Expect more of what makes the annual PRI Trade Show so special—over 1,000 exhibitors displaying advanced motorsports technology, parts, and services—plus, new developments and expanded sections that will keep you busy all three Show days!

This year’s edition of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show is a can’t-miss event for anyone in the business of motorsports. Slated for December 8–10 at the Indiana Convention Center (ICC) and Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, this mega-event is where more than 1,000 companies will showcase their latest products, services, machinery, technology, vehicles, and trailers to attendees from all 50 states and around the world. 

Moving through the Trade Show aisles are members of professional race teams, retailers, warehouse distributors, engine builders, fabricators, dealers, installers, jobbers, and media members—all on the lookout for what’s innovative and new to market. Because Indianapolis is centrally located, the Show’s travel costs are mitigated for thousands of attendees and exhibitors who are within a few hours’ drive. And, since most racing series aren’t in action in December, it’s also the perfect time to network and learn new tricks of the trade that will help attendees go faster, work smarter, or make more money in the new year.

All forms of motorsports are represented at PRI, including drag racing, short track, road racing, stock car, off-road, endurance, karting, truck and tractor pulling, performance marine, and more. 

Plus, a slate of high-level conferences and a broad-based education program encompassing three separate learning tracks provide further value for buyers, media, and others who descend on Indianapolis each December for the PRI Show.

New, Expanded Features

One big change in 2022 is that all PRI Trade Show attendees must now be members of PRI. Costs range from $40 (Pro Member) to $250 (Champion Member) annually for individuals. And each level comes with different benefits. PRI Membership is open to everyone, including racers, service providers, and now even fans. However, all PRI Trade Show attendees still must qualify to be admitted into the Show.

Why is this necessary? Racing is a very fragmented sport, and we live in an increasingly complex society. New environmental regulations pose significant challenges to the sport. And PRI as an organization that unites the industry, helping it adapt to change and advocating on its behalf. It provides support for race tracks to prevent them from closing; it lobbies for the racing community’s interests against legal threats; and its educational programs help racing businesses and racers succeed. 

The Show’s membership requirement is a direct reaction to threats facing the racing industry. And under the PRI Membership brand, the organization is working to build, protect, and promote the racing community. 

In addition, PRI Members are eligible to join the Performance Racing Political Action Committee (PAC). This is the industry’s central location to lobby lawmakers and work to protect motorsports at the local, state, and federal levels. 

A group of enthusiasts banding together to advocate for its interests is not new. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), for example, when founded in 1951, was not a drag racing organization, but rather one devoted to supporting hot rod hobbyists and clubs. It also sought to burnish the reputation of hot rodders who were being unfairly treated in the press.

“Race tracks, race teams, and motorsports businesses are facing unprecedented challenges,” said Jules Bush, PRI Membership marketing and communications manager. “PRI Membership was created in 2021 to unite the racing community and help build, promote, and protect the industry. Membership allows PRI to support race tracks, sponsor race events, help businesses, and contribute to legislators that support those issues that matter most to our industry. 

Among PRI Membership’s recent activities:

• Educating and hosting lawmakers at race-related businesses
• Promoting the RPM Act and Save Our Racecars initiative at race events
• Participating in motorsports industry events in key states
• Creating tools that have generated more than 1.5 million letters supporting the RPM Act in Congress
• Developing and sharing captivating content featuring race-related businesses with millions of fans throughout the world
• Opening the PRI Membership headquarters to provide members with a central hub to gather in the racing capital of the world, Indianapolis

In the future, PRI’s membership headquarters will also host automotive events on a regular basis and further amplify the fun and excitement of the racing industry by generating additional innovative content.

To become a PRI Member, visit performanceracing.com/membership.

Another platform the PRI Trade Show will showcase in 2022 is the growing electric vehicles (EVs) market. Resist it or embrace it, EVs are in our future, and the PRI Show and its partners aim to help educate and inform racers on the opportunities that exist in this emerging space.

“It’s coming, and it’s going to create some interesting scenarios,” said Chet Christner, who compiled a video on EVs he saw at last year’s PRI Show for FloRacing. His video included some action footage of a prototype electric midget. Like other EVs it was extremely quiet, which would drastically cut down noise complaints from residents who live near race tracks. 

“Think about it,” Christner said in the video. “It’s a vehicle that has maximum torque from a dead stop, doesn’t need to be push-started, has an engine life expectancy of more than 20 years with no maintenance, and it burns no fuel so there are no fumes to contend with at an indoor event…. We are already running crate engines in sprints, Late Models, and modifieds, so how big of a stretch is it to go from a crate engine to a crate motor?”

