Raybestos Powertrain has received the Silver Level Achievement Award from Hitachi Construction Truck Manufacturing Ltd., for meeting or exceeding performance standards. The award is given to suppliers, based on the quality of incoming parts, on-time shipments and cost reduction programs.

“Here at Raybestos, we strive for high quality and excellent shipping performance. We are proud to be a preferred local supplier to Hitachi. It is our goal to meet and exceed our customers’ performance standards,” said Greg Kloeppel, Account Manager at Raybestos Powertrain.

Raybestos Powertrain is a national supplier of premium OE and aftermarket parts to automotive and heavy duty manufacturers. Located in Sullivan, Crawfordsville, and Tipton, Indiana, they are proud to supply made-in-the-USA parts to the transmission industry.

Motorsports industry veteran Roger Mealey has joined Sprint Car & Midget Magazine as the publication’s National Advertising Manager.

Mealey has an impressive background in motorsports media, and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, having served as publisher of Open Wheel magazine, publisher of Circle Track magazine, and account manager at Speedway Illustrated. In addition, he has held the positions of Chief Operating Officer of KRC Power Steering, VP of Motorsports at QA1 and Sales & Marketing at Pro Shocks.

“It was a pleasure to work with Roger when he was my publisher at Open Wheel,” stated SC&M editor and publisher Doug Auld. “We’ve remained good friends ever since, and I’m very excited about what he brings to Sprint Car & Midget as we continue to grow the magazine and the brand.”

“I can't tell you how happy I am to be working at Sprint Car & Midget Magazine, and continuing to work with sprints and midgets,” Mealey said. “Sprints and midgets have always been my favorite form of racing. I look forward to partnering with the Sprint Car & Midget Magazine advertisers to help grow their business.”

Mealey will oversee all advertising and marketing, and can be contacted at (863) 698-4370.

Sprint Car & Midget Magazine is the world’s leading short track, open wheel racing publication and has been published monthly by Wheels-Up Publishing Inc. since March 2002. www.sprintcarandmidget.com

QA1 Precision Products, Inc., a leader in performance shocks, suspension components and rod ends, is excited to announce the launch of its redesigned website at www.QA1.net.

This redesign focused on updating QA1’s website navigation to accommodate its growing product line and make it easier for visitors to find the products they need. Visitors will find detailed technical information, tips, installation guides and videos on product pages and in the Tech section. The new site also gives an inside look at QA1’s manufacturing, engineering and quality processes.

“Our goal was to make sure that visitors to our website were easily finding the information they needed about QA1, our products and technical support,” said Kaitlyn Nelson, QA1 Marketing Manager. “We also wanted to explain the processes and technologies that are used in manufacturing our products, so customers know exactly what they are getting when they choose QA1.”

Visit the QA1 website at www.QA1.net to see what’s new. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please use the contact form on the website at www.qa1.net/contact/contact-form.

It’s a frenetic beehive of activity here at PRI headquarters as everything swings into gear for the 2014 Performance Racing Industry Trade Show. The online floor plan is in place, jam-packed with all the great manufacturers of speed parts and machining equipment for every form of auto racing. Online registration is open. The online reservation system for Show hotels is open. Dave Despain has agreed to return to host the spectacular “Good Morning, PRI,” segment of the Grand Opening Breakfast. Editor Dan Schechner is organizing a top-notch schedule of seminars for Friday and Saturday mornings. Trade Show Director Karin Davidson is hard at work on the fun special events for this year’s PRI Trade Show. The Show may be several months away, but there are thousands of details to be worked out, and a busy summer is the best way to stay on top of organizing this world class event for motorsports professionals.

Our best advice for getting the most out of this year’s PRI Trade Show is to take a few minutes now and register for your Show credentials. Just go to www.pri2014.com/attendeereg. We have a new registration process that focuses on registering individuals, versus organizations. You may notice the difference. However, we’ve still kept it easy and convenient.

After registering, it’s worthwhile to make your hotel reservations. The PRI team worked with the VisitIndy team to secure more downtown hotel rooms for 2014. A downtown location for your Show hotel allows for a very convenient PRI Trade Show experience, as they are within walking distance of the Convention Center, with enclosed skyways to keep you warm and dry. Plus, downtown Indy really comes alive when tens of thousands of racers take over. Plan to shop the Show all three days! Use the Hotel/Travel dropdown menu on the trade show web page: www.pri2014.com, or click here to go directly to the hotel reservations page.

