NASCAR issued a bulletin to Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck teams with changes to the rule book.

Among the changes is a rule the requires a driver, crew chief and spotter to have radio communication, a new single rear-end differential assembly rule and a single transmission rule.

Previously, teams could change as many gears as they wanted but they had to be the right ratio. Now, a single rear end differential assembly rule will be enforced at all events except at Martinsville Speedway, road course events, the Daytona 500, the Sprint Showdown and the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.

Martinsville and road courses are hard on gears. Because of the number of events leading up to the Daytona 500, teams can make a change. It’s also easy to break a gear in All-Star qualifying.

This rule should eliminate qualifying gears.

NASCAR stated that failure to comply with this rule could result in loss of practice time, loss of opportunity to qualify and confiscation of the rear end differential assembly, along with any other actions the series director deems necessary.

NASCAR formalized that a driver, crew chief and spotter must be able to communicate on the radio during an event.

NASCAR stated that effective January 1, 2016, teams will be permitted only one transmission change after qualifying and before the race for events at Pocono Raceway and road course events.

Other changes included adding the new qualifying format for super speedways previously announced and other technical updates.

The 2015 race season is now underway—or will be shortly—throughout much of the country. And while many racers would simply like to focus their attention on racing itself, it’s just as important to make sure that racing budgets are built to last all season long…and beyond.
 
In addition to converting smaller sponsors into full-season supporters—or up-leveling associate or product sponsors to full-level partnerships—race teams should be focused on how to get sponsors to come back year after year.
 
My previous entry addressed some of the key questions racers and their teams should ask themselves before beginning to create solutions. We also looked at a couple of big obstacles racers face (oftentimes self-imposed).
 
Now, we’re ready to offer race teams some proven solutions to creating long-term partnerships while helping them along the path to success.
 
So let’s get started.

1. Do Your Research. Before you even reach out to ANY company, make sure your goals and marketing message FIT with theirs. Look at their advertising behaviors. Do they have a history of being “one-hit wonders” or do they believe in long-term advertising? Are they hungry to grow, bold with their marketing, and willing to take risks with creative promotions? See if they are a company that can afford a season-long partnership (look at the other advertising they do and get price comparisons and what they could be spending). Are they growing fast on their own or do you have a way they can grow fast with you? Do they have potential to be able to step up to the plate and spend more with you in the coming months? Look to see how they have grown over the past few years and see how they step up to the plate in their past promotional commitments—they must be good candidates for you just like you must be for them.
2. Position Of Power. My grandfather had a saying: “Negotiate from a position of power or don’t bother negotiating.” What that means is make sure you hold all the good cards—the ace in the hole, the thing they cannot get or do with anyone else or by themselves. They NEED YOU to be able to do a specific thing that will create the results they seek. Create your powerful and unique marketing perks, strategies, other business relationships (leverage by who you know and can get them to know, too), and even your celebrity power that gives them status they want. They must be excited to latch onto your personal pull in the marketplace. They must want to ride your coattails! So make your brand powerful, unique and irresistible. They will never want to leave you.
3. Incentives. Give them incentives to want to be a long-term partner. Think about this: When you get a gym membership, are you doing it for just one month? What kind of results can you expect from one month of working out? Show how they get bigger and better results for their company as a full season partner rather than just a few races in the beginning. What’s your growth plan for them, your sales drive plan for them (such as season-long sampling or couponing that they can use continually)? Show comparables to them from the beginning with “social proof” on how you helped another long-term sponsor do this successfully. Were you able to raise good money for a charity that partnered up with you for a full season before? Let them see your potential to bring them long-term customers. Give them rewards to look forward to at the end of the season so they will want to stay on. For example: A season-end party for their employees that have a good year-long safety record —in other words, help them use the partnership for their own year-long business needs.
4. Exclusive “Real Estate” Packages. Are you offering “timeshares,” or really trying to show them the awesome value of having the “beach condo” all to themselves year-round (hypothetically speaking)? It’s all about creating juicy package levels in your proposals from the beginning. Giving them “Title” or “Presenting” Partnership option from day one is offering the biggest value and best “real estate,” or investment. Title Partner covers your full season budget (including marketing), and they get the “whole enchilada” (full season branding, colors, wrap, and all-exclusive access to you and your team). Make the value of this Title package SO good and exclusive that it really sets itself apart. Give “Primary” sponsorships as “race” packages—“3 race,” “5 race,” “10 race”—with just decals in the primary areas (never full season or wrap with limited access to you and your marketing/brand). Make an incentive for them to want to up-level to “Title” Partner for the full season, and pro-rate a discount if they move up to Title from Primary or Associate levels.
5. Education. Get to know your marketing language and how it works. “B2B,” “B2C,” “LEVERAGE.” In my Sponsor Attraction School Video Series I share examples of very successful sponsorship programs that I have put together in my past driver/team/track experiences using these principles. Most companies big or small can benefit from you using these strategies in your marketing plan for them, and every level of racing can easily do this. This is a huge pull for long-term sponsorships in today’s market. When you know and understand what they know, you gain their respect while entering into their playing field. Birds of a feather…

