skilled positions of CNC operators as we continue expanding has proven difficult,” noted Forgeline President David Schardt.

The group also discussed the burden of healthcare costs, and the practical issues related to out-of-pocket deductible expenses employees face even after they’re covered by Forgeline’s plan. 

The success of Representative White’s visit encouraged the Forgeline team to have Ohio Congressman Mike Turner visit their facility. If all goes as planned, they’ll work to earn Turner’s support for the RPM Act, a bill that protects Americans’ right to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars, as well as the motorsports parts industry’s ability to sell products that allow racers to compete. 

PRI’s Robinson works in Washington, DC, to help our members like Forgeline get their voices heard. The PRI team in DC can also be your company’s starting point to access lawmakers and regulators. Robinson explained, “Our team can help your business get on legislative calendars, arrange official visits, develop talking points—these are critical, and you want them fully developed beforehand—all to help those in government understand the importance of the racing industry, and the economic impact of your business in your community.” 

Washington needs to know the positive economic impact of our racing community, and they need to know about the unreasonable burdens and unintended consequences certain regulations and laws cause for our industry. Meeting one-on-one is a great way to make this happen by building constructive relationships with those in power. 

Robinson concluded, “When legislators get to meet their constituents, a light bulb really comes on. Legislators remember these interactions, and it makes a difference when laws or regulations are being drafted. These visits are a great way for our industry to be heard.”

Front-runners: PART TWO

Following is the second installment of our PRI Founding Member Front-Runners series. PRI exists because we—together—are strongest when we’re united. The companies featured in this series illustrate the interwoven complexity of the racing industry. For example, this edition features a race track, an insurance provider, and two major performance parts makers. One can imagine a scenario where competitors and fans attend an event, and if any one of these categories of business is missing, the green flag can’t drop. 

By taking on Founding Member status, these companies are sending a clear message that they stand for our industry’s today and tomorrow. And they’re showing they stand with you, with the knowledge that our industry’s collective political voice and economic power carries more punch than any one company’s attempt to navigate today’s legislative and economic challenges.

PRI Founding Member status remains available for a limited time for $25,000 (with a payment option of $2,500 per year over 10 years). In other words, for the cost of a modest Google display ad campaign, your company could position itself at the forefront of the racing industry. And Founding Member status also comes with practical bottom-line benefits, including invitations to officially organized networking events with other industry leaders. The first official Founding Member’s event will be held at this year’s PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis in December. 

As you read more from your own industry’s leaders, consider the membership option that’s right for you or your company. Your involvement with PRI allows us to continue to build, promote, and protect your livelihood, as well as the prosperity of the entire racing and aftermarket community.

As Ernest Hemingway famously quipped, “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” This quote notes the inherent risk we take on, for example, as drivers, crew members, and track operators. Trusting luck is risky, and while we all roll the dice every so often, it’s best to (literally) have insurance, and that’s where Sports Insurance Specialists, LLC (SIS) of Fort Wayne, Indiana, comes in. 

Insurance is not considered a favorite subject, but the reality is that we all recognize the need for it in our personal and professional lives. In the business of motorsports, it’s important to partner with an insurance provider that understands the space. 

SIS’s heritage is rooted in motorsports, and even today that passion remains the driving force behind the team’s growth and technology-fueled innovation to help sanctioning bodies, track staff, drivers, and crews understand the significance of having the right kind and right amount of coverage. As a safety net, insurance is only as strong as its provider and policy to capably support the insured. SIS approaches this task daily to help educate and ensure every participant—every person—is covered in case the unexpected happens. Lucky streaks don’t last forever.

Together, SIS is here to help ensure that the motorsports community meets challenges head-on so that future generations have the opportunity to share in our passion for all things motorsports.

When racing’s top teams go looking for a partner, who’s on the short list for cranks, connecting rods, camshafts, and other key engine components? For the Detroit Three, as well as numerous imports, Mullins Performance, Pat Musi Racing Engines, Kalitta Motorsports, and many others, the choice is Callies Performance Products, Inc. 

Working from their headquarters in Fostoria, Ohio, Callies pushes the envelope of technology and manufacturing with state-of-the-art design and production techniques. You’ve likely seen the cars running their products at IMSA events, at dirt tracks, and on drag strips. Their catalog includes hundreds of part numbers that suit the needs of racers around the world.

Callies Performance Products opened in 1989 and forged a longtime presence in the PRI community. The move to become a Founding Member was the company’s way to formalize its status and provide material support to counterbalance government overreach that restricts markets and drives up prices. The company took this membership step to invest in the future of racing by making the community stronger.

Vado Speedway Park is strategically located between Las Cruces, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. This state-of-the-art dirt racing facility serves both markets as well as Juarez, Mexico, to the south. It is a testament to how much track President and CEO Royal Jones loves racing and getting people into the sport.

Jones told PRI, “I thought if the wife is comfortable at the track, it’s easier for the husband and kids to get to go more often. And showing other premium sports programming on property gives fans a spectacular experience.” Vado is not your father’s dirt track, and that’s a good thing for racing.

Jones has a rich history in dirt racing and carries many long-standing partnerships with other local racers and regional government agencies. These relationships helped Jones open the new facility that boasts 16 high-end trackside suites, pristine bathrooms, and big-screen TVs broadcasting a variety of premium sports programming in the concession areas. 

The team at PRI helped Vado Speedway Park press New Mexico’s governor to allow the track to reopen in the waning days of the pandemic. PRI also helped those in power recognize the economic impact the speedway and racers have on the economies of two important cities. As a PRI Founding Member, Jones is happy to be part of the network that supports the sport he cares so much about.

It’s 1967, the year of the very first SEMA Show. A few dozen booths are situated in the concourse of LA’s Dodger Stadium; all forming the foundation for the racing industry. Vic Edelbrock was there. 

More than half a century later, Edelbrock Group remains a key member of the performance aftermarket, and the PRI family. Edelbrock Group was created last year with the merger of two performance aftermarket legends, Edelbrock and COMP Performance Group. The companies represent nearly 130 years of business experience that has provided some of the world’s best parts to countless racers. 

Headquartered in Olive Branch, Mississippi, Edelbrock Group includes five power brands and several subsidiary brands with manufacturing facilities stretching across the United States. Thanks to this combination of resources and some of the world’s most dedicated and passionate people, brands like Edelbrock, COMP Cams, FAST (Fuel Air Spark Technology), TCI, and Russell Performance continue to dominate the automotive aftermarket with exceptional valvetrain, drivetrain, superchargers, electronic fuel injection, intake manifolds, carburetors, cylinder heads, and specialty tools products.

PRI Founding Member status demonstrates that Edelbrock Group is not resting on its legacy, but is in fact ready to fight for the motorsports community.