The Professional Drag Racers Association added two events and five new tracks to its 2015 schedule, which was released on Wednesday.

The PDRA will visit some of the nation’s best markets for eighth-mile door car racing including Maryland International Raceway and Texas Motorplex, as well as a stop at the completely overhauled GALOT Motorsports Park. The PDRA plans to continue their Friday/Saturday event format.

The sophomore tour will begin at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas March 20-21. April 10-12 the PDRA will return to Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway, home to some of the most memorable moments in professional eighth-mile racing, as its second event.

“We worked hard to produce a schedule that would benefit our teams, sponsors and fans, as well as each of the tracks we will visit,” said PDRA Race Director, Bob Harris. “We look forward to visiting new tracks and welcome back many of the places we visited this year. I believe this schedule is just what we need to continue moving forward as the world’s premier eighth-mile drag racing organization.”

2015 PDRA Schedule:

Date – Venue – Location

March 20-21 – Texas Motorplex – Ennis, Texas

April 10-12 – Rockingham Dragway – Rockingham, N.C.

May 1-2 – Thunder Road Raceway – Gilliam, La.

May 29-30 – Gateway Raceway – St. Louis

June 26-27 – US 131 Motorsports Park – Martin, Mich.

July 17-18 – Maryland Int’l Raceway – Budds Creek, Md.

August 21-22 – Memphis Int’l Raceway – Millington, Tenn.

September 11-13 – GALOT Motorsports Park – Benson, N.C.

October 2-3 – Tulsa Raceway Park – Tulsa, Okla.

October 23-24 – Virginia Motorsports Park – Petersburg, Va.

Track Properties LLC (TP) announced its intention to sell or long-term lease Gresham Motorsports Park.

“We’re sadden to advise that Gresham Motorsports Park will not be hosting race events in 2015,” stated Track Properties Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Gresham. “GMP will continue to be available for practice and testing while we market the facility for sale or long-term lease to another party.”

Plans for the sale/lease of Gresham Motorsports Park are currently being formulated and will be announced at a later date.

“This was an extremely difficult decision,” Gresham stated. “Our timing in rehabbing Peach State—along with a subsequent downturn in the overall economy of the country—could not have been worse, The entertainment value for our fans and the services we’ve provided our sponsors and participants have been very successful in our opinion. Unfortunately, the economic part of what our family was trying to achieve with the GMP facility has not proven to be successful.

“On behalf of our entire family, we would like to extend our thanks to John Close and all of our full-time and race-day associates. All have gone well beyond the call of duty in trying to make short-track racing an entertaining and successful venture at GMP.

“Finally, we want to thank all of our fans, racers, sponsors, and media for their patronage and support of Gresham Motorsports Park,” Gresham concluded. “Words can not express the value we place on the many new friends we have made and the time we have spent with them over the past five years.”

For more information about Gresham Motorsports Park, please log on to www.racegmp.com.

NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program has seen some noticeable successes as of late.

Three of its graduates in particular have been especially successful: Kyle Larson‘s likely bagged Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year honors, Darrell Wallace Jr. is a regular contender in the Camping World Truck Series, and Mexico Series star Daniel Suarez is heading for the Nationwide Series in 2015.

Time will tell if at least one of the 20 drivers participating in next month’s D4D Combine at Langley Speedway (Hampton, Va.) can make a big name for themselves too.

But for now, they’ll be looking to earn a spot in the D4D’s class of 2015 through the combine.
This year’s batch of prospects largely come from across North America, with one exception: 17-year-old Juan Esteban Garcia Duarte, who hails from Bogota, Colombia.

Two drivers, 25-year-old Abraham Calderon and 18-year-old Ruben Garcia, Jr., come from Mexico. One Canadian, 22-year-old Amber Balcaen, is also set for the combine.

The other 16 drivers in the combine are from the U.S., with perhaps the biggest name of the lot being Kenzie Ruston, the 22-year-old Oklahoma native that set a new record for best finish by a female driver in K&N East history by placing second last month at Iowa Speedway.

“This year’s Combine applicant pool was among the strongest the program has seen, and we continue to see that year over year,” said Max Siegel, owner of Rev Racing, which helps run the D4D program.

“The program’s visibility and reputation for developing young, female and diverse drivers with talent and growth potential has increased across the board, and we are seeing steady recognition and support from key stakeholders across the motorsports industry.”

Per a NASCAR release, each driver will be evaluated on at-track performance including: Positioning at different places on the track, proficiency in providing in-car feedback to the crew chief, overall speed, and the ability to shift during assessments.

