WELD Racing (WELD), manufacturers of WELD Racing Wheels, has teamed up with AED Performance and RacingJunk.com to create a year-long promotion and contest to mark the website’s 15 year anniversary. At the 2013 Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana, RacingJunk.com announced a partnership with WELD Racing to give away a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4 Extended Cab and a trip to the 2014 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, to one lucky winner.

The truck has been modified with aftermarket components and has spent the last year traveling around the country, appearing at shows and events like the Charlotte Auto Fair, Hot Rod Power Tour, NASCAR Coke 600, NHRA 4-Wide Nationals and the Knoxville Nationals. The truck will make its final stop at SEMA, where it will appear in the WELD Racing booth #24957 for the duration of the show.

Modifications and upgrades to the truck include Weld Racing wheels, Mickey Thompson tires, Magnaflow Exhaust system, Magnuson supercharger installed by JHR Performance, ARE Tonneau cover, Dupli-Color Bed Armour system, a lift kit from Rough Country Suspension Systems and additional support from AED Performance.

“From their inception, RacingJunk.com has been a great supporter of the motorsports community. When the opportunity arose for us to help them celebrate this milestone, we were thrilled to get involved,” said Chris Bovis, vice president of marketing, WELD Racing. “The choice of a Chevy Silverado as the basis for this giveaway was a great fit for us as well, since we are really excited about our expanding line of REKON wheels for light trucks, off-road trucks and duallys.”

In late September, a winner was chosen from the tens of thousands of entries and arrangements were made to fly that person to Las Vegas. On Wednesday, November 5, RacingJunk.com staff will hand over the keys to the winner, who will be officially announced at a ceremony at the WELD Racing booth held from 3 p.m.–5 p.m.

Jackson Motorsports Group (JMG), motorsports, events and race tire distribution company, welcomes Brian Blair as program manager and Jason Kazian as account executive.
 
“Welcoming solid performers like Brian and Jason to our JMG family is exciting,” said Darrell Jackson, CEO of Jackson Motorsports Group. “Both of these associates are important to the success of our motorsports and marketing events. We appreciate their passion for the industry and their desire to help our clients succeed.”
 
As program manager, Blair will oversee a key client’s racing program. Most of his time will be spent at racing events managing the support crew and tire inventory, educating race guests, supporting hospitality activities and assisting with on-site marketing activities. He has prior experience with public relations, media technology, trade shows, motorsports clubs, off-road and track events, coaching and performance driving.
 
Kazian will work with automotive clients as account executive. With a focus on sales and marketing, he will help develop and execute marketing campaigns, events and product launches. Prior to JMG, he collected 15 years of sales experience with companies such as The Cliffs Communities, FSG Realty and UPS. Kazian holds a real estate license and a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Veteran crew chief Jimmy Prock has been hired by Don Schumacher Racing for a position yet to be determined.

Prock most recently served as crew chief for John Force’s NHRA Funny Car at John Force Racing, leading Force to three victories this season. He left John Force Racing on Wednesday.

In 2013 Prock took over tuning duties for Force after a mid-season team swap orchestrated by the team owner that saw Prock leave long time driver Robert Hight. He tuned the winningest driver in NHRA history to five consecutive final rounds in the Countdown including three wins in a row to clinch Force’s 16th NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship.

DSR, which fields seven teams in the Mello Yello Series, currently leads the standings in Top Fuel with Tony Schumacher and in Funny Car with Matt Hagan.

Calico Coatings announces Ambrose Kalmbach as its Chief Financial Officer, working with Calico President, Tracy Trotter, and the rest of the management team to further Calico's mission and help ensure its continued growth and prosperity.

For the past 14 years, Kalmbach served as a split-time CFO for numerous companies in the Charlotte, NC, area helping them manage their growth and finding creative solutions to their financial, managerial and strategic challenges. He has assisted in the financing of entrepreneurial companies and analyzed numerous industries as a venture capital investor. 

Kalmbach’s other accomplishments include creating, marketing and selling a community bank's cash management services to its small business customers. He was a team leader in the development of an automated, small business lending software system for First Union. He also managed the contract manufacturing effort for a growing electronics firm, HandHeld Products, Inc, and served as a production engineer for semiconductor manufacturer Mostek, Inc, a division of United Technologies Corp.

Kalmbach holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering.

“Ambrose is already making a significant impact on how we manage the financial side of our business.” said Trotter. “He understands how that empowers our company mission.”

Kalmbach stated, “I am proud and excited to serve as Calico's CFO. The company is uniquely positioned to provide coating solutions for a wide variety of applications.”

Aeromotive Inc., manufacturer of automotive aftermarket performance products, will be the presenting sponsor for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series event at the NHRA Toyota Nationals, Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas. It is the final race during the 2014 NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

“The Pro Mod class in the NHRA has really grown and matured over the past few years,” said Aeromotive Inc. president and owner Steve Matusek. “The diversity in cars and power adders is a manufacturer’s dream. We hope this partnership will only help strengthen what we already have and springboard both Aeromotive and the Pro Mod class to unparalleled levels.”