Here is the key: Long-term sponsorship is all about the relationship. It’s about building trust and showing your commitment to your partners’ needs. Take the money factor out of it and focus on the relationship, and watch things start to shift in everyone’s favor.
 
Be patient and be strategic—be a leader of your own business, which is your racing career or team. Treat this like a business that has great value, and others will see your value. This is about attraction—show your marketing power and pull them in like a magnet!

Once you’ve planted your sponsorship seeds, nurture them, care for them…and then watch them grow!

 
Annamarie Malfitana-Strawhand is a motorsports marketing coach and mentor, motivational teacher, author and speaker. Through her company, Marketing At Full Speed, she draws on 30-plus years of experience as a motorsports professional, combined with her corporate sponsor experience, to guide racers who wish to ascend the sport’s ladder or up-level their teams. Her helpful video tips, advice blog and client success stories can be found on her website, www.marketingatfullspeed.com.

The stakes at this year’s Red Bull Global Rallycross event at Daytona International Speedway on June 19-21 just got higher. Red Bull Global Rallycross and Daytona International Speedway officials have adjusted the race schedule on Father’s Day Weekend to include a second championship round.

Practice and qualifying will take place on Friday, June 19, followed by championship rounds on both Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21. Each round will pay out points to the driver for the season-long championship.

“We’re excited to be able to add another championship round to the weekend schedule and grow this event,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “The inaugural Red Bull Global Rallycross in 2014 produced non-stop action on the course. To be able to add a second championship round for the 2015 event gives race fans another opportunity to see how exciting this form of racing can be.”

Red Bull Global Rallycross is returning to Daytona International Speedway for the second straight year. On Father’s Day Weekend, the stars of Red Global Rallycross will race in manufacturer-backed entries such as Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen on portions of Daytona’s famed road course asphalt and a challenging dirt section. Red Bull Global Rallycross Supercars produce 600 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than two seconds.

Entering its fifth year, Red Bull Global Rallycross competes across the world in locations like Barbados, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. Among the motorsports and action sports athletes that compete in Red Bull Global Rallycross are Ken Block, Bucky Lasek, Scott Speed, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Tanner Foust.

Red Bull Global Rallycross features an open paddock where fans are able to walk through the garages, engage the drivers and watch the mechanics wrench on the cars.

Badlands Entertainment Group has struck a deal to purchase the famed Huset's Speedway in Brandon, South Dakota. The 1/3-mile high-banked dirt bull ring hosts weekly Sunday night events featuring 410 Outlaw Sprints. The speedway also hosts special events like the World of Outlaws and National Sprint League.

"I am a long-time fan of Huset's, and the opportunity to bring it into the Badlands family is a dream come true for me," said Chuck Brennan, CEO of Badlands Entertainment Group.

