Friday night in Raleigh, North Carolina, Rick Hendrick was honored as a Hall of Famer.

Along with nine other inductees, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group was enshrined in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

“It’s such an honor for me to be here tonight,” Hendrick said on stage after being introduced by fellow North Carolina Sports Hall of Famer Woody Durham.

Joining Hendrick in the Class of 2015 were Jeff Bostic, Joe Bostic, John Clougherty, Freddie Combs, Gene Littles, Jerry McGee, Lenox Rawlings, Charlotte Smith and Andrea Stinson.

“Congratulations to all the inductees here tonight,” Hendrick said. “I feel kind of humbled, because most of you folks have earned your status on your own. You are great ball players, great referees, and with me, I take a team. I have to rely on a lot of people.”

He then asked his “teammates” from both Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Motorsports to stand and be recognized.

“They’re the ones that get it done,” he said. “I’m standing here tonight to accept this on their behalf, because I feel like I had very little to do with it. But I’m honored to be here with such legends.”

Hendrick began his speech by harkening back to his upbringing.

“Growing up just up the road here on a tobacco farm, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life, but I knew it wasn’t that,” he joked.

Instead, he followed his passion.

“I always loved racing and cars,” he said. “I’m one of the luckiest people in the world because I get to make a living doing the two things I enjoy outside of my family.”

Under his leadership, Hendrick Motorsports has grown from five employees to more than 600, while Hendrick Automotive Group has expanded from nine employees to 10,000.

And Friday night, it was obvious how both organizations have reached such a level of success. Even in his Hall of Fame speech, Hendrick was the consummate salesman.

“How many people in here have bought a car from us?” Hendrick said, cracking a smile. “OK, if you haven’t, tables 17 and 27, we’ll be happy to take your order.”

He thanked his wife, his family, his teammates, his fellow inductees and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, making sure to show his appreciation for everyone who helped him get where he is today.

“What an honor. What a great organization. What a great state,” Hendrick said. “Thank you for letting me be a small part, and I will carry that badge with honor.”

Officials are planning to renovate the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway in time for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 next May. That doesn't leave a lot of time, given that there are races scheduled at the Brickyard in July and August and the construction won't begin until after those are run.

"It's intensive," Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles said. "There's some things that we can do in the beginning stage to get ready, but basically all of this work has to be done from the end of this racing season this year before May of 2016. It's a lot of work to do."

The next phase of this roughly $90 million project will improve gateway entrances, grandstand seating, and the overall fan experience. It's all part of a broader plan to modernize the facilities.

Upgrades started last offseason with the installation of large, high-definition video boards and a new LED scoring pylon on the main straightaway—all part of the track's historic image that officials are trying to preserve.

"It sort of signaled that we can keep the traditions, but improve them and modernize them without substantively changing the feel of this place," Miles said.

Now the plan is to replace the upper-deck bench seating in the front straight with seats with backs and add better wireless internet capabilities. Miles wants what he describes as the most iconic real estate in motorsports to give fans the kind of comfort they associate with watching NFL or NBA games.

An estimated five elevators will be added, too, for better handicapped accessibility to the sections overlooking the area between the start-finish line and the first turn of the 2.5-mile oval. Miles also said there are plans to change some suites near the fourth turn to give them a more club-level feel.

"You don't have to buy an 80-person suite," Miles said. "You can get your two seats and go up there and share the club-like hospitality with whomever else is in there."

The track's entrance gateways will receive a makeover, too, including the gate between the first turn and the street outside the ticket office. That's where fans set up an impromptu memorial to the late Dan Wheldon after he was killed in a 2011 crash at Las Vegas.

"We want that to be an iconic front door to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," speedway president Doug Boles said. "We have people 365 days a year that stop by Gate 1 and have their picture taken."

Both entrances will have large, colored pylons and a structural look that gives the entrance a historic feel.

Miles said that over time, with the changes to and around the track grounds, Georgetown Road where revelers have long partied on Saturday before race day could eventually become part of the track and be closed to all vehicles and foot traffic outside the track fences. That part of the plan isn't expected to take place within the next year.

Right now, that part of the facility can become crowded and event organizers are limited on what they can do in terms of fan amenities.

But modernizing the historic Brickyard is never easy.

"It's a balancing act," Boles said. "But it's a balancing act that we all feel is very important so we work really hard to make sure that we pay attention to what's important and the historic feel of this venue, but at the same time give our fans a more modern experience that they expect when they come to a stadium."

