More than ever, PRI is fighting for you. We have always been about helping you build your racing business, but today there’s more urgency than at any other point in recent history.

This month, I want to review the three big components of the modern PRI organization and share with you how your business and your lifestyle is being protected by PRI.

PRI Show

We are well on our way to being fully recovered from the pandemic, and, from a trade show perspective, you are going to be standing tall in Indianapolis on December 8–10. When the doors open, you will be able to enjoy the latest technology being offered by more than 1,000 leading racing industry manufacturers, service providers, sanctioning bodies, and more. We will continue to advance our EV Performance area and our Content Creation Zone. Our PRI Education programming will keep you on the cutting edge of this fast-changing industry. 

As the second largest trade show in the world in 2021 (SEMA Show was the largest), we have a new program designed to welcome first-time exhibitors to our Show. Contact us for more details on how you can display your racing products at PRI 2022 by calling 949-499-5413. 

We have more surprises coming for you at the PRI Show, and I hope to start breaking that news next month. Remember, the true benefit of PRI is bringing us all together—at the Trade Show, during our programs for promoters and race track officials, and after-hours while you enjoy the finest that Indianapolis has to offer. 

PRI Media

When the 2020 PRI Show was canceled, we literally sent the PRI Show to you. In the past two-and-a-half years, our PRI Road Tour program has made over 150 stops at our exhibitors’ headquarters, race shops, and races. That dedication to you completely changed the racing industry. By the end of 2022, we will have accumulated over 300 million media impressions for the racing industry—helping you launch product, showcase your vehicle builds, and promote your racing events. The content that PRI has assembled can be found on multiple social platforms, on our website, and in the pages of PRI Magazine. Even if you have never been on TikTok, know that the PRI Media machine has been reaching people who are, for the first time ever, very interested in racing and your products specifically. 

PRI Advocacy

Perhaps no other department is as busy as our Washington, DC-based Government Affairs team. We are encouraged by Congress planning to take up the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act this month. As we go to print, we have learned that the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee is planning to hold a hearing on the RPM Act in mid-September. PRI will play an integral role in shaping this hearing, and we are hopeful that our collective efforts to turn up the heat on lawkmakers in Washington will be the X factor that gets the RPM Act passed into law in 2022. Together, we can get this done!

Most recently, we enlisted the help of Richard “The King” Petty to help us lobby Congressional leaders on the RPM Act. He was accompanied by SEMA & PRI CEO Mike Spagnola, our DC lobbyists, and our PRI media team. Petty, the greatest stock car driver of all time, delivered a strong message to over a dozen key lawmakers in DC. He explained the absurdity of fines levied recently by the Environmental Protection Agency against manufacturers of race parts for race cars. His biggest concern: The EPA’s interpretation that a person can’t convert a street vehicle into a race car could destroy the dreams of aspiring racers. Had this been the agency’s position many decades ago, what would have been the impact on the careers of some of our most hallowed racers? Would NASCAR as an organization have struggled to exist under the most recent interpretation of the Clean Air Act? 

Our efforts to protect the racing industry continue, and we often ask for your help. Together, we can continue to enjoy the greatest American pastime of them all: motorsports. If we can ever help you, or if you have feedback on any of these programs, please send me a note at president@performanceracing.com.