NGK Spark Plug Co. Ltd. has announced it will acquire all the shares of UCI Acquisition Holdings Corp. from UCI Holdings Ltd.

UCI Acquisition owns Wells Manufacturing L.P., a leading supplier of switches, ignition coils and pressure sensors mainly to the US automotive aftermarket.

The deal was signed on May 8 and is expected to close July 1. NGK will acquire all the shares of UCI Acquisition (the holding company for Wells) in a transaction valued at $257.5 million.

NGK President and CEO Shinichi Odo commented, “Our automotive components business is our core and we strive to keep this position. In order to further strengthen the automotive components business, we have been pursuing various opportunities, including expanding both the product line-up and improving our penetration in various distribution channels.

“Wells is an ideal candidate for our expansion efforts and is a well-known automotive parts manufacturer with more than 100 years of history in the United States. Wells has exposure to the growing segment of vehicle electronics with broad product lines, whose main products include switches, ignition coils and pressure sensors. Wells has built a leading position in the U.S. automotive repair market and is working to increase its sales outside of the U.S.

“Both parties’ goals are well-aligned. We believe that the combination of the two will create significant synergies, including offering Wells products, in addition to our products, to the global repair market through our strong international sales network that we have built over many years. This combination will further strengthen our automotive components business, and also will keep challenging the company to create new businesses.”

The Speedway (Indiana) Redevelopment Commission announced this week the expansion and relocation of Juncos Racing headquarters from Brownsburg to Speedway’s Main Street.

Founded by Ricardo Juncos in 1997, Juncos Racing will develop a new $3 million 41,000-square-foot facility featuring shop and office space for its six drivers and 25 employees. An additional 30,000 square feet will be available for future expansion so Juncos can do machining, painting and other work in-house, limiting the need for outsourcing.

Construction is expected to begin in June, with completion projected for early spring 2016.

“The creation of the Juncos Technical Center marks a historical turning point for the team,” said Ricardo Juncos, team principal of Juncos Racing. “Less than 10 years ago, we were a small karting team in Florida, and I continue to be amazed by the amount of growth and success we have seen in such a short period of time.

“The team has grown larger and stronger each year, which created the need for a facility like the JTC,” he continued. “This new facility will allow Juncos to continue to expand into new series. This undertaking wouldn’t be possible without the incredible passion and desire of every member of Juncos Racing. I am truly grateful for all of the hard work they put in to make this dream a reality.”

Juncos Racing was first established in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to help support the racing career of Ricardo Juncos. After opportunities became limited in Argentina, Juncos moved the team in 2003 to Miami, Florida, where they became well respected in the North American karting community.

In 2009, Juncos Racing entered into IndyCar’s Mazda Road to Indy ladder series, running in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires (former Star Mazda Championship). The team relocated to Brownsburg, Indiana, in 2011 in order to provide more resources and support to their Driver Development Program.

Most recently, Juncos Racing claimed the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. The team currently includes two Indy Lights drivers and four Pro Mazda drivers.

Denise McCluggage, a pioneering auto writer, sports writer, photographer and race car driver who broke down barriers to women in the 1950s and remained a source of grace and inspiration to journalists of all genders a half century later, has died. She was 88.

McCluggage began her career as a sports writer and race car driver in the 1950s, when it was difficult for a woman to be taken seriously in either field. She succeeded through sheer talent and hard work, and she became a friend to legends thanks to her intelligence, wit and charm.

In 1999, McCluggage was honored with a marker (No. 29, in front of Watkins Hotel) on the Grand Prix Drivers Walk of Fame, which is located on North Franklin Street in downtown Watkins Glen.

"On behalf of Watkins Glen International, I extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of Denise McCluggage," said Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup. "Denise was a not only a standout driver and member of the motorsports media, but she was a pioneer for all women in the sport, and her legacy will reflect just that.”

She also helped found Autoweek magazine, and charged $1000 a day to give driving lessons well into her 80s.

