I am bullish on the racing industry—very bullish—and you should be, too. Despite all the setbacks, our industry survived 2020, and through the first quarter is doing quite well overall. Race tracks are opening for the season, and racers, who worked on their cars during the lockdown, are ready to get after it.

At PRI, we’ve been hard at work for the industry providing the latest on COVID-19 relief and best safety practices, expanding our educational services, providing you with the best content the racing industry has ever seen, and planning for our collective return to the trade show environment. 

With that as the backdrop, it’s time to get to the big news. Here goes: 

PRI Show in Indy is a Go!

There are great things happening in Indianapolis, and like Texas and Mississippi, the state of Indiana is on the fast track to a return to normal. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Visit Indy (the marketing team for the city of Indianapolis), Indy landed the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Not just the Final Four, but the entire tournament will be played out in Indianapolis. This creates incredible momentum for the city, as larger groups of people are coming together in what will eventually be the culmination of all their hard work: the 2021 PRI Show on December 9–11. 

We cannot wait to get back to Indy, open the doors to the Indiana Convention Center, and bring the entire racing industry back inside. With the COVID vaccine being administered to more folks every day, and our understanding of how to mitigate the spread of disease, a viable trade show is now possible. And, with the rapid growth of the PRI brand and the health of the racing industry, it is shaping up to not just be a comeback year, but perhaps the biggest and most important PRI Show ever. 

PRI Membership Launches

In light of the many threats and challenges facing the racing industry, plans for a racing industry membership were put into motion by then-SEMA Chairman Wade Kawasaki a little more than two years ago. I am proud to report that at the February SEMA/PRI Board strategy session, the Board (under the leadership of Chairman Tim Martin and Chair-Elect James Lawrence) voted unanimously to move forward with a PRI Membership for all businesses in the racing industry. You can join PRI during your booth registration process, or you can go directly to performanceracing.com/membership to get signed up today. 

Your decision to join PRI is a clear message that you stand with the millions of other racing industry members and racing fans around the world to protect and grow the lifestyle that we all love so much. Coming together to unite the racing industry is our best chance to work together to defeat those challenges that our industry faces right now. With your membership, your company will receive discounts on PRI booth space, PRI advertising, and additional benefits as the program grows. Together, we will continue to build, promote, and protect the racing community. 

PRI Road Tour Returns

Canceling the 2020 PRI Show was gut-wrenching, but in response the PRI team late last year launched a very ambitious project called the PRI Road Tour. By now, you have been enjoying the images and videos our PRI creative team captured while on the road for 77 straight days. In all, the team visited close to 90 different shops, manufacturers, and race tracks. This content has been shared on our social channels, website, eNewsletter, and in the pages of PRI Magazine. In retrospect, the PRI Road Tour was just what the racing industry needed.

Which is why I am so excited to announce that the PRI Road Tour will return in 2021! While the team is still putting together its list of stops, I will tell you that it is very race track-heavy. We want to be there when you are setting records and competing against the best in the industry. Above all, PRI wants to tell the story of racing—as only our content creators can. As I have written about before, we are in competition with all other industries for consumers, their time, and their disposable income. Our mission is to capture your stories, your challenges, and your victories. Only then can the world possibly understand how amazing the racing industry is, and why it means so much to so many people. 

You’ll be hearing much more about the PRI Road Tour in the weeks and months ahead. Consider this your invitation to tell us where we can find you. And look for the PRI Road Tour van at a race track near you this summer. Heck, you might even see the Road Tour van at the PRI Show. Wouldn’t that be fun!

PRI is changing. Known for more than 30 years as the world’s leading motorsports trade show and media company, PRI is now a community of racers and experts from across the racing industry. And because none of this is possible without you, I promise to always have your best interests in mind as the PRI team navigates the future. With the PRI Show set to return, the PRI Road Tour on the road, and a membership that will bring our community together, PRI is serving the racing industry like never before. So, please, come join us, and let’s win together.