Dozens of race industry professionals came together at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in August for PRI’s annual Manufacturers Luncheon at the Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa. The event drew local motorsports professionals and those in town for the Nationals to the second floor of the Hall of Fame facility for a delicious BBQ lunch supplied by The Rib Shack in an informal, collegial setting overlooking the iconic Knoxville Raceway. Among those in attendance were Ray Evernham and Erin Crocker Evernham, Cary Agajanian of Motorsports Management International (MMI), Tim and Margo Frost of National Speedway Directory, and representatives from Aeromotive, Bell Racing Co., Competition Cams, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Rod End Supply, SuperFlow, World Racing Group and many more. Thank you to NSCHoF’s Bob Baker for hosting the event, as well as to those who attended for making this year’s luncheon a continuation of a great industry tradition!

FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting says the Sochi Autodrom is ready to host the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix later this year.

A delegation from Formula 1's ruling body visited the venue on Tuesday and concluded that the new circuit is prepared to host its inaugural grand prix on Oct. 12. Whiting admitted he was impressed by the facilities.

"The circuit is in extremely good condition and yes, it will be issued with a license," Whiting was quoted as saying in a statement by Sochi. "Everything has been done according to the plans—the curbs are very good, the verges, the guardrails, the walls—everything is in an extremely good condition.

"Everything has been done to the highest standards and I'm extremely pleased. I can say without hesitation that the circuit is ready 60 days in advance, which is very rare really. What I've seen today gives me complete comfort that the circuit will be entirely ready when I come back for the grand prix."

Whiting also said he did not feel another visit to the track was necessary before the October event.

"We were confident that FIA would appreciate the efforts made by our team to implement the technical details that have been so highly reviewed by Mr. Whiting today," Russian GP promoter Sergey Vorobyev added. "Now that Sochi Autodrom has received a license, everything else is up to the organisers of the events and as such we are working intensely on ensuring that all aspects of the event are fully prepared.

"It is our aim to make this a truly unforgettable event with the comfort and enjoyment of our guests at the forefront of all our efforts."

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will kick off next season at Golden Isles Speedway with the running of the Super Bowl of Racing in Brunswick, Georgia.

The stars and cars of the LOLMDS are set to invade the 4/10 mile South Georgia speed-plant for two action packed nights of racing on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6–7. There will also be an open practice night on Thursday, Feb. 5 for all divisions.

After a highly successful season opening events at Golden Isles Speedway in 2014, Series officials came to an agreement with the new owners of GIS to kick the 2015 season off again in South Georgia. With the new track management in place, series officials are confident the 2015 edition of the “Super Bowl of Racing” will be even more exciting for both fans and racers that attend. The 2014 edition of the “Super Bowl of Racing” saw Jonathan Davenport, Chris Madden and Steve Francis earn exciting victories to kick off the 2014 season at GIS.

“The new owners and everyone at Golden Isles Speedway are excited about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returning in 2015 and kicking their season off at GIS. There are plans for more improvements at GIS, along with more camping spots added at the facility. It’s an honor to have the premier national touring series visit our track. Were making plans to make next years Super Bowl of Racing even bigger than ever,” said Darryl Courson, General Manager of Golden Isles Speedway.

Golden Isles Speedway is located on Hwy 82 in Waynesville, Ga., just 12 miles west of I-95 at exit 29.

“We’re very thrilled to announce that the series will kick off the 2015 season at GIS again. I’ve met with the new owners and management at GIS and everyone is excited about the 2015 Super Bowl of Racing and bringing the LOLMDS back to South Georgia and Golden Isles Speedway. Being from South Georgia myself, I’m excited and eager to see all the great fans from that area and all the traveling fans attending next year’s events at GIS,” said Ritchie Lewis, Director of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

No matter how many times a driver has raced around historic Salem Speedway, it's going to be different the next time around.
 
The first repaving at the high-banked, half-mile since 1977 is finished as the full stretch of turns three and four have a new coat of asphalt.
 
"The paving is perfect," said Owen Thompson, owner of the track. "It drug out a little longer than we thought, but the surface is just as smooth as glass."
 
The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will race on the track on Sept. 13 in the Federated Car Care ARCA Fall Classic 200 presented by JayC Food Stores. It will be the 96th appearance for the ARCA Racing Series at the speedway, which began at Salem in 1955. Thompson said the racing will be different.
 
"It should produce better racing down low in the corners," he said. "We paved a lot more than we thought we would—we went all the way to the top. With this new surface, the drivers are going to have to drive a little different."
 
The project began shortly after the Fourth of July holiday when crews moved in to build an access road high above turns three and four. Thompson had a machine built with a stabilizer to hold the paving machine on the track while it paved on the high banks.
 
Original estimates called for about 530 tons of asphalt for the project.
 