Finally, sign up for My Show Planner. This is PRI’s online tool that allows you to conveniently create a personal, private itinerary for the Show. As you roam through the interactive floor plan, you can add ‘must visit’ exhibitors to your shopping list with a click of the computer mouse. You can schedule appointments. If you approve, you can invite exhibitors in which you are interested to contact you in advance of the Show. And you can add seminars and special events to your schedule as well. Then, at the Show, all this information will be accessible via your smartphone. It’s a pretty powerful way to maximize productivity. Just click on the My Show Planner button on the trade show web page at www.pri2014.com, or click here to go directly to the My Show Planner front page to create an account.

We’ll have more big Show announcements in the months to come. It’s going to be a busy, profitable and fun Race Industry Week 2014!

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. and the Northern California Toyota Dealers have signed a multi-year agreement to continue as co-title sponsor of the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, officials announced.
 
Toyota has served as co-title sponsor of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 since 2007, as well as the raceway’s official vehicle. The three-year extension will mark 10 years of sponsorship with Sonoma Raceway.
 
The 2014 season marks Toyota’s 10th anniversary participating in NASCAR national series competition. In 2004, the manufacturer entered the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) with the Tundra and moved into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) and NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) with the Camry beginning in 2007.  Toyota has won nine manufacturers championships—three in the NNS and six in the NCWTS, as well as five driver’s championships.
 
“Sonoma Raceway is one of the premier motor-sports venues on the West Coast and our partnership enables us to showcase the freshest line up of cars, trucks and SUVs in the industry,” said Henry Hansel, president of the Northern California Toyota Dealer Advertising Association.
 
Toyota will also continue as title sponsor of the raceway’s annual Toyota/Save Mart 350 preview show on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. The 30-minute special, which airs a minimum of six times during the month of June, has been nominated for a sports Emmy award in past years.
 
The agreement also includes hospitality, extensive signage, promotional rights and other assets during major event weekends in Sonoma, including comprehensive, interactive displays for race fans during the June NASCAR event.
 
“We could not be more proud of our association with the Toyota brand, their terrific lineup of cars and trucks and the outstanding group of dealers in our region,” said Steve Page, Sonoma Raceway president and general manager. “We are grateful for their support of the raceway and the NASCAR event and look forward to working together for many years to come.”
 
For tickets or information on the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 20-22, please call 800-870-RACE or visit www.racesonoma.com/nascar.

When the Trans Am Series returns to Road America on June 21 for Round Six of the 2014 Trans Am Championship, The VP Small Engine Fuels 100 Miles of Madness, it will do so with a 50 car field in tow, the largest to visit the Wisconsin track under the Trans Am banner since 1977.



Now as the Series joins the likes of NASCAR Nationwide and Pirelli World Challenge, it will do so with all three classes in full force—including a record high entry for the TA3 class.



“We’re very pleased with the turnout for Road America,” said John Clagett, President of the Trans Am Race Company. “This is one of those tracks that is synonymous with the name Trans Am and that resonates with fans of the Series everywhere. Every year that Trans Am has run a full season, we’ve had a race here, at Road America; it’s important for us to not only maintain that tradition, but continue to grow on it—which is what we’re doing now.”



Along with the crucial points in their respective championship chases, drivers will be competing for what only a select number of drivers in the Series’ history have accomplished—a Trans Am win at Road America and the chance to join the likes of Bob Tullius, Peter Gregg, Pete Halsmer, Scott Sharp and Boris Said.



The TA class will feature the ongoing battle for points between defending TA Champion, and current points leader, Doug Peterson, in the No. 87 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet Corvette, and Amy Ruman, in the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette.



Peterson currently holds the edge over Ruman by a mere two points, his 132 to Ruman’s 130, and will be facing Ruman as she comes off a victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park, her fourth in the Trans Am Series. However, Peterson is the defending victor at Road America, setting the fast lap for the race on his way to an impressive win and eventual championship, while Ruman faced an aggravating continuation of what had been a disappointing 2013 campaign.



The two will compete in a TA field of 15 cars, also headlined by 2012 TA Champion Simon Gregg, in the #59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, and John Baucom, in the No. 86 Baucom Motorsports/ RoadRaceParts.com Ford Mustang, who are both currently in the top five in the championship hunt, as well as Cliff Ebben, in the No. 36 Stumpf Ford/McMahon Group Ford Mustang, who has finished second, second and first in the last three Trans Am races at Road America.



In TA2, Cameron Lawrence, in the No. 1 CTEK/NorthStar Miller Racing Chevrolet Camaro, will continue his title defense; the 21-year-old and 2013 TA2 Champion, now, strangely enough, finds himself a veteran in the TA2 class full of rookie successes.



Lawrence, now in his fourth year of racing in Trans Am, has begun 2014 just like he finished 2013—in winning fashion. To date, Lawrence has claimed four of the five TA2 races this year, but he has not been without competition.



Key amongst those competitors has been rookie Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 Engineