The United States Auto Club (USAC) continues to build its western presence with the recent addition of the Aztec Quarter Midget Club in Aztec, New Mexico. 

Located just 190 miles north of Albuquerque, Aztec will team with the Kart Kanyon Club to give young drivers the chance to race with more competition and on two different types of tracks.
 
The Aztec track is completely flat, whereas Kart Kanyon is banked. The two tracks will work together alternating dates for events. Opening day for Aztec was April 4, while Kart Kanyon will hold its first event May 2.
 
The club will race on Saturdays with a $10 sign-in fee. For now, they will race both Honda 120 and 160 classes, with plans to add more classes in the future.
 
Aztec Speedway is located at 421 Legion Road, Aztec, NM. For more information, call 505/801-1298 or visit www.AztecSpeedway.com.

Dart Machinery has signed an agreement to sponsor the the Professional Drag Racers Association’s Top Dragster class.


“We are thrilled to have such a well-known and respected company as Dart Machinery join the PDRA as sponsor of the Top Dragster class,” said PDRA Race Director Bob Harris. “Their products are known far and wide and used by a number of the top racers in the world, including many PDRA competitors. Dart joins an impressive and growing list of top industry sponsors and supporters who have gotten behind the PDRA, and we can’t thank them enough.”

Troy, Michigan-based Dart Machinery, which has been in business since 1981, was founded by mechanical mastermind Richard Maskin.

Maskin is well known to drag racing fans as the man whose engines have won NHRA Pro Stock championships and dozens of national events. Like many successful entrepreneurs, Maskin turned his passion for drag racing into a thriving enterprise. From humble beginnings in a two-car garage in Oak Park, Michigan, Dart has become a leader in aftermarket cylinder heads, intake manifolds and engine blocks.


The company’s first products were aluminum Hemi cylinder heads that dominated the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. These purpose-built heads provided the power that ultimately broke drag racing’s 300 mph barrier and produced the first four-second Funny Car elapsed time.

Today, the company has expanded its product line to include aluminum and cast-iron engine blocks that are designed to meet the specialized needs of racers and performance enthusiasts. Dart components are developed in-house, manufactured on Dart’s own CNC machining centers, and tested on Dart’s computer-controlled engine dyno.

Maskin keeps current with the continuous advances in racing technology through Dart’s in-house engine program.

“Our engine program and our daily interaction with leading engine builders and winning racers keeps Dart on the leading edge of technology,” Maskin said. “We apply everything we learn to produce more powerful and more reliable parts for Dart customers.”

Dart Machinery’s Technology Center in Troy, Michigan, houses the company’s administrative offices, the R&D headquarters, and inspection, machining and warehouse operations. The immense CNC machining centers that produce Dart heads and blocks from raw castings are located in a separate manufacturing facility in nearby Melvindale, Michigan.

April is an important month in the annual calendar of racing industry marketers, as it is the month companies must complete their online contract and provide a deposit in order to be included on the initial floor plan of the next Performance Racing Industry Trade Show.

In the month of May, the PRI Trade Show team takes all the companies with completed contracts and deposits and lays out the 2015 PRI Trade Show. Companies that exhibited in 2014 have the first option on their space for the 2015 PRI Trade Show, as long as they complete their online contracts and submit a deposit by May 1.

"We've created a fast and easy-to-use online process in order to secure exhibit space in this year's PRI Trade Show," said John Kilroy, PRI Show producer. "It's critical for returning exhibitors to complete their contracts and submit a deposit, or they will lose the location they had the previous year. It's also valuable for companies wishing to expand or move their locations to notify PRI right at the start."

The website to secure booth space in the PRI Trade Show is www.pri2015.com/contract.

"Last year, the PRI Trade Show was one of the most productive ever for exhibitors, as the Show broke all previous records for attendance by motorsports professionals," said Kilroy. "This year, we're working on creating some new attractions for the Show, as well as new avenues to promote attendance."