"We blew past that," Thompson said. "We used about 800 tons."
 
The new pavement begins where the John Deere sign is on the backstretch and continues into turn three until the start of the front stretch after turn four.
 
Thompson said he expects to get vehicles on the track next week with an eye toward allowing ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards teams to test at the track starting later this month.  
 
Representatives of Hoosier Racing Tire, the official tire of the ARCA Racing Series, are monitoring the paving to see if any testing is necessary before the series returns to the track.
 
ARCA President Ron Drager said the paving shows that the Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery is committed to the future.
 
"The ARCA-Salem Speedway relationship dates back to the formative years of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards," Drager said. "It's great to see how successful the ARCA race weekends at Salem have been consistently over the years, and Owen Thompson's commitment to long term capital improvements like this make everyone-ARCA, the race teams, the fans, the sponsors-feel good about the future of ARCA racing at Salem Speedway. We all appreciate the investment Owen is making, and I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the race Sept. 13 with the new pavement in turns three and four."
 
The project has been a long time coming and part of an overall strategy to maintain and upgrade the historic speedway.
 
"It was quite a big deal," Thompson said. "When we were paving, we had anywhere from 10 to 40 people that would just come and sit in the stands to watch.
 
"There are a lot of people that really love this place. The repaving has created a lot of interest, renewed interest, in the track and the upcoming ARCA races. I believe it will create a new wave of interest for the next ARCA race here. It sure looks good to me."

It seems like just yesterday the laps were being turned for the last time in the shadow of the Thunderbolt roller coaster.

But it’s been 15 years since Riverside Park Speedway disappeared from the Southern New England Racing landscape.

The New England Antique Racers will host a 15-year reunion of the anniversary of the closing of the old Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Massachusetts.

The reunion will be held on Aug. 31 at the Polish Club in Agawam.

The event will start at 10 a.m. and last through the day.

New England Antique Racers officials are looking for those with vintage cars or former Riverside cars for display at the event. All divisions are welcome.

Admission is $7.50 per person. and $5 for NEAR members. Children under 14 will are free.

For more info contact NEAR president Al Fini (finiplants@aol.com), NEAR vice-president Bill Henry (Beachwalk1028@yahoo.com) or traveling secretary Mare Harlow (mare1010@cox.net).

Saturday night at Park Jefferson Speedway Isaac Schreurs did something many thought impossible.

Schreurs, who lost the use of his legs at the age of 14, led all 25 laps of the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Midwest Region event to score his first sprint car victory. In doing so, Schreurs became the first paraplegic to win a major sprint car race.

A front row of Schreurs and John Klabunde led the ASCS Midwest Region field to the green flag. Schreurs quickly took the lead at the start of the event. Facing multiple challenges from third starting Cody Ledger, he continued to lead until lap 17. Ledger put a slide job in front of Schreurs but the yellow flag flew, placing Schreurs back in the lead.

Schreurs once again led the field to the green flag until a violent flip from Jack Dover off of turn three, which saw him flip more than 50 feet until his car came to rest. Following the incident Schreurs was able to hold the lead for the final laps, taking the checkered flag over Ledger and Billy Alley.

Unlike other victory lane photos, the driver didn’t quickly exit the car. Instead, a four-wheeler appeared with Schreurs’ father appeared from the pits. Rushing to the side of his son’s car, the elder Schreurs jumped off the back and reached into the cockpit and scooped his son up in his arms. The father and son pair then made their way around to the front of the car, where the celebration commenced.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Ass’n added the Portland Vintage Festival for the 2015 season.

Continuing a long tradition of vintage racing at Portland Int’l Raceway, the Portland Vintage Festival, a 4-day event, will take place July 9-12, 2015. With the prior addition of the Sonoma Historics, SVRA completes its vision to become a true national sanctioning body for vintage racing.

“We are excited to have added this event to our 2015 national schedule. ThePortland Vintage Festival fills out the western event landscape for SVRA,” said Tony Parella, President and CEO at SVRA. “We are excited for theopportunity to create a first class event at this first class race track. Our members are looking for a fun, challenging, destination track and Portland Int’l Raceway fits that bill.”

Opened in 1960, Portland Int’l Raceway has long been a popular stop for National Championship race series including IMSA, Trans-Am, IndyCar, Indy Light and Championship Atlantic. The 12-turn, 1.97-mile road course is a favorite of vintage racers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

IndyCar’s Andretti Autosport have renewed its sponsorship agreement with logistics giant DHL.

The new deal sees DHL remain the primary sponsor of the team’s No.28 car for a multi-year period. Financial terms of the renewal have not been released.

As part of the deal the company will continue to have image and advertising rights to the team, as well as hospitality at races across America.

DHL first signed up as an Andretti Autosport sponsor in 2011. Its renewal coincides with the news that 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will remain with the team in 2015 and drive their DHL-sponsored Honda.