The PRI Show’s EV Zone, which debuted in 2021, will occupy more space in 2022 to showcase the role of EVs in the sport today and going forward. In addition, at press time six seminars on the EV movement are planned as part of the PRI Education lineup, which also offers sessions on business and tech topics.

Seminars relating to EVs include an all-star panel featuring record-breaking EV drag racer Steve Huff of Huff Motorsports, John Metric of Lonestar EV Performance, Farmtruck and AZN from Street Outlaws, and others examining advances in EV performance and engineering, and how EV trailblazers are pushing the envelope and breaking records.

Other sessions in the EV space will cover computer modeling tools that are readily available to simulate hybrid or full-electric race cars and hot rods; the business opportunities and profit potential within the EV conversion and motorsports markets; the basics of getting the wheels spinning on an EV system, what to look for in an EV powertrain, and how the main systems in an EV get connected in order to transfer power to the wheels; emerging capabilities in electrification, and considerations for everyone from builders and integrators all the way through to safety crews; and the skills necessary for the next generation of racing professionals to succeed as a team today and in the future. 

Another area that debuted in 2021 and will expand in 2022 is the Content Creation Zone. It features cutting-edge AV gear and software, plus information from skilled content creators and influencers on strategies for creating an impact online.

Returning for 2022 and better than ever, the Featured Products Showcase is a high-traffic display in Lucas Oil Stadium that gives exhibitors and attendees access to the hottest products in racing and performance. Also in Lucas Oil Stadium, the Show’s trailer exhibit area enables attendees to make side-by-side comparisons of the latest race trailers, motorcoaches, haulers, and toterhomes. 

The Indiana Convention Center itself will be filled with aisles upon aisles of exhibitors and displays. One large section in the Yellow Hall is occupied by Machinery Row, where dozens of exhibitors showcase tools, fixtures, fabricating gear, and more, and stage all type of precision machining equipment wired for live demonstrations. 

The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow, a nationwide engine-building competition for high-school students, will remain prominent at PRI, as the organization will determine its dual national champions at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 1–4, followed by the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

PRI also will host the 11th annual Race Track Business Conference, which is held on Wednesday, December 7, leading up to the Show opening, and carries a separate registration fee. The gathering focuses on cutting-edge presentations on the current status of motorsports. It includes individual sessions and a keynote speaker during a full day of activities. Details can be found at
rtbc.speedwaysonline.com.

Returning in person this year after going virtual in 2020–2021 due to COVID-19 is the International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) Annual Congress. The ICMS is a 501(c) not-for-profit corporation that strives to inform the industry on the latest innovations and initiatives in motorsports safety. The Congress is offered through a separate fee from the organization; more info is available at icmsmotorsportsafety.org.

Networking is a vital component of the PRI Show, with ample opportunities throughout. There’s an exhibitor reception on Wednesday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. The show’s famous Grand Opening Breakfast, which is free to attendees and exhibitors alike, takes place Thursday morning in the ICC’s Sagamore Ballroom before the Show opens. Once again the program will be hosted by Speed Sport’s Ralph Sheheen, and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Later Thursday is the PRI Happy Hour and the Save Your Race Car Rally at Lucas Oil Stadium; the latter will be focused on support for the RPM Act. 

The bottom line is that PRI is the singular event where professionals across all forms of motorsports meet to learn and swap ideas on how to go faster, work smarter, and enhance their businesses and operations for the upcoming race season and beyond.

Don O’Neal of Streetway Marketing & Media in Evansville, Indiana, told us his group attends PRI each year “because it is where our business is impacted. [If the show] would go to Florida, Indy, or Vegas, we would be attending. Business is relationships, and PRI is what we like.”

New Exhibitors

New exhibitors are a hallmark of every year’s PRI Trade Show—it’s part of what makes the Show a must-attend event. 

Dozens of companies will exhibit for the first time in 2022. So, what are they hoping to accomplish? What products or services are they showcasing? And why should attendees make it a point to visit their booths?

According to Todd Crutcher of Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club in Pahrump, Nevada, “We have been making major strides in developing our facility and race track, so this was the perfect time for us to showcase what’s new at Spring Mountain. We now officially have more than nine miles of race track due to the addition of our 3.2-mile premier racing circuit named Charleston Peak, which makes us still the longest road course in North America. 