Kilroy advised exhibitors not to wait until the last minute.

PRI 2015 will be held December 10–12, 2015, in the Indiana Convention Center, in Indianapolis. There were 1,175 exhibiting companies last year. It was attended by motorsports professionals from 70 countries. It is a trade-only event, and is widely regarded as the annual epicenter for new racing technology. For more information on the PRI Trade Show, go to www.performanceracing.com/tradeshow.

International Speedway Corporation has announced the appointment of Larree M. Renda and the re-election of four members to its Board of Directors, the promotion of seven members of the executive management team and appointment of one executive officer.

Renda will hold office until the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders, completing the term of Lloyd Reuss, who did not stand for re-election in 2014.  Renda will serve as a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees.

ISC promoted seven key executives for their significant contributions and achievements including Dan Houser to Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer; Gary Crotty to Executive Vice President, Chief Administration Officer and Chief Legal Counsel; Craig Neeb to Executive Vice President, Chief Development and Digital Officer; Daryl Wolfe to Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer; Joie Chitwood to Executive Vice President, ISC and President, Daytona International Speedway; Laura Jackson to Senior Vice President, Corporate Services and Chief Human Resources Officer; and Brett Scharback to Senior Vice President, Legal and Chief Compliance Officer.

ISC also appointed Greg Motto to Vice President, Finance and Accounting and ISC Controller. 

Motto, 42, first employed by ISC in 2000, previously served as ISC Managing Director of Finance and Controller.  As Vice President, he will continue to manage integrated financial planning and reporting while overseeing the company's accounting operations and internal controls. His growing role in investor relations activities positions him working closely with shareholders and the wider investment community.

Separately, at the annual meeting of ISC shareholders, the following members of the Company's Board of Directors were re-elected to a three-year term: Lesa France Kennedy; Larry Aiello, Jr.; J. Hyatt Brown; and Sonia M. Green.

The DMSB (German motorsports association) has announced safety measures that will allow GT3 cars to compete at the Nurburgring Nordschleife again, following last month’s accident that killed a spectator.

A roundtable meeting with drivers, representatives of the various manufacturers and race organizers, as well as the federation’s own safety and technical experts, was held this week in Germany.

“Now, we have decided to implement measures to allow these cars to race again, albeit with certain restrictions," said DMSB chairman Hans-Joachim Stuck. “At the same time, the DMSB will install an expert commission to search for mid-term solutions that can be implemented after the season. These could include comprehensive changes in the regulations as well as possible construction work on the track.”

In order to make it possible for the top cars to compete in the VLN series and the Nurburgring 24, the following measures are planned:

*Cars from the top classes will be slowed down by a 5 percent reduction in engine power.

*In order to prevent cars from getting airborne, the speed at critical locations Flugplatz, Schwedenkreuz and Antoniusbuche will be reduced. This will be achieved by a speed limit of 200 km/h (250 km/h on the ‘Döttinger Höhe’ straight) a few hundred meters before these parts of the track.

*Speed limits are enforced by GPS with heavy fines in place for infringements. Once cars have passed the speed limit zone, acceleration will be allowed again.

*At Flugplatz, Schwedenkreuz, Metzgesfeld and Pflanzgarten, access to certain spectator zones will be limited until reconstruction work has been completed to allow full access again.

*The temporary ban that was imposed on cars from the classes SP7, SP8, SP8T, SP9, SP-Pro, SP-X, Cup-2, the H4 GT classes, E1-XP1, E1-XP2 and E1-XP Hybrid on the Nordschleife in DMSB-approved events has been lifted.

Borla Performance, a leading manufacturer of stainless steel performance exhaust systems based in Johnson City, Tennessee, has announced a new strategic relationship with DRIVEN Public Relations, an award-winning international public relations and creative marketing agency specializing in all facets of communications.