When NASCAR drivers start their engines for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, fans will see familiar names like “Harvick,” “Kenseth” and “Almirola” replaced on car windshields with “SGT Mracek,” “HM3 Layton” and “CPT Argel”—United States Armed Forces members who have fallen in service to their country.

All 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will participate in “600 Miles of Remembrance” on Memorial Day Weekend to honor military service members and their families, and commemorate the launch of NASCAR: An American Salute, the industry’s collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend our nation today.

Fans can follow stories around the seven-week platform and share their personal expressions of thanks to the military using #NASCARSalutes on social media.

“The NASCAR community rallying to honor the U.S. Armed Forces, past and present, has long been part of our sport’s heritage,” said Brent Dewar, NASCAR chief operating officer. “As part of NASCAR: An American Salute, 600 Miles of Remembrance represents a special moment in time as we pay tribute to service members who have sacrificed dearly for our freedom.”

Many of the service members whose names will be displayed on the race cars were chosen by the teams, and some have unique connections to the fallen. Private Dean Van Dyke, who was killed in the Vietnam War, was a relative of No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle. Army First Lieutenant Daniel Hyde, killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, served alongside Chris Clayton, tire changer on the No. 83 BK Racing team.

Many of the families of the service members being recognized will be in attendance on Sunday, and will be introduced alongside the drivers during driver introductions. In addition, Charlotte Motor Speedway will host more than 6000 active military members at the Coca-Cola 600 in honor of Memorial Day.

NASCAR: An American Salute will feature various on- and off-track activities from tracks, teams and partners that show appreciation and support for the troops, and will culminate Independence Day Weekend with the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

This weekend, NASCAR together with Honor and Remember, Inc., will display specially prepared Honor and Remember flags representing those who have died in service to our country from each of the 50 United States throughout the Sprint Cup garage at CMS.

Throughout the campaign, NASCAR will host military families at each Sprint Cup race as part of NASCAR Troops to the Track, presented by Bank of America.

Toyota will also honor the names of fallen service members on its pace cars for the Coca-Cola 600 as part of 600 Miles of Remembrance. Later in the program, both Chevrolet and Ford will feature patriotic branding on the pace cars for races at Pocono and Michigan, respectively.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced that Alex Lloyd and Max Papis have entered the June 13 Indy Legends Pro-Am at the second annual Brickyard Invitational hosted by Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Lloyd competed in the event last year while this will be Papis’ first run at one of American vintage racing’s biggest prizes. Their additions take the field to 27 entries to date and the SVRA expects 33 Indianapolis 500 veterans to start.

Lloyd is a veteran of four Indianapolis 500s with a best finish of fourth in 2010. Among numerous other successes he was the Indy Lights champion in 2007, winning eight of 16 races. As with last year he will again be teamed with Dave Roberts, CEO of Carlisle Corporation, a successful racer in his own right as a class winner at the Baja 1000 and owner of Pirelli World Challenge driver Mike Skeen’s Audi R8 entry.

Lloyd drove Roberts’ 1969 Camaro near the front in last year’s Pro-Am until a broken U-bolt ended their day. Lloyd so impressed Roberts he offered him a ride in three Pirelli World Challenge races later in the year. Roberts also sponsors Penske IndyCar drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud through two of his Carlisle companies, Hawk Performance and DeVilBiss respectively.

The massively versatile Papis has driven in virtually every major series this side of drag racing. This includes Formula One, NASCAR, Indianapolis-style racing, Le Mans as well as V8 Supercars and IROC. He competed in two Indianapolis 500s for 1998 race winner Eddie Cheever and won three Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) races for Bobby Rahal’s team.

In NASCAR he raced in Sprint Cup, the XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series. He competed in seven 24 Hours of Le Mans contests, scoring a class podium in five of those events along with top-10 overall finishes on four occasions. Papis also won two 24 Hours of Daytona races and started in more NASCAR contests than any European driver in history.

During the Brickyard Invitational, Papis will introduce his line of steering wheels, MPI (Max Papis Innovations) to the SVRA. MPI will select a couple of drivers to showcase the line during its debut. All MPI wheels are designed and engineered in the USA and built in Italy using the latest steering wheel technology and state of the art materials. MPI prides itself on several wins in all major NASCAR divisions, Late Models, Legends and local tracks. In 2014, MPI won its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship with Kevin Harvick and Stewart Haas Racing, as well as its first NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship with Chase Elliot and JR Motorsports. MPI is co-owned by Max and Tati Papis and is operated out of Mooresville, N.C.