Brennan is a native of Sioux Falls and a nationally renowned businessman and philanthropist who has been attending the famed speedway for more than 40 years. Several of his business enterprises were founded in the city, including Dollar Loan Center, Brennan Rock & Roll Academy and Badlands Pawn, Gold & Jewelry, opening Thanksgiving Day 2015.

"We are planning a massive facelift for this iconic family racing facility and have budgeted millions in improvements over the next several years," said Brennan. "It will continue to be known as Huset's Speedway through the 2015 season and will be operated by the current owners. At the end of the season it will officially become Badlands Motor Speedway for the 2016 season. It will be one of many entertainment options from Badlands Entertainment Group."

Badlands plans to integrate the Speedway into its suite of services, offering guests the opportunity to purchase tickets at its box office or online. Reserved seating, general admission and a vast array of VIP experiences will also become available. Brennan even plans to close Badlands Pawn early on Sundays to allow patrons to park and take a shuttle to the Speedway.

"You can grab a nickel cup of coffee for the road, leave the driving to us, and we will open up the Badlands Deli for a late night sandwich if you like when we get back," said Brennan.

The improvements will start this season and continue right up until opening day of the 2016 racing season. There will be improvements to all facets of the facility including track, grandstand area, parking, food and beverage, sound system and overall look and feel. The speedway will also feature live radio and television coverage including streaming the races online. New VIP options, group packages and sponsorship opportunities will also become available.

"I have so many great memories at Huset's Speedway," said Brennan. "From attending as a youth with my father and friends to promoting one of the biggest rock and roll concerts ever at Huset's in 1998 with Quiet Riot, RATT, LA Guns, Firehouse and Slaughter, I've seen it all. We plan to convert the infield into the leading outdoor concert venue over the next few years and will be giving the public a taste of this venue on Saturday, August 29, for the 'Farewell to Huset's Speedway' concert and festival. The acts and details will be announced later next month at the track."

Brennan plans to page homage to the facility, its previous owners, fans and drivers with a race track hall of fame onsite with the name dedication to Huset's Speedway.

"We envision this facility to be open year round and a place that race fans of all ages can come by and check out the incredible history of this legendary facility for the past 50 years!" said Brennan. "Great retro and current merchandise will also be for sale at the Hall of Fame building and folks will be able to come in and purchase single show or season tickets to the track. For the first time ever, like at most venues these days, you will be able to buy your seats and own those same seats for the entire racing season."

Badlands Pawn general manager Steve Przybocki grew up around racing in Pennsylvania and later in Las Vegas.

"This project just keeps getting cooler by the day," said Przybocki. "Now we will have a showcase music venue at the Badlands and the best outdoor concert facility in the region. Whether you want to visit the shooting range, see a show, shop, get a tattoo, see $1 million in gold on display or go to the races, Badlands will have you covered."

A former boat racing world champion, the owner-operator of one of the nation’s most iconic drag strips and the businessman who helped save a drag race sanctioning organization are among the members of the 2015 class of the Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Marion Cooper of Vine Grove, Kentucky, enjoyed a three-decade career in boat racing, winning an American Power Boat Racing Association world championship. He was a three-time winner of the prestigious Calvert Trophy—claimed in competition on the Ohio River during the 1950s and 1960s—and was the first driver of the Miss Madison unlimited hydroplane from 1961-1963.

Dallas Jones of Beechmont, Kentucky, is best known as the long-time owner and promoter of BeechBend Park in Bowling Green, including Beech Bend Dragway and Raceway. Jones has operated that facility for more than 25 years and overseen an active schedule of national and regional racing events. The facility annually hosts the Holley National Hot Rod Reunion, National Hot Rod Association Midwest series races and a variety of other events which pump millions of dollars into the region’s economy. Jones began as a competitor and also previously promoted racing at the Windy Hollow racing complex in Owensboro.