The combine will take place at Langley from Oct. 13-15.

Full roster:

Leading motorsports marketing agency JMI will present an exclusive seminar at this year’s Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Indianapolis.

Established in 1995, JMI represents top-level stars like Jeff Gordon and John Force Racing, as well as Formula 1 legends Sir Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda. It’s also responsible for developing and managing the motorsports programs for brands including Verizon, Subway, UPS, Castrol and many more.

This special presentation by Mikel Hartman, Senior VP, Client Services, Tim Bampton, Senior VP, Marketing Communications, and their team members begins at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 12, 2014, at the Indiana Convention Center.

Hartman, Bampton and colleagues will lead a 30-minute discussion on “The Value in Partnerships” highlighting global current events in sponsorship, how both sides are creating value, and trends they see for the future.

“We are happy to take any questions,” Hartman added, “but hope the presentation will set up a good Q&A on how racers and sponsors can create value at any level of racing.”

Hartman is responsible for all JMI client service relationships in North America. His previous corporate background includes a 12-year tenure with Ashland, Inc., serving the Valvoline family of brands.

Before joining JMI in 2005, Hartman was the motorsports marketing manager for Valvoline, following a series of sales, marketing and operational posts. He previously managed sponsorships in NASCAR, NHRA, IRL, AMA, USAC and SCCA. He also holds the distinction of managing the business of the first consumer products company to own and sponsor a NASCAR Sprint Cup team.

Bampton has more than 20 years of experience in the communications industry across in-house, freelance, agency and client-side roles and representing the rights holder, sponsor, team, personality and owner perspectives. His career has spanned corporate affairs, crisis management, brand and sponsorship communications, and issues management across motorsports in general, and Formula 1 in particular.

The seminar, which takes place in Room 242 of the ICC, is free of charge to registered Trade Show attendees and exhibitors. Click here for additional seminar details. For more information on the 2014 PRI Trade Show or to register, visit www.pri2014.com or call 949/499-5413.

IRG Sports + Entertainment and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) welcome Chris McMahan as the Corporate Director of Track Development and Division Director for IHRA's southeastern region.

McMahan will take over duties as Division Director for IHRA's southeastern region, overseeing track relations and serving as race director in IHRA's Division 2. He will also work directly with IRG's extensive network of member tracks, overseeing track development for all IRG facilities. McMahan will be based out Memphis, Tennessee, in addition to attending IHRA events throughout the southeastern region.

"We are pleased to announce this new position and welcome Chris to the IHRA family. Chris is a great fit for this new role as he brings a great deal of experience and a real passion for the sport of drag racing," said Scott Gardner, President of IHRA Motorsports. "Chris has been around racing for most of his life and I know he will do a great job overseeing one of our most populous divisions while taking care of our great tracks in that region."

McMahan will take on the newly created role after serving as Operations Manager at Cordova Dragway Park and previously spending time as General Manager of Route 66 Raceway, Pacific Raceways and Palm Beach International Raceway. He is also a former racer, campaigning cars in Pro Stock, Competition Eliminator and Pro Street during his career. Overall, McMahan brings with him over 20 years of experience in the motorsports industry.

"I look forward to my involvement with the IHRA and with IRG. The future is very exciting with all of the positive changes that I have seen even in the last year. IHRA is growing at a rapid pace in the motorsports industry," McMahan said.

McMahan is the latest hire in a string of new additions that has the IRG and IHRA Motorsports poised for major growth in 2015 and beyond. McMahan added, "These are exciting times and I am proud to be a part of the future of the IHRA."

For more information, visit www.ihra.com. 

Dover International Speedway officials announced that the track will install a new catch fence that will be in place for the May 29-31, 2015 NASCAR race weekend. The process of removing the current fence began on Monday, Sept. 29, one day after the “AAA 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Monster Mile, is scheduled for completion by Jan. 1, 2015.
 
The new fence will be installed by Smith Fence, a Florida-based contractor that has performed similar installations at other facilities on the NASCAR circuit. The project will incorporate the most up-to-date technologies and stand at 21-feet tall, up from its current 15-feet.
 
“Because the track is known as a self-clearing racetrack, with steep banking, we are fortunate to have never had a NASCAR vehicle become airborne and hit the catch fence,” said Michael Tatoian, executive vice president and COO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “With that in mind, our current fence served us well.
 
“But as with anything at our facility, we’ve been looking for some time to update and improve it. With all of the new technologies and safety advances made in safety fencing, we wanted to do this right.”
 