Featuring some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer race cars, the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast. The growing class is highlighted by historic muscle cars like,’67 Mustangs and ’68 Firebirds and ’69 Camaros, as well as a variety of newer American muscle cars. With more than 3000 horsepower, the suspended door pro mod cars travel the quarter-mile in less than six seconds at speeds exceeding 250 mph.

Fans are invited to the Aeromotive/Agave Underground hospitality tent in the Pro Mod pit area on Saturday, Nov. 1 when NHRA legend Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen takes part in a special meet-and-greet. The event will begin at 1 p.m.

The 2014 NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, whose race and championship purses are powered by Speedtech, competes during a 10-race schedule, with each event televised on the Velocity Channel. The season kicked off at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals with Mike Castellana taking the opening victory over 2013 series champion Rickie Smith. Mike Janis took the second race of the season at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals, defeating Castellana in the final. Rickie Smith defeated Von Smith to win the third race of the season at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals.

Von Smith raced to victory in the fourth race of the season at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J., beating Jason Hamstra. In the fifth race of the season at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol, Tenn., Pete Farber defeated Steve Matusek. The sixth race of the season saw 2012 series champion Troy Coughlin beat Von Smith to take the Wally at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Rickie Smith picked up his second win of the season when he defeated Farber to win the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Troy Coughlin followed with his second win of the season over Janis at the Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals, the eighth race of the season. Mike Knowles won his first career Pro Mod race when he defeated Von Smith in the final of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis.

Each race will air in a half-hour show on the Velocity Channel, which launched in October and is owned by the Discovery Network. The shows, produced by Masters Entertainment Group, will air during 10 consecutive weeks in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Racers planning to compete during the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte next month will be greeted by a new racing surface at the four-tenths-mile clay oval.

Following the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event held at the facility in May, track officials decided to resurface most of the track prior to the November 6-8 World Finals.

“It got to the point over the years that it was necessary. We’ve gotten some low points in the track. We were down to the footers of the concrete wall, which really limited our ability to prep the track correctly,” said Matt Greci, director of events for Charlotte Motor Speedway. “We were so low on clay levels that there wasn’t a lot we could do depth wise about getting moisture in the track and properly constructing it for a race.”

The clay came from the same location as the track’s original dirt, a piece of land located behind Charlotte Motor Speedway that Greci called Morehead Farms.

Approximately 1500 to 1700 yards of dirt was transported from the Morehead Farms location to The Dirt Track at Charlotte as part of the resurfacing project.

Greci said samples of the new dirt as well as the old dirt were sent to a lab in California to help ensure the combination of the two would provide a workable track surface.

“We work with a company out in California to help us see where our pH levels are, our soil content, all of that,” Greci said. “We sent out samples based on the new stuff, the stuff we’ve got on the track, what the best scenario is for us to get it in and then we work it from there. We use them pretty much every year so we can find out basically where we are with the pH levels, calcium, and all those levels. He gives us a good range of where we are and where we should be.”

Gary Risch, who serves as the general manager of Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway, led a team of workers who prepared the new dirt once it was laid on the track. Risch and his crew have done the track prep at The Dirt Track at Charlotte the past three years.

John Force Racing CEO and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force announced Wednesday that he has accepted the resignation of his Castrol GTX High Mileage crew chief Jimmy Prock effective today. Force is currently No. 2 in the Mello Yello Funny Car point standings, a mere 36 points behind rival Matt Hagan, with two races left in the NHRA Countdown.

"Yesterday Jimmy Prock told me he was resigning at end of the season and John Force Racing chose to accept his resignation as of today," said Force. "My No. 1 goal was to keep the people that I have built this machine with over the past three decades. I am working with JMI and we are making progress to be where we need to be financially. We have a major announcement at the Las Vegas race and possibly some announcements at SEMA as well as into the off-season leading right up to the Winternationals in 2015. When I lay out a plan I stick with it.

"I started hearing rumors after the St. Louis race. I understand people have to do what they need to for their families. I got a call from a team owner this week as a courtesy so I would know that some of my employees were addressing him and looking for jobs now. I told the team owner that I understand this business and they needed to do what they needed to do and I hung up. I was surprised, though, that this was going on during the Countdown—but business is business," said Force.

"I spoke with Jimmy and he let me know that he was probably leaving JFR at the end of the season for another opportunity. A man has to do what a man has to do but I have sponsors that I am signing contracts with that look at JFR as a four-team powerhouse and here I have people not committed to this team, long-term. They are willing to walk away from me. I can't promise my people what I don't have.

"No one is at fault here and I am not blaming anyone but John Force is going to do what he always does; I am going to make a change. As of today, Jimmy Prock will no longer be employed by John Force Racing. He has done a great job for me and I give him a lot of respect. I wish him well. I am not sure if some of my crew members will also be leaving but if they choose to leave I wish them luck. I have to honor my new sponsors and the sponsors that have stood by me as I may possibly have to build a team to finish the Countdown," said Force.