“Alex was a joy to work with last year and Max has impeccable credentials,” said SVRA President & CEO Tony Parella. “Alex’s drive in the Mark Donohue 1972 Indy 500 winner during our oval exhibition was so appropriate and respectful. He captured it all as a reporter for Yahoo Auto News and it was brilliant.”

The Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am for Indy 500 veterans is a 40-minute race of American muscle cars on the Speedway’s 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course on Saturday, June 13. All veterans will have 1963 to 1972 vintage 355 cubic inch Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs of the ‘Group 6′ SVRA class. Professionals will be paired with amateur drivers, splitting stints at the wheel at their discretion.

The Pro-Am is the crowning event of the Brickyard Invitational but there is also a festival of other activities. As announced earlier the iconic Unser family (Al Sr., Bobby, Al Jr., Robby and Johnny) will lead the storied 2.5-mile oval exhibition runs by a wide variety of cars including several of the crowd-favorite 1950’s Indianapolis 500 roadsters. The 2015 weekend not only promises a huge gathering of race cars but also some of the finest collector cars. Motostalgia, with offices in Austin, Mexico City and Monaco will stage a June 12 auction of select automobiles from around the world. The Brickyard Invitational will also expand out onto the world-famous infield IMS golf course with car corrals for organizations and clubs united by special marques and vintages.

Scorpion Racing Products, a precision manufacturer of automotive and marine aftermarket engine components for high-performance and racing applications, has named AutoRep Sales as their 2014 Manufacturer Sales Rep of the Year. AutoRep Sales founder Walt Siklich received the award at Scorpion’s manufacturing headquarters in Ocala, Florida.

The Scorpion Racing Products ‘Manufacturer Sales Rep of the Year’ award is based on strong sales results and input from various departments within Scorpion. The chosen sales representative firm displays qualities including superior sales performance, adaptability to an ever-changing market, excellent customer service and decisive leadership. The Scorpion award winner always has the fundamental elements of a ‘Best in Class’ firm.

Jim Leddy, Director of Sales at Scorpion, said, “AutoRep Sales is a great example of a company that has succeeded in a tough market. They have become a strategic business partner for Scorpion and have done an outstanding job over the last year.

“AutoRep Sales empowers their associates to embrace change and make decisions to improve our brand awareness and market share. The company is very well run and has a progressive approach to training our customers. They know their territory and the customers it contains and work with those customers to get the best results.

“AutoRep Sales has continued to grow sales in its territory via amazing event support, unique product presentations, unbelievable service, and a desire to help our customers in any way they can to be successful. A strong team and a strong commitment to service are among the many reasons they won this award this year.”

Walt Siklich, Founder of AutoRep Sales, said, “Being named Scorpion’s ‘Manufacturer Sales Rep of the Year’ is an incredible honor, especially coming from a company that represents quality, innovation, service, and an overall commitment to excellence. These are attributes that my team at AutoRep Sales also strives for each and every day. Simply put, when our customers think AutoRep, they also think Scorpion Racing Products, and for this association we are very proud and grateful.”

AutoRep Sales has been a Sales Representative for Scorpion Racing Products since 2012. They have offices located in Birmingham and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Its territory includes Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia and part of Pennsylvania.

Simpson Race Products, a longtime supporter of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, is stepping up its trackside services program in a big way in 2015.

Simpson continues to invest in its short-track racing program with the purchase of a brand-new, trackside services trailer. This state-of-the-art sales and service center will allow Simpson to expand its support at numerous motorsports events across the country. The first event for Simpson's new sales and service powerhouse will be the upcoming 23rd Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, May 21–23.

"It's very exciting for me to bring the new trailer to one of the largest Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events of the season. For Memorial Weekend and such a huge race, this is awesome," said Aaron Zentgraf of Simpson Performance Products.

Simpson Performance Products is an American motorsports parts supplier. It supplies gloves, helmets, harness systems, driver's suits, head restraints, shoes, and much more to racers from local tracks to international teams. Simpson Performance Products is headquartered in New Braunfels, Texas, with more than 80,000 sq. feet of manufacturing and warehouse space. Simpson also employs one of the largest customer service and sales teams in the industry, based in Mooresville, North Carolina. For more information, visit www.teamsimpson.com.