Jim Ruth off Morehead, Kentucky, enjoyed some on-track success competing in Pro Stock drag racing as a hobby. But he is best remembered for helping purchase and resurrect the International Hot Rod Association after that sanctioning organization nearly closed down after the 1988 season. Before his death in 1990, Ruth owned and operated legendary Bristol Dragway in Tennessee, played an integral role in establishing Pro Modified as a professional category and helped launch the career of three-time drag racing world champion Darrell Alderman, also of Morehead.

Other members of the class of 2015 include Jerry Decker of Valley Station, Kentucky, a two-time drag racing world champion car owner and driver; Pat Freels, of Island, Kentucky, a former national champion tractor puller and drag racer; and Dickie Ogles of Bowling Green, Kentucky, who has enjoyed a 50-year career in drag racing. He remains active today after accumulating an astounding 75 NHRA national event class winner trophies.

This year’s Pioneer Award will be presented to Earl Hayden of Owensboro, Kentucky, patriarch of the world champion Hayden brothers motorcycle racers. His son Nicky is a former Moto GP world champion, who has garnered numerous wins in the American Motorcyclist Association Superbike, Supersport and Superstock classes. Eldest son Tommy is a former champion in the Supersport class and son Roger Lee has been active at all levels of racing, including Moto GP and Superbike.

The Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the accomplishments of Kentucky natives in all forms of motorsports competition.

Induction ceremonies for the organization’s eighth class will be held October 24 at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History’s Speedzeum.

Just beginning its fifth season in the US, The Nissan PlayStation GT Academy boasts an impressive track record of racing achievement worldwide.

From European champion Jann Mardenborough driving the GT-R LM NISMO at LeMans this June, to US 2011 winner Bryan Heitkotter racing a Nissan GT-R GT3 in the Pirelli World Challenge, the program’s proof of success is evident around the world of motorsports.

Beginning at midnight April 21, the next gamer-to-professional-racer prospects entered an online competition in Gran Turismo 6 (GT6), the racing simulator on the PlayStation 3 (PS3) system, racing virtually to become one of the 20 fastest gamers in the US who will get a chance to attend the National Finals this summer.

In a change from previous years, the US will participate as part of the international competition in 2015 and as such, only the top six emerge from the National Finals to advance to the International Race Camp. There they will try to prove they are one of the best in the world, deserving of a shot at the dream job of a professional racing placement for Nissan.

All four Nissan GT Academy winners will see plenty of racing action this season. Bryan Heitkotter, the 2011 champ, is racing the full 2015 season in the Always Evolving-GT Academy Nissan GT-R GT3 in the Pirelli World Challenge. Steven Doherty, Nick McMillen and Nic Hamman will divide time co-driving the No. 41 Doran Racing-GT Academy 370Z NISMO in IMSA’s Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series throughout this season.

“All of us at Nissan North America have been extremely impressed with the caliber of racing driver the GT Academy competition has produced,” said Rick Kulach, NNA Motorsports Manager. “Every one of them has been on a podium driving for Nissan, and they continue to learn the craft of racing while being great teammates and brand ambassadors for Nissan.”

“This is another exciting milestone year for GT Academy and a source of great pride for us,” explained Kazunori Yamauchi, president of Polyphony Digital and creator of the Gran Turismo series. “We have two GT Academy graduates racing in the top class at Le Mans and an ambitious program that will introduce new fans to Gran Turismo, as they test themselves to see if they have what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Jann Mardenborough, Lucas Ordoñez and the other NISMO Athletes. It is truly an incredible competition, and I would highly recommend that people have a go, whatever their level on the game.”

The checkered flag drops to end the online competition Tuesday, June 16 at 3:59 p.m. Eastern (12:59 p.m. Pacific). When the competition ends, eligible competitors with the 20 fastest in-game race times in the GT6 qualifying challenge will earn invitations to the US Finals in mid-July. From there, the best six advance to the International GT Academy Race Camp at Silverstone in the UK in August.