Other improvements at the Speedway in recent years include the installation of SAFER barriers, the widening and lengthening of pit road, new fan care medical facilities and many fan experience improvements.
 
Throughout the summer months, work was completed on drilling for the support structures that will hold the fence. Beginning this week after the completion of the track’s 2014 season, demolition of the old fence began, with construction of the new fence occurring simultaneously.
 
NASCAR returns to Dover International Speedway May 29-31, 2015 for the May 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the May 30 “Buckle Up 200” presented by Click It or Ticket NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the May 29 “Lucas Oil 200” NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race; and again on Oct. 2-4, 2015 for the Oct. 4 “AAA 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Oct. 3 NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Oct. 2 “Drive Sober 150” presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.

The granddaddy of all the big, season-ending races in the area is on tap this weekend. The Williams Grove National Open has been going strong since 1963.

The list of winners of this event shows it to be a truly "national" contest. That first race in 1963 was won by a guy named Gordon Johncock, who went on to win the Indy 500 twice. Since then, a who's who of sprint car racing has visited victory lane.

Last year's event proved to be the crowning moment in a spectacular career. Fred Rahmer won that event as he neared his retirement as a driver. The National Open was the 419th and final victory of Rahmer's sprint car career.

Soon-to-be six-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz leads all drivers with five National Open wins. Steve Kinser has four. Three-time winners are Kenny Weld, Steve Smith, Doug Wolfgang and Lance Dewease.

Drivers who have won the National Open twice are Bobbie Adamson, Lynn Paxton, Stevie Smith, Mark Kinser and Sammy Swindell.

Single wins in addition to Rahmer have gone to Johncock, Henry Jacoby, Lou Blaney, Gene Varner, Johnny Grum, Van May, Smokey Snellbaker, Allen Klinger, Bobby Allen, Joey Allen, Kramer Williamson, Kenny Jacobs, Donnie Kreitz Jr., Billy Pauch, Doug Esh, Cody Darrah, Greg Hodnett and Jason Meyers.

This year's National Open is again sanctioned by the World of Outlaws and Saturday's feature pays $50,000 to the winner. There will be a full preliminary-night show on Friday.

Whether it's a 1960 Austin Healey Sebring Sprite or a 1976 Lola T342—old race cars rule!

And with historic machines engaged in wheel-to-wheel competition across so many of the nation's top road courses and raceways today, there's never been a better time for motorsports professionals to enter the realm of vintage racing.

So in 2014, the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show is bringing the experts to Indianapolis for a one-time-only panel discussion, titled “Opportunities In Vintage Racing,” on this fast-growing segment.

Indeed, three of the leading figures in vintage racing—Tony Parella of Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), JR Mitchell of GMT Racing, and Chuck Cornelison of VDS Racing Engines—will discuss the state of the market, potential business opportunities for engine builders, retailers, fabricators and others, how to get involved, what it takes to serve this market, and much more in this special presentation scheduled from 8–9 a.m. on Friday, December 12, in Room 239 of the Indiana Convention Center. Time will also be set aside for a brief Q&A with the audience.

“I know this will sound crazy,” Parella told PRI earlier this year, “but I think someday SVRA and vintage racing in particular could become a mainstream attraction for fans across the United States. It could be said in the same breath with NASCAR and IndyCar.”

Since purchasing the SVRA in 2012, Parella has worked to elevate vintage racing to a new level of professionalism and prominence. The Texas businessman and vintage race competitor was previously president and CEO of Shared Technologies Inc., which in 2008 placed 25th on the Fortune 100’s list of Best Companies to Work For.

But Parella is not just the owner of SVRA—he’s a competitive driver as well. Among other milestones, Parella shared his 1972 Corvette with 11-time Indianapolis 500 veteran Davey Hamilton in the Indy Legends Pro-Am he instituted at the SVRA Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June 2014.

J.R. Mitchell is owner of GMT Racing in Newtown, Connecticut, which was established in 1995 to restore and support vintage and historic racing cars. The shop features machining and fabrication services, in addition to mechanical facilities, sub-contracting engine, body, paint and upholstery work.

Mitchell and his wife Eileen have built the business into a 10-employee operation with 20,000 square feet of space, servicing and supporting about 40 vintage and historic race cars ranging from a 1927 Amilcar to an Audi R-8 LMP-1 at about two-dozen race weekends per year in the US, plus occasional forays abroad.

As a member of the prestigious Penske Racing Team, Chuck Cornelison played an integral role in developing engines that led to three Indianapolis 500 race wins: Al Unser in 1987, and Rick Mears in 1988 and 1991 (as well as the 1988 CART Championship).