Borla and DRIVEN will work in partnership to develop an enhanced strategic public relations plan and media engagement strategy, in addition to building their branding, sports marketing and social media initiatives for 2015 and beyond.

“We’re honored to have been carefully chosen by Borla to promote their classic product line and share the story of their one-of-a-kind stainless steel performance exhaust systems,” said Mike Caudill, president of DRIVEN Public Relations.

For more information, visit www.borla.com.

Martin Rudow, author of two acclaimed books about sports-car racing in the Pacific Northwest, will speak at the International Motor Racing Research Center on Saturday, April 18.

The free Center Conversations talk will start at 1 p.m. The Racing Research Center is located at 610 S. Decatur St., Watkins Glen.

Rudow is author and publisher of “Long Straights and Hairpin Turns, The History of Northwest Sports Car Racing Volume 1: 1950 through 1961,” released in 2005, and “Weekends of Glory, The History of Northwest Sports Car Racing, Volume 2: 1962 through 1970,” released in 2008.

His Saturday presentation is part of three days of events heralding the seasonal return of racing to Watkins Glen International.

On Friday, April 17, the track will host the 11th annual Toyota Green Grand Prix, of which the Racing Research Center is a partner. The Green Grand Prix is an amateur time-speed-distance competition that showcases motoring technology and driver skills, all aiming for a cleaner environment.

On Saturday, the Arc Grand Prix Run takes over the track for an early-morning 3.4-mile run to benefit The Arc of Schuyler, a not-for-profit organization providing support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

WGI’s own Opening Weekend activities will be Saturday and Sunday, highlighted by public laps around the course. The fee will be $25 per vehicle for three paced laps. The track opens to cars at 9:30 a.m. each day.

The Racing Research Center and the Corning Community College Library will be the beneficiaries of the funds raised.

WGI fans will be encouraged to attend Rudow’s talk and learn about the drivers and fans in the Pacific Northwest who were pioneers in their region at a time when sports car racing was thriving in places like Watkins Glen and Pebble Beach, California.

“It was a different era,” Rudow writes in the introduction to “Long Straights,” “one of innocence and toughness, of friendship and fierce competition, of slower but more dangerous cars, of men and machines racing for nothing more than a small trophy or dash plaque. But it was glorious, it was wonderful, it was exciting beyond anything.”

A second edition of “Long Straights” was recently published as “Vee-Lines,” a reprint of the fascinating, long-lost newsletters published about Formula Vee racing in the 1960s and early ’70s.

Rudow’s three books were released by his Rudow Specialty Publishing, which also publishes Vintage Drift magazine for the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts, SOVREN, the Pacific Northwest’s largest and most active vintage racing club, along with other monthly and annual publications.
 
Born in Seattle, Rudow’s first race as a spectator was the 1956 SCCA National at Bremerton, Wash. His father, Hal Rudow, was a racer and club official, and Rudow was present at the opening of each major track in the Northwest: Delta Park, site today of the Portland International Raceway; Westwood in Coquitlam, British Columbia; and Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington.

The Racing Research Center is an archival library dedicated to the preservation and sharing of the history of motorsports, of all series and all venues, through its collections of books, periodicals, films, photographs, fine art and other materials.

For more information about the Center’s work and its programs, visit www.racingarchives.org or call 607/535-9044.

DIRTcar Racing’s 2015 Pro Stock Series schedule features seven action-packed events in Ontario, Quebec and New York.

The tour kicks off on Friday, June 12, at Autodrome Granby in Granby, Quebec, which is the home track of 2014 DIRTcar Pro Stock Series champion Jocelyn Roy. The event is expected to draw the best of the class north and south of the Canadian/New York border.

The second event will see the Pro Stock Series take on Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway on Thursday, June 18. Rob Yetman, a former series champion and winner of the 2014 Pro Stock race during NAPA Super DIRT Week, is expected to challenge those running the series full-time. In addition, Fonda regulars Nick Stone, Chuck Dumblewski, Kenny Gates and Pete Broderson will also be major contenders for this event.