What was already guaranteed to be a history-making centennial season will be a record-breaking one for IMCA as well.

Contracts for a total of 415 sanctions were in hand, nine more than were issued last year, and another two dozen are expected to be returned as more tracks get closer to holding opening night programs.

IMCA Modified sanctions have topped 100 every year since 1992; the number of Northern SportMod and Southern SportMod sanctions is expected to exceed 100 for the first time this year.

“One factor we’ve noticed in the increase is tracks that have already been sanctioned are adding new divisions,” noted IMCA President Brett Root. “RaceSaver Sprint Cars are obviously playing a role, too. New tracks that sanction Sprint Cars are also sanctioning other divisions, for example the Modifieds or Southern SportMods.”

Currently, IMCA events will be held in 31 states this season.

“We have a lot of newly sanctioned facilities around the country and that reflects on efforts by our staff, especially Director of Track Relations Jim Stannard,” Root said. “The off-season is not just the time we wait for racing to start. Jim has made numerous trips to meet with promoters and drivers at tracks wanting to become sanctioned or to sanction more divisions.”

Marketing efforts and consistency in the rules also play a role in the big numbers for 2015.

“I think we’re doing a better job of promoting on behalf of 8,000-plus drivers, our tracks and what will be a record number of sponsors. We don’t change our rules all the time and we try to be as pro-active as possible,” Root said. “The interest is there. We’re definitely doing something that racers, promoters and sponsors want to be part of.”

There was a time in NASCAR when skipping a race because of illness or injury was simply not considered. Rather than sit out with swollen eyes, Ricky Rudd used tape to keep them open. Richard Petty ran three races hiding a broken neck from NASCAR officials.

Denny Hamlin became the fourth Sprint Cup Series driver to require a replacement when he pulled out of Sunday's race at Bristol Motor Speedway with neck spasms. Hamlin felt fine at the start but said he felt something pop around Lap 12. Rain 10 laps later gave him a nearly four-hour delay to work on the pain, but he turned his car over to 18-year-old Erik Jones when the race resumed.

“I’m not use to the team like this,” Hamlin said from the garage. “In this win-and-you’re-in format, there’s no point in me being out there if I can’t win.”

Indeed, changes to the championship format have given drivers the flexibility to admit they are not healthy enough to drive. NASCAR last season expanded the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field to 16 slots and said a win would automatically ensure a driver a berth in the playoffs.

So when Hamlin was parked one race last March by medical officials who said an issue with his eye was not suitable for racing, there was no panic: All he had to do was collect a victory by the 26th race of the season to remain eligible for championship competition.

Before the Chase, which began in 2004 and has steadily evolved, missing a race would ruin a driver’s championship chances. Sometimes it could even cost him his job if the team owner or sponsor balked at his absence.

The system caused Dale Earnhardt Jr. to conceal a concussion early in his career and led to countless other hidden ailments from drivers too determined to play through the pain.

Hamlin, who picked up his Chase-qualifying win last month, saw no need for such heroics. Nor did car owner Joe Gibbs, who flew Jones in from North Carolina during the rain delay but almost balked at putting him in his first career Cup race when he arrived just five minutes before the rain delay ended.

Gibbs said Hamlin was willing to get back into his car and drive at least until the first caution.

“He was honest with me. He said, ‘I’m not 100 percent,’ ” Gibbs said. “But you don’t want somebody, an athlete like that, getting in a car like that. So as we talked it over, I just said, ‘Hey, look, let’s don't do this. Let’s put Erik in there.’

“I think we made the right decision. Hopefully with that, we didn't aggravate anything else, so hopefully he gets some treatment, and then we'll be good to go next week.”

Kyle Busch, Hamlin's JGR teammate, has missed the first eight races this year after breaking his right leg and left foot in a crash the day before the Daytona 500. Although he does not know when he’ll return, he said last week he was holding out hope he'd receive a medical waiver from NASCAR that would make him eligible for the Chase if he qualified.