VP Racing Fuels, long-time supporter of off-road racing and Official Fuel of TORC: The Off Road Championship, announced an agreement with Midwest Off Road Racing (MORR) that includes contingency award postings for MORR's Sportsman Off-Road Series. 
 
VP's contingency awards include a $50 product certificate for all winners and $25 product certificates for all second place finishers who use VP Racing Fuels and display a VP logo on their vehicle. The offer includes all buggy and truck classes in the Sportsman Off-Road Series.
 
"It's great to see a company like VP Racing Fuels support the PRO as well as the Sportsman racer," noted MORR Vice-President Don Demeny. "The PRO and Sportsman racing communities are closely tied to one another and having an organization understand the connection is great to see."
 
"With VP's long history in off-road racing and sponsorship of the TORC Series, our partnership with MORR is a perfect fit," said Chris Wall, Chief Marketing Officer for VP Racing Fuels. "Sportsman racers represent the next generation of champions, and we look forward to helping them achieve maximum power and performance with the best fuels on the market and working with MORR to help grow the sport."
 
In conjunction with its contingency sponsorship, VP will provide trackside fuel service onsite at all Sportsman events except Bark River on July 18-19. While the VP fuel truck will have a variety of fuel blends available for purchase at the track, racers are encouraged to pre-order their fuel for delivery to the track to ensure they get the fuel they want in the quantity they need. A Fuel Pre-Order form is available for this purpose online at www.midwest-offroadracing.com/vpfuelorder.pdf or by contacting VP's Midwest regional office at 812-466-1175 or vpmidwest@vpracingfuels.com.
 
The Sportsman Off-Road Series begins its season in less than a month at the Londerville Off-Road Super Challenge in Crandon, Wisconsin. The deadline for submitting Fuel Pre-Orders for this first race is Friday, May 22.
 
2015 Sportsman Off-Road Series Race Schedule:

June 6-7, Londerville Steel Off-Road Super Challenge - Crandon, WI

June 27-28, Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run - Crandon, WI

July 18-19, Sportsman Off-Road Weekend - Bark River, MI

August 15-16, 40th UP Off-Road Championships - Bark River, MI

September 5-6, 46th Crandon Off-Road World Championships - Crandon, WI
 
More information about VP Racing Fuels products is available online at VPRacingFuels.com. Technical questions regarding fuel selection and tuning can be directed to VP's full-time Tech Support staff at 812-878-2025 or tech@vpracingfuels.com.
 

RANDYS Worldwide Automotive, a distributor of aftermarket automotive differential parts and manufacturer of Yukon Gear & Axle and USA Standard Gear brands, announced it has been acquired by Linsalata Capital Partners, a Cleveland-based private equity firm.

“This new opportunity provides RANDYS the ability to build on our product and service foundation through expanded category offerings and world-class customer service” said CEO Kevin Kaestner. “We intend to use this opportunity to enhance relationships with an already tremendous group of wholesale distributors and channel partners.”

James Guddy, Vice president of Linsalata Capital said, “RANDYS is an exciting Company with strong brands, multiple organic growth initiatives and add-on acquisition candidates and we are anxious to work with the team to realize these opportunities.”

RANDYS was founded in 1984 by Randy Lyman. The company began as an aftermarket distributor of differential products and service department, growing rapidly in distribution, manufacturing and technology introducing the Diff Wizard web search platform in 2013.

RANDYS Worldwide Automotive is headquartered in Everett, WA and distributes through four distribution centers located in Everett, WA, Fresno, CA, Florence, KY and Franklin, TN.

From this vantage point at PRI, it certainly seemed there were changes taking place in racing industry marketing that may not have always been the best thing for the companies shifting their approach. Too many companies, it seemed, were finding a sense of comfort in restricting marketing to the development of their own e-commerce website, regular email blasts to their own customers and maintaining a presence in social media to stay connected to their customers. Unique website visitors, email open rates and Facebook likes are important, and racing companies have done a pretty spectacular job in evolving with new digital media. However, the concern is that some racing companies may have essentially stopped sending messages outside of their current customer base. My view of a healthy customer base is that it is more of a stream than anything as solid as, say, a brick. A brick may disintegrate over time, and there is nothing in this structure to prolong its life. However, a stream allows for customers to exit for various reasons, while the customer base stays healthy with new customers coming in. Every successful company--big or small--has a great story to tell, and that story should be told on a regular basis beyond the current customer base. A successful spectrum of marketing must always include ways to capture that brand new customer.