Her writing and photographs can be found at denisemccluggage.com, with stories ranging from driving tips to vehicle reviews, travel pieces and more.

McCluggage was even a guest on the TV show "What's My Line" in 1959, and she socialized with some of the biggest names in entertainment, sports and journalism.

She was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Sports Car Club of America Hall Of Fame in 2006.

* Numbers Game: Some people just aren’t good at math. I include myself on that list. As the numbers get bigger and the calculations more complex, my mind usually wanders onto more enjoyable topics, like anything else.

But now, thanks to a dedicated group of motorsports professionals, parents and educators in Central Pennsylvania, there is hope yet for the numerically challenged.

Recently, a pair of programs kicked off at Monroe and South Mountain elementary schools in which students are rewarded for spending a little extra time on their multiplication tables. Under the Final Laps Math Fact Challenge, an additional 10 minutes of after-school arithmetic earns each student one lap. After completing 10 laps, the child receives a $10 gift certificate for the June 6 “School’s Out Night” event at Williams Grove Speedway, featuring Sportsman, 358 Late Models and Street Stocks.

So what prompted the initiative?

“It was a collective idea among our staff as we were discussing how to get new fans involved in the sport,” Williams Grove PR director Kevin Maloy told us. “If you can get them in the door, nine times out of 10 they’ll come back if they have a good time. So we looked at a similar program that was being run by a local baseball team, only they were doing it with reading. We decided to go down a slightly different path with math. So we got together with the Parent/Teacher Organization at Monroe and then South Mountain, and we just tailored it to their needs using slightly different websites for their programs. The reception has been outstanding so far—you saw some of the excitement already with the kickoff [last month].”

Indeed, local driver Nicole Bower was on hand at Monroe, along with her 410 Sprint Car, to help announce the program and interact with the kids. Another driver or two will distribute the certificates during each school’s fair in late spring.

In terms of expansion, Maloy said he’d like to get more students involved in the coming year. “With the resources we had available, two schools was a good way to start,” he added. “But we have the framework in place, so it’s just a matter of setting them up with the right websites and getting them going.”

* Finish Lines: Short track racing lost a true pioneer with the passage in late March of Eldora Speedway founder Earl Baltes. Born in 1921, Baltes was a well-known local bandleader and nightclub owner before turning his attention to racing in the mid-1950s, when he opened Eldora. Originally built to a quarter-mile, the track was soon expanded to three-eighths and then, in 1958, to the half-mile it is today.

Over the years it’s played host to a number of watershed moments, including the Eldora 500, the World 100 (whose inaugural purse in 1971 of $4000-to-win was unheard of at the time), and the Eldora Million in 2001. Baltes retired from race promotion in 2004 when Eldora was sold to Sprint Cup champ Tony Stewart, completing a remarkable 50-year run at the helm of one of racing’s iconic venues.

Earl Baltes, who was inducted into the National Sprint Car, National Dirt Late Model, and USAC Halls of Fame, among others, was 93.

Jim Beattie, who in the 1970s founded ATI Performance Products, was known as “a mechanical genius” with a deep-rooted love of cars. “There was nothing with wheels that Jim couldn’t make go faster,” said his wife Lynn. “Jim liked to go fast.” He also liked to build things, including the ATI Black Magic Funny Car that made history at the Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey, as well as a harmonic balancer that is used on NASCAR engines to this day.

In all, Beattie holds 11 patents, with more in the works. As for what he leaves behind, it should be evident by the scores of race cars sporting ATI decals on drag strips from coast to coast.

Jim Beattie, who also left us in late March, was 73.

The Verizon IndyCar Series has mandated the use of chassis-mounted wickers in the name of safety, and those devices will become a permanent fixture on all Dallara DW12 chassis starting this month. The “monocoque centerline wicker,” as they are called by the series, have been affixed to the top of the DW12 chassis and run from the base of the tub to the cockpit opening.