So far this season Force has three Funny Car wins, seven runner-up finishes and a win at the lucrative $100,000 Traxxas Nitro Shootout.

"When I don't have it in my heart, then I'm not going to hang around, not even for a championship. I race from the heart; I am about principle; I am about loyalty; I am about teamwork. I am going after this championship and I am going after it with the people that will stay with me for the long haul. That is what I owe my sponsors and fans," said Force.

"As much as I want No. 17, not even for a championship will I race with somebody that I know is leaving me. I am a big boy and I'm going to put this team back together. I am going to fight, win or lose. If we get No. 17, great, but if we don't I know I will have gone down with people that believe in me, that trust in me and that will stand by me, not just in good times but in bad times. I am not just racing for this championship; I am racing for the next ten years."

In 2013 Prock took over tuning duties for Force after a mid-season team swap orchestrated by the team owner that saw Prock leave long time driver Robert Hight. He tuned the winningest driver in NHRA history to five consecutive final rounds in the Countdown including three wins in a row to clinch Force's 16th Mello Yello Funny Car championship.

Sam Michael, once touted as a future McLaren team principal, has resigned his post as sporting director and will leave the team at the end of the season.

Michael, 43, informed Ron Dennis, the McLaren chairman of his plan to resign in March, but it was agreed that he would continue for this season, keeping the news private.

The Australian was backed by the former team principal Martin Whitmarsh as a potential successor, but once Whitmarsh was deposed and Eric Boullier was appointed in January it became clear that Michael would not immediately move up the ladder. McLaren said that they “regretted” his decision to leave and that the parting of ways was amicable.

Michael has been at McLaren since 2011, after leaving his post as Williams technical director earlier that year. He will return to his native Australia to spend more time with his family.
Meanwhile, McLaren “categorically denied” reports in Italy claiming that Tim Goss, technical director, and Jonathan Neale, chief operating officer, will lose their jobs in the near future. “They are not leaving and there are no plans for them to leave,” a spokesman said.

McLaren is in the midst of restructuring as it prepares for the return of Honda as engine supplier for 2015. The team has been waiting to confirm its driver line-up until it gets a firm answer from Fernando Alonso, who is leaving Ferrari, on whether he wants to join them. Boullier has said he is optimistic there will be an announcement before the end of the season next month.

Waterford Speedbowl has a new owner who plans to keep the 64-year-old racing facility open for business.

Bruce Bemer, a 60-year-old Connecticut business owner, purchased Waterford Speedbowl last Saturday during a foreclosure auction held at the track. Bemer purchased the track for $1.75 million according to RaceDayCT.com.

Following the auction it was announced to the gathered crowd that Waterford Speedbowl would remain a race track under Bemer’s ownership. There were fears that the track would be purchased and promptly closed by whomever purchased it.

Bemer’s bid for the track must be accepted by a judge overseeing the foreclosure action before it becomes official.

Previous Waterford Speedbowl Terry Eames owes approximately $1 million to Rocco Arbitell, who provided financing to Eames in 2007 so that the track could avoid foreclosure. Eames also owes about another $1 million to other creditors.

NASCAR announced enhancements on Wednesday for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series in 2015, revising qualifying procedures and the graphics package for every vehicle in the two national circuits.

Both series will alter the way the field is determined next season, eliminating rules locking a certain number of drivers into the starting lineup. The move brings the other two series in step with the Sprint Cup Series, which dropped a rule guaranteeing starting berths to the top 35 in points after the 2012 season.

Starting in 2015 for the XFINITY (currently Nationwide) Series, the 40-car starting field will consist of:

• The 33 fastest cars on speed.

• The six highest cars in the series' team owner points not making the field on speed.

• One berth available to a past series champion; if there is no eligible past series champion driver, then a seventh car will make the field on owner points.

For the Camping World Truck Series, the field will be reduced from a maximum of 36 trucks to a 32-truck maximum field in 2015. The starting field next season will be determined by:

• The 27 fastest trucks on speed.

• The four highest trucks in the series' team owner points not making the field on speed.

• One berth available to a past series champion; if there is no eligible past series champion driver, then a fifth truck will make the field on owner points.



Prior to this change, the top 30 cars and top 25 trucks in owner points in each series, respectively, were guaranteed a starting spot in each of those particular series' events. In the case of a qualifying session being canceled due to bad weather, the field be set by the rule book with practice speeds determining the starting lineups.

Additionally, the two series will update their graphics and logo presentation for 2015 to include drivers' last names on the upper rear window. The placement is similar to the location of alternate sponsorship logos in the Sprint Cup Series—behind the car number and above the back window.

The brand logos of both series will continue to be displayed on the front windshield visor area.



Iowa Speedway, which will host two XFINITY Series races and on Camping World Truck Series race in 2015 posted a video demonstrating how the names would appear on the back windows of the track's pace cars.