“PRI is the best show to promote directly to the racing community,” he continued. “Specifically, our membership and track rentals have given even the most seasoned drivers the chance to challenge themselves on our race track. Our focus is to launch our Radical Racing School and increase track rental and membership awareness. Today, with the expansion of our road course, Charleston Peak is the ideal track for testing, training, and best of all, racing.

“We’re excited to show off our new and improved club member atmosphere with our new track and soon-to-be upgraded clubhouse,” he added. “We are also offering several new driving programs, currently in the new C8 Corvette and Cadillac V-Series Blackwings, with Radical Sportscars to come soon. Next year we will also launch our very own karting facility. We’ll be displaying a Radical SR3XX in our booth, as well as video content showcasing our track’s development and future plans.”

Kevin Hein of PMAS Technologies in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, said his company has been an exhibitor at the SEMA Show in the past, but he realized the PRI attendee is more closely aligned with many of the products his company offers. 

He believes exhibiting at PRI will help his company “grow its business and help identify market opportunities in which our airflow measurement and optimization expertise can excel.” He’s looking specifically for sales growth and expanding PMAS’s dealer network. 

“In addition to our high-performance MAFs and cold-air intakes, we are launching a high-flow Modular Inlet System (MIS),” Hein said. “While testing a turbo inlet application, restriction was reduced as compared to an open inlet. We offer an inlet as a stand-alone or with a rock screen, wire-mesh filter, or paper filters in many different sizes. These filter options create the ultimate performance flexibility at the track.”

PMAS’s booth will have video and graphics demonstrating the improved airflow achieved by adding its new MIS system, as well as product samples. 

Why should attendees visit the PMAS booth? “PMAS Technologies not only possesses unrivaled airflow measurement expertise, but we also have the equipment and know-how to test and optimize our products for optimum performance,” he said. “We also offer benchmarking and R&D airflow services for manifold, exhaust, and intake tract components, for example.”

Representing new exhibitor Maven Performance Products of Hebron, Kentucky, Jared McCombs said the Show provides “opportunities to network with people and companies in the industry unlike any other event. As a small, growing company, we value the platform and opportunity the PRI Show gives us to showcase our products and get them in front of the right people.

“Many of our customers attend the Show, and more often than not we only know them through social media, phone calls, etc.,” he continued. “Exhibiting at the Show gives us a chance to meet them face to face, network with others in the industry, and display our products for those who are unfamiliar. Our product development ideas come from listening to the needs and wants of the people in the industry. What better opportunity is there than PRI?

“We will have all of our products on display, including turbo mounts, ignition coil mounts, wiring components, and our new tube clamp switch panel mount,” McCombs added. “Make sure to stop by the booth. We will have a special show offer for PRI attendees.”

Click Bond of Carson City, Nevada, has been manufacturing adhesive-bonded products in the United States for more than 35 years, but 2022 will mark its first time exhibiting at the PRI Trade Show. 

“After our success exhibiting at SEMA in 2021 in the Racing and Performance hall, consumer feedback consistently indicated that our products were well suited for applications displayed at PRI, too,” said TJ Stoltz. “Our adhesive-bonded product line is perfect for composite materials found in today’s automotive designs. We’re excited to connect with as many of those applications as possible to provide unique solutions that will help reduce weight and installation time, and preserve structural integrity.”

What does Click Bond hope to accomplish at PRI? “Our strategic objective for the event is centered around educating future customers about our industry-changing benefits, and how we can support each phase of their programs’ lifecycles, from design to production, through sustainment,” Stoltz said. “We’re very excited to display our adhesive with our series of adhesive-bonded nut plates, studs, standoffs, and mounts currently used in today’s top racing programs.”

He added that Click Bond is bringing two of its most popular activities to its PRI booth. “Attendees will have the opportunity to experience both hands-on product demonstrations and extended reality demonstrations using our adhesive-bonded fasteners,” he said. “Companies can receive free, onsite training from our field application engineers.”

Show special product offers for Click Bond can be found at the SRI Performance booth (SRI is Click Bond’s distribution partner).

“We were pleased to discover during our visit last year to the SEMA Show how many types of applications attendees found for our adhesive-bonded fasteners,” Stoltz noted. “Our design engineers will be available to chat through show-goers’ current challenges and help find the solutions they are looking for.”

For a list of first-time exhibitors at the 2022 PRI Trade Show, visit here.