The wickers act in a similar principle to NASCAR’s roof flaps that spoil air going over the car when turned sideways or spinning. The series has elected to include them as an additional safety measure for when a car is in a serious state of yaw—at an extreme angle. With the centerline wicker added, air flowing across the curved chassis would be spoiled when hitting the wicker and should reduce the chances of lift being created to pull an Indy car off the ground.

“All the cars have them now, and they will have them for every race going forward,” said Tino Belli, IndyCar’s director of aerodynamic development. “The air accelerates rapidly over the car in a spin, and to help with stability in that situation, we sought a solution to decrease the likelihood of a car turning over. As soon as we were aware of that factor, we wanted to implement a safety measure which we’ve done with the centerline wicker.”

Belli says IndyCar contracted multiple computational fluid dynamic vendors to run simulations with the centerline wicker, and later tested the unit at a super speedway.

“The initial testing was all done in CFD because it’s hard to put a car at 90 degrees in a wind tunnel,” he noted. “We used multiple CFD vendors to check and calculate the findings, and the results from all parties in CFD were of a similar magnitude and made things better. The video people saw with Honda at Fontana was to check there were no adverse effects in gusts of wind, and the drivers reported they couldn’t feel its presence on the car.”

A similar, but much shorter wicker ran from the tip of the nose to cockpit on the previous Dallara IR07 and with the significant change in aerodynamics on the DW12, a taller wicker was required. In an interesting sidebar, representatives using the aero kit supplied by one manufacturer have been vocal in saying they’ve been forced to run the centerline wicker because of deficiencies exposed with the other aero kit. Belli refutes the claim.

“That’s incorrect,” he said. “Both cars, at 90 degrees of yaw, have an increased speed in which they would flip over without the centerline wicker on. Both of them were seeing the same increase from the DW12, and this wicker added because it takes that speed way, way out of what’s seen on the track. Some of these [required] introductions have been made with expected speed increases over the next few years. We’re looking to the future.”

Premier Performance Holdings, parent company of Premier Performance Products, a warehouse distributor focused on diesel performance aftermarket parts, and Northridge 4x4, an internet retailer of performance parts and accessories for the Jeep and Off-Road market, has announced the acquisition of  RallySport Direct, LLC.

RallySport Direct (RSD) was founded in 2003 by Nick Widdison. The company caters to the sports compact segment of the aftermarket—especially the Subaru performance segment including the high performance Impreza WRX STI. The company offers a full range of performance-enhancing products including electronics, engine and drivetrain components, upgrades for exhausts, brakes, and suspension components and many more items for Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi, Toyota and others. The RSD team has also developed an eCommerce platform. Widdison will continue in his leadership role as President of RSD in the combined organization.

Matt Jordan, Premier’s CEO, explained “RSD is a terrific addition to the Premier Performance family. Nick and his team bring an incredible skill set that can be leveraged across our organization while we are able to leverage Premier’s strengths in the wholesale segment and nation-wide logistics.”

Widdison added, “Importantly, we have a great alignment of approaches—both of our companies are founded on the idea of being led by true enthusiasts—we are focused on delivering performance for our customers and we drive what we sell.”

Based in Rexburg, ID, Premier is owned by Capital Partners, Brighton Partners, and management.

More information about Premier, or its affiliated companies, can be found on the company’s website www.pppwd.com; Northridge 4x4 can be found at www.Northridge4x4.com; and RallySport Direct can be found at www.RallySportDirect.com.

Holley's factory training courses are back in 2015 to provide a unique opportunity to get advanced training and technical experience with Holley EFI. One and two-day courses are being offered at Holley's company headquarters in Bowling Green, Kentucky, that provide technical training for dealers, racers, and any other user of their popular EFI systems.