Today, Cornelison co-owns VDS Racing Engines in Indianapolis, Indiana, with partner Bruce Linsmeyer. Over the years he has prepared race-winning engines for international competition in Historic Formula 1, Formula 2, and 2.0 Liter Sports Racers. Special projects include restorations of Indy car engines, as well as building engines for land speed record holders, race-winning USAC Midgets and Pavement Winged Sprint Cars.


“To be able to present this trio of vintage racing authorities is truly a privilege for PRI,” said Dan Schechner, editor of PRI Magazine and the scheduled moderator. “The collective expertise and experience that we’ll be showcasing—particularly in this type of intimate setting—is pretty spectacular. These three individuals really walk the walk when it comes to building successful businesses in vintage racing, and we can’t wait to have them share their insights and know-how at PRI 2014!”

“Opportunities In Vintage Racing” is offered free of charge for registered PRI Trade Show attendees and exhibitors. Click here for additional event information.

For more information or to register for the PRI Trade Show, visit www.pri2014.com or call 949/499-5413.

Simon Pagenaud will join Team Penske for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

The 30-year-old Pagenaud is a four-time race winner in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Under the terms of a multi-year agreement with Team Penske, Pagenaud will drive a Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet beginning next season. The team now becomes a four-car program, with Team Penske already fielding cars for 2014 series champion Will Power, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya.

After finishing among the top five in the championship standings each of the last three seasons, Pagenaud has established himself as one of the top drivers competing in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The native of Poitiers, France earned two wins, one pole, three podium finishes and eight top-five results in 2014 while finishing fifth in the title chase while driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

“Simon Pagenaud is a very talented, focused and determined driver,” said team owner Roger Penske. “We know how tough he has been to compete with over the last few seasons and we are very happy to welcome him to Team Penske starting in 2015. With Simon coming on board to join Will, Helio (Castroneves) and Juan (Montoya), we feel we have four drivers very capable of winning on any given weekend and four guys who are legitimate championship contenders.”

Pagenaud joins Team Penske with a championship history. He won the Champ Car Atlantic Series open-wheel title as a rookie in 2006 and he produced four wins en route to the American Le Mans Series sports car LMP1 crown in 2010. With a diverse background that includes racing in the European Formula Renault series, Pagenaud has also excelled in sports car competition with starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as the Rolex 24 at Daytona on his resume.

“Getting a chance to race for Team Penske is almost like a dream to me,” said Pagenaud. “I have always admired the team and everything that Roger Penske has accomplished in racing. I am so excited to become a part of Team Penske and I can’t wait for the 2015 season to start.”

For decades, supercharging has been a staple among racers and Hot Rodders on both asphalt and water. Regardless if the aim is blistering horsepower or a combo of awesome intimidating looks and performance, blowers do and say it all.

Unfortunately in the past deciding on what supercharger was right for your vehicle and then actually purchasing a complete kit has all too often been a lengthy, frustrating process. This is especially true for builders who don’t deal with superchargers on a regular basis. Fortunately at least one major manufacturer has addressed the immediate availability issue and made the entire process a straight forward, On Demand experience.

Upon purchasing Blower Drive Service, Steve Yetzke, owner of Belt Drive Limited, JAMAR and GMA in Anaheim, California, immediately focused his attention on ramping up production of the company’s exceptional line of superchargers and related components; www.blowerdriveservice.com.

Yetzke recognized that high demand, casting times, an intricate labor intense machine process and high cost of production had, in many cases led to what he felt were unacceptable wait times. His solution was to simply do whatever is necessary to keep blowers and components on the shelf for walk-in over the counter sales and immediate shipment.

Thanks in large part to BDL’s massive state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, including over 50 CNC machines and dedicated aluminum foundry, previous wait times are just that, a thing of the past.  It should also be noted that in fact BDL has been manufacturing drive assemblies for the best known blower brands for decades. Merger of the companies has allowed BDS to offer complete blower kits and individual parts in real time.

Walk in customers with questions are invited to sit down with one of the experienced BDS technical team members and walk out with a blower kit tailor fit to their application and backed by a two-year warrantee.

With over 45 years dedicated solely to the development, proper fitment and production of superchargers, a wide variety of drive units, manifolds, scoops, linkage, plumbing and just about anything else you need for proper fit and function are on the shelf. With some 30-40 superchargers on the shelf ready for purchase and another couple hundred or so in various stages of manufacturing, polishing and assembly, real time availability is the norm rather than the exception.