RPM Speedway in De Richelier, Quebec, is the third stop on the tour for a Saturday, July 4, DIRTcar Pro Stock Series show. The speedway, home to three of the Top 10 Series point finishers in 2014 — third-place Stephane Lemire, sixth-place Bruno Cyr and seventh-place Richard Bertrand — is sure to provide fans with some exciting side-by-side action in this full fender class.

After a three-week break, the DIRTcar Pro Stocks will return to Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., for a Friday night appearance on July 24. Last year’s Series race in this class provided some of the toughest competition for the traveling group and had the fans standing on their feet cheering on their hometown favorites Yetman, Byron Westcott, Robbie Speed and Kim Duell.

The homestretch begins Sunday, Sept. 6, when the Series makes its only appearance of the year at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway. Always a threat to win wherever he runs, championship runner-up Dave Bissonnette calls Cornwall his home track and will no doubt try to defend his home dirt. A fierce battle with a major nemesis, Jocelyn Roy, is sure to be part of the action.

Fonda Speedway will again host the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series on Saturday, Sept. 26, as part of its season finale weekend long event. It is the only track to host two Pro Stock Series races in 2015.

The finale for the Pro Stock Series will take place on Sunday, Oct. 11, as part of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIV at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y. The Pro Stock Series Champion will be determined after an intense six days of inspection, qualifying and a 25-lap feature event.

Luken Communications, LLC has announced the appointment of Doug Evans as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer. Evans will oversee daily operations of all Luken networks including Retro TV, Rev’n, Heartland, The Family Channel, PBJ, Tuff TV and Frost Great Outdoors.
 
“Doug Evans brings over 35 years of media experience to Luken Communications, with more than 25 of those years in senior leadership roles,” said David Leach, Luken’s President and CEO. “Doug is the perfect fit to help us grow Luken Communications.”
 
When asked about his new role at Luken, Evans said he was "thrilled to have the opportunity to help steer the direction of Luken Communications moving forward. Luken has made all the right moves to be positively positioned for the coming waves of change in the broadcast media industry."
 
Evans, a longtime executive of The Enthusiast Network with venerable properties and events such as Hot Rod, Motor Trend, the Hot Rod Power Tour and Car Craft Nationals, will continue his role as a consultant to TEN with a focus on the automotive aftermarket and various industry events on behalf of TEN. Evans will also continue his involvement with the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), where he currently serves as Chairman-Elect of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the SEMA PAC. 

Evans will assume the role of Chairman of the Board in July of 2015 for a two-year term.

The route for the 21st anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride has been announced. The yearly motorcycle ride benefiting Victory Junction will take place May 2-8, 2015, and take 200 riders from Santa Cruz, California, to Branson, Missouri.

After kicking off in Santa Cruz, the 2500-mile route will make stops in Bakersfield, California; Tonopah, Nevada; Bryce Canyon, Utah; Moab, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Hutchinson, Kansas before ending in Branson.

"Each year, we select a route that's full of breathtaking scenery, while also allowing us to spread the word and build excitement around our mission along the way," said Petty. "Year after year, the Ride creates lasting memories for our riders, most importantly, it provides life-changing opportunities for children at Victory Junction."

The annual ride raises funds and awareness for Victory Junction, a camp created by the Petty family to enrich the lives of children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

The ride has allowed 7815 children to attend Victory Junction free of charge.

This year's riders include NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty, Joe Gibbs Racing's Matt Kenseth, former drivers Harry Gant and Donnie Allison, former NFL player Herschel Walker, Harley-Davidson, Inc. president and chief executive officer Matt Levatich, and NASCAR personalities Rick Allen and Rutledge Wood.

To follow Kyle Petty and the riders live, visit www.facebook.com/KPCharityRide, or on Twitter and Instagram @KPCharityRide.