Holley's EFI courses provide three levels of EFI training. The first is tier one. At the end of this class, participants will have the tools they need to successfully complete a conventional "canned" Holley EFI installation. Class space is currently limited to 12 people per session. The goal of the limited space is to allow the instructor the ability to work with each participant one-on-one as much as possible. This class is ideal for those who are new to EFI in general, as well as those who are new to Holley's EFI systems. This is a one-day class that will run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The following topics will be covered in the class:

    •    System features
    •    Wiring
    •    Instructions
    •    Software loading and navigation
    •    Using the data monitor
    •    File management
    •    General engine and ignition parameters
    •    Closed loop and learn
    •    Timing tables
    •    Idle parameters, pin mapping, and basic Input/Output configuration
    •    General data log use
    •    Tuning principles
    •    Acceleration enrichment tuning
    •    And more

The tier two class will be a refresher for tier one that is expanded to include advanced tuning and set up principles. It is strongly recommended to participate in the tier one course beforehand. The tier two course also runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but it is a two-day course. Class size is again limited to 12 people per session. The following topics will be covered in this course:

    •    System features
    •    Wiring
    •    Instructions
    •    Software loading and navigation
    •    Using the data monitor
    •    File management
    •    General engine and ignition parameters
    •    Closed loop and learn
    •    Timing tables
    •    Idle parameters
    •    Pin mapping and basic Input/Output configuration
    •    Datalog use
    •    Tuning principles
    •    Acceleration enrichment tuning
    •    Cam/Crank sensor phasing
    •    Drive by wire
    •    GM transmission control
    •    Custom inputs/outputs
    •    Rescaling fuel maps for boosted applications
    •    SL logs
    •    Sensor scaling and warnings
    •    Hot key navigation
    •    Multiple injector sets and staging
    •    And more

The tier three class will take all of the previously covered information and apply is to more complicated engine combinations that utilize superchargers or turbochargers, nitrous oxide, and water/methanol injection. Like the tier two course, this course is limited to 12 people per session, it runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and will be a two-day class.

"Holley factory training is a fantastic way to get unique one-on-one time with our engineers and lead techs," says Bill Tichenor, Holley’s Director of Marketing. "The knowledge gained from these courses helps improve sales for our dealers and gives users specialized instruction to improve their general EFI understanding, as well as the tuning capabilities of Holley's EFI systems."

For additional information on the courses, you can e-mail training@holley.com or call Tom Kise, Holley's Technical Training Manager at 270/780-1871.

IRG Sports + Entertainment and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announce that the owner of Redline Raceway has signed a multi-year sanctioning agreement to join the IHRA as a member track.
 
“We are pleased to welcome Redline Raceway to our growing IHRA family,” said IHRA President Scott Gardner. “We certainly are impressed with the work under way at this important Texas facility.”
 
The 1/8-mile track, located in Caddo Mills, east of Dallas, is undergoing extensive improvements. To say the local racers and fans may not recognize the place on opening day might be an understatement.
 
“We’re pouring a lot of concrete today,” said Redline Raceway owner Mike Adcock. “We’re replacing the walls and the concrete on the track.  We’re replacing the shutdown area. The road coming in to the race track is about 500 yards of concrete by itself. We’ll have new Accutime LED scoreboards. We’re building a new ET house and putting in new scales. There’s a lot of different things happening at one time here.
 
“I bought the track last March and it was in really poor shape. The season already was under way so I let the year finish up. That whole year I knew what I was going to do. I have a budget of $750,000 this time. We’re shooting for June 1 as our opening date.”
 
“Mike Adcock’s commitment to the racing scene in the Dallas area is so important, especially reopening this track after it closed,” said IHRA Division Director Frank Kohutek. “So many Texas tracks are closing and Mike is keeping the IHRA torch burning in Dallas by making such a big financial commitment. Not just reopening the track, but also giving it such an extreme makeover. It is a testament to his commitment to the racers and fans in the Lone Star State.”
 
For more information on Redline Raceway, please call (903) 527-5911 or visit www.redlineraceway.com. Redline Raceway is located at 5326 FM 1565 South, Caddo Mills, Texas.

MAVTV, the destination for all things motorsports offering a line-up of motorsports events and exclusive automotive reality shows, is coming to Canada.
 
Anthem Media Group Inc. announced a partnership with Lucas Oil Products to bring the rapidly growing network MAVTV to Canada.
 