Brian Vickers is sidelined indefinitely for treatment of blood clots, but NASCAR earlier this year granted him a waiver when he missed the first two races of the season as he recovered from offseason heart surgery.

Kyle Larson was not allowed to race last month at Martinsville Speedway after fainting a day earlier during an appearance. It took nearly three days in the hospital for dehydration to be diagnosed, and he's now seeking a win that will get him into the Chase.

Although Hamlin seemed to receive some social media backlash over his decision not to race—fans complained the old guard was a far tougher bunch, that sitting out with neck spasms appeared awfully soft—he played by the rules of the system.

And make no mistake that it's a good system. Regular-season points are no longer the end all of a driver’s season, and it allows NASCAR to have a far higher standard of safety for its competitors.

Drivers can’t race with a concussion anymore, and obtaining medical clearance to compete is not the slam dunk it once was.

Hamlin, who appeared to bristle Monday at a tweet that seemed to suggest he wasn't as tough as the late Dale Earnhardt, didn’t need to make a hard decision Sunday. When he spoke in the garage, he was clearly stiff and struggling to turn his head—not the best condition to attempt to complete a race.

He’s got a new championship format to thank for not forcing him to get back behind the wheel.

Bernie Ecclestone has made a sharp U-turn on his approach to this year's Bahrain Grand Prix.
Now some years after the violent civil uprising in the island Kingdom, Bahrain remains a controversial stop on the annual F1 calendar.

Indeed, there is still unrest, with reports 21 activists were arrested this week by government forces that fired tear gas on the eve of F1 practice, while human rights groups continue to voice concerns.

But F1 supremo Ecclestone is changing tack for 2015, approving a "policy document" that commits the sport to recognizing "human rights at all of its 20 venues around the world."

The new guidelines also mean that the sport will operate a policy of "due diligence" before signing up new hosts.

Back in 2012, Ecclestone dismissed the Bahrain controversy by saying it has nothing to do with Formula One.

"We don't go into a country and interfere with their politics," he told CNN. "I don't think sport should."

But the Formula One Group confirmed this week that Formula One is now "committed to respecting internationally recognized human rights in its operations globally."

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, Inc. announced that Phil Casey and Mari Hulman George have been selected as inductees into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

Chosen by a distinguished panel of more than 100 experts in auto racing, Casey and George bring it to 150 the number of individuals who have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to the sport of racing and to the development of the automotive industry. The Auto Racing Hall of Fame, founded in 1952, is located at the Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Casey and George will be honored on May 21 at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet held in conjunction with the International Association of Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers. Gathering with about 700 of their closest friends and colleagues in auto racing, the two groups also will honor Al Unser Sr. for his four Indianapolis 500 wins (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and other contributions to the sport.

Unser was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1986. They also are honoring the current Indianapolis 500 champion, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion, Will Power.

Casey’s career started with building midgets and modified race cars. He next produced winning race cars for the Indianapolis 500 under Fred Gerhardt, as his chief mechanic.

Casey was a nine-time winner of the National Championship competition of the United States Auto Club (USAC), crew chief for Janet Guthrie, the first female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977, and worked with Roberto Guerrero in 1985 and 1986 and A.J. Foyt in 1990. In 1996, he took on the role of Senior Technical Director for the IRL, just as the sanctioning body was formed.

He has been recognized for extraordinary contributions during the formation of the IRL, including the development of the now industry-standard Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) Barrier.

George currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Directors of Hulman & Company and serves as a director of the Foundation. She has been a tireless supporter of auto racing and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, following in her parents’ footsteps.

Her first independent racing venture was with Roger Wolcott in the formation of the HOW racing team, which fielded American Automobile Association and USAC Sprint cars for several drivers. Her team won the championship of that series in 1957, placed second in 1954, and third in 1956 and 1958.

George also fielded a car in the National Championship series, with several top finishes recorded from 1957 through 1962. George has been a significant philanthropic supporter of the arts, health care and animal welfare.