Another interesting concern was identified in a marketing blog entry that PRI Sales Manager Jeff Swoboda recently shared with me. The author is Seth Godin (www.sethgodin.com), a graduate of Stanford University's School of Business who went on to launch Yoyodyne, a bold new kind of marketing firm that he eventually sold to Yahoo for $30 million in 1998. Godin's point in the blog entry is that digital marketing has a dangerous side. It resembles the old days of direct marketing, when a huge science and industry was based on creating printed mailers that generated sales in a very direct manner. Today, the focus is on clicks on digital promotional vehicles. The danger, said Godin, is as a company focuses more and more on increasing the number of clicks for specific products, it may stop telling its story in the process. "Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or a giant corporation, this is a trap the web sets for you. What you need to sacrifice to make the numbers work might be the very brand you seek to build," said Godin. From Apple to Harley Davidson, NASCAR to F1, the power of the brand can generate a lot of revenue over a long period of time. Taking the time and making the investment to market your company's brand won't always provide highly trackable results, but it is key to securing a healthy, longterm future. The brand develops trust, allegiance, faithfulness, connection, sustained curiosity, complex communication and more.

Great racing businesses--big and small--almost always have a great story to tell beyond the current line of products or services. This story is the brand, and the brand is precious. It may be a good time to review your efforts to market the brand.

Refueling is set to return to Formula One racing in 2017, governing body the FIA has announced. The proposal is among several agreed by the F1 Strategy Group, which also intends to make cars five to six seconds a lap faster by using wider tires, reducing weight and evolving the current aerodynamic regulations.

The Strategy Group, which comprises FIA President Jean Todt, Formula One group CEO Bernie Ecclestone and six teams (McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Force India, Red Bull and Williams), also wants to see higher revving and louder engines, and more visually aggressive cars.

For next season, a proposal to allow teams to choose which two of Pirelli's four tire compounds they run at each race has been agreed (currently Pirelli select two compounds which all teams must use).

And for this season, the idea of increasing the engine allowance from four to five was rejected. Instead, it was decided to maintain the current engine regulations "in consideration of the investments of the manufacturers involved in the sport and to give visibility to potential new entrants."

The Strategy Group is also investigating “a global reflection on race weekend format” and “measures to make starts only activated by the driver without any outside assistance.”

Furthermore, the FIA’s statement said that a "comprehensive proposal to ensure the sustainability of the sport has emerged" and that the Strategy Group will be looking to refine this in the coming weeks in consultation with the other F1 teams.

Refueling was banned ahead of the 2010 Formula One season, having been part of the sport for the previous 16 years. Its return will not alter the maximum race fuel allowance, currently 100 kg.

All the planned changes still need to be approved by the F1 Commission and the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council before they can officially come into effect.

The FIA statement in full:

The Formula One Strategy Group met yesterday in Biggin Hill to exchange views on the current challenges that F1 faces. Besides the statuary members of the Group, representatives of the engine manufacturers were also invited.

The Strategy Group members have debated a number of levers aimed at improving the show. An initial series of measures has been voted:

For 2016:
    •    Free choice of the two dry tire compounds (out of four) that each team can use during the race weekend

For 2017:
    •    Faster cars: 5 to 6 seconds drop in laptimes through aerodynamic rules evolution, wider tires and reduction of car weight
    •    Reintroduction of refuelling (maintaining a maximum race fuel allowance)
    •    Higher revving engines and increased noise
    •    More aggressive looks

A few other measures have also been discussed but require further investigation before they can be implemented:
    •    A global reflection on race weekend format
    •    Measures to make starts only activated by the driver without any outside assistance

Furthermore, in light of the various scenarios presented by the independent consulting company mandated by the F1 Strategy Group, at the initiative of the FIA, to work on the reduction of costs and following a constructive exchange, a comprehensive proposal to ensure the sustainability of the sport has emerged. The Strategy Group member Teams have committed to refine it in the next few weeks, in consultation with the other teams involved in the championship. On the engine side, it has been decided that stability of the rules should prevail in consideration of the investments of the manufacturers involved in the sport and to give visibility to potential new entrants. The allowance for a 5th engine to be used during the 2015 season has been rejected.

This constructive meeting between the FIA, FOM and the Teams has allowed paved the way for the future of the championship. All parties agreed to work together with an intention to firm up these proposals and submit them to the approval of the F1 Commission and the World Motor Sport Council of the FIA as soon as possible for implementation.