"Lucas Oil Products' rich history is embedded into the very fiber of the motorsports industries and I can't think of any other company I would be more confident to partner with than Lucas Oil Products and to bring their dedicated motorsports network MAVTV to fans across Canada," said Leonard Asper, CEO of Anthem Media Group Inc.
 
"The interest in MAVTV programming in Canada has been overwhelming," said Bob Patison, President of MAVTV. "Over the past year, I have been receiving a steady stream of emails from Canadian motorsports fans asking for MAVTV. Partnering with Anthem Media Group will now make this possible. Anthem Media Group is well established and well positioned to advance this exciting opportunity."
 
MAVTV features exclusive automotive/motorsports programming such as The Dave Despain Show, Full Custom Garage, Stacey David's GearZ and Speed Sport hosted by Ralph Sheheen in partnership with National Speed Sports News and more.
 
MAVTV Canada will also benefit from Lucas Oil Products' production studios that produce and promote over 300 hours of programming each year with such events as Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals along with live broadcasts of both the 250 and 450 classes opening motos for the entire 12-round Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship - sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
 
MAVTV Canada will be based out of Anthem Studios in Toronto, Canada. Media entrepreneur and Fight Network founder Mike Garrow will oversee the rollout and launch of MAVTV Canada, working with Anthem's technical and production teams.

"I am incredibility excited about this opportunity to work with MAVTV and building this brand into a must-have service in the Canadian market," said Garrow. "Lucas Oil products have always been true to its customers in giving them the best in class products, and MAVTV is a shining example of that. I look forward to connecting with all the gear heads across the country in making MAVTV Canada their home for all things motorsports."
 
For more details, please visit www.mavtv.ca.

The most lucrative one-night event in Outlaw Kart racing history will take place Tuesday, September 8 at Cycleland Speedway in Chico, California.

The Outlaw Kart Showcase presented by Kyle Larson Racing will offer a $20,000 purse in the Outlaw Kart Open Division with a staggering $5000 going to the overall high point earner during the night. The Outlaw Kart Showcase will also host a night of racing for the Box Stock division and the 250 Outlaw Karts.

Drivers are expected to attend this event from all over the country.

Cycleland Speedway is arguably regarded as the best training ground for today’s youngsters looking to climb their way up through the motorsports ladder. Back in the early to mid-2000’s, promoter Lowell Moural ran a Tuesday night race before the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway. This race was called the Outlaw Kart Showcase. The Showcase was one of the most anticipated nights of racing for the kart drivers. After a few years the scheduling of the event didn’t work and eventually was dropped from the yearly Cycleland schedule.

One driver who remembers what that night meant to him and is now racing in the pinnacle of our sport is Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson. It seemed only fitting that Larson host a race at the track that holds so many great memories for him.

“As a kid, we used to run the Tuesday night at Cycleland before the Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway,” said Larson. “It was always the race I looked forward to running every year and now being a part in bringing it back feels great.

“It was cool because most of the World of Outlaw drivers at the time would come watch us kids race. It made us feel all pretty special.”

Racing an Outlaw Kart definitely has helped define Larson. From 1999 to 2007, Larson had 510 main event starts and accumulated 129 A-main event victories. He earned a staggering 27 total championships with four being National Championships. At age 13, he entered his first midget race at Phoenix’s Manzanita Speedway and finished fifth. He was the first 14-year-old legally approved to race a sprint car in California. Larson rocketed through the motorsports ladder winning in every form of open wheel division.

Some of the many highlights on his extensive racing resume include winning the Gold Cup Championships at Chico for two consecutive years, sweeping the Four Crown Nationals at Eldora, winning the prestigious Belleville Midget Nationals and the Turkey Night Grand Prix USAC Midget race.

On February 11, 2012, Larson won the first pavement stock car event he entered. This past season, Larson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Award.

“Cycleland Speedway was the place where I cut my teeth and learned how to race,” said Larson. “It’s where I developed my style as a driver, met some of my closest friends and where people starting hearing my name.”