"The speed, reliability and dedication exemplified by Andretti Autosport, Ryan Hunter-Reay and the DHL IndyCar team is truly an ideal fit for DHL and we are extremely pleased to continue our successful partnership," said Christine Nashick, the chief customer officer at DHL Express.

"Since we teamed together in 2011, we've been able to successfully connect our global brand with the public and promote DHL as the international specialists. We look forward to more spectacular years of racing with Andretti Autosport and Ryan."



33-year-old Hunter-Reay, the 2012 IndyCar champion, currently sits third in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship points standings.

Team owner Michael Andretti added: "Together DHL and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) have won their first series championship and first Indy 500 and we couldn't be happier to have both returning to the Andretti family.

"Having a driver as dedicated as Ryan and a partner as supportive as DHL is what every IndyCar team strives to achieve. I'm happy to have shared the last few years with them and look forward to all of the success that will no doubt be in our future together."

This is going to be fun!

One of the most enjoyable tasks in organizing the PRI Trade Show each year is planning the Grand Opening Breakfast. It has a grand heritage as part of the PRI Trade Show, and as a favorite social gathering in the racing industry’s annual calendar. We’ve presented an extraordinary array of some of the most respected figures in the sport of auto racing. They know they’re speaking to fellow racers, so they relax and let it fly. We get to hear their colorful racing stories and gain a dose of inspiration from these greats. In recent years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with MAVTV motorsports journalist Dave Despain, who is a master at coaxing out the kinds of stories and insights we all want to hear.

At this year’s Grand Opening Breakfast, we’re excited to have drag racing legends Don ‘Snake’ Prudhomme and Tom ‘Mongoose’ McEwen as Dave’s special guests on stage at the Grand Opening Breakfast. We’ll all be able to enjoy the friendly rivalry between these two, and hear the inside story of the amazing ride they enjoyed with the Mattel Hot Wheels Snake & Mongoose product line—one of the most successful promotions in the history of auto racing.

It’s a terrific kick-off event for the first morning of the PRI Trade Show, with 3000 motorsports professionals enjoying a hot and tasty  breakfast, along with great entertainment. There is no charge to attend the Grand Opening Breakfast for registered attendees and exhibitors. Register today at www.pri2014.com.

Unique Email Address For Every Registered Person: The PRI registration process has been changed slightly to strengthen our registration efforts and streamline the process in years to come. We are asking for a unique email address from every person who registers. This will allow the PRI team and PRI attendees to communicate directly and efficiently regarding registration, including lost credentials, changes in information or other issues. It’s standard practice in the trade show business today, and will help PRI to better communicate to the industry at large. Your emails will be private to PRI, and will not be shared with exhibitors or anyone. Thanks for helping us on this.

Arrive Early For Pre-Show Events: As more events co-located with the PRI Trade Show, this week in the annual calendar has evolved into something even bigger—Race Industry Week 2014. From the AETC event for race engine builders to the Race Track Business Conference to the SEMA MPMC Education Day On New Racing Products, there are several valuable events that occur in the days before the opening of the PRI Trade Show. Our best advice is to be sure to review these opportunities before you complete your travel arrangements in case you wish to arrive early for a pre-show event.

Best Convention City: As so many people told us last December, it’s great to have the PRI Trade Show back in Indianapolis. Friendly folks, a fun downtown, and so many hotels connected by skywalk to the Convention Center. We think it’s one of the best convention cities in the country, and USA Today agrees with us. This year, the national newspaper named Indianapolis the Best Convention City in the USA! Yes, indeed.

Carl Edwards officially joined Joe Gibbs Racing Tuesday morning to drive a fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car next season.

ARRIS Group, Inc. will sponsor Edwards in the No. 19 Toyota Camry for 17 races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with JGR expanding its operations to include a fourth team.

“This is one of the biggest days in Joe Gibbs Racing’s history,” said Joe Gibbs, founder and owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “To be able to bring a driver the caliber of Carl Edwards on board to launch our fourth team is just a thrill. But we also have the opportunity to announce a new partner in ARRIS that will not only sponsor Carl, but also share a vision with Carlos Slim Domit and Escuderia TELMEX to develop Mexican and Latin American drivers in NASCAR. We are excited to have Daniel Suarez as part of that program and look forward to watching his development in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next season.”

A Missouri native, Edwards is currently eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings with two wins, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes thus far this season. Over the course of his 11-year career, he has won a total of 23 races with 106 top-five and 182 top-10 finishes. In addition to his 23 Sprint Cup Series wins, he has also compiled 38 wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and won the championship in 2007. His highest finish in the Sprint Cup Series season was in 2011 when he was runner-up to Tony Stewart based on a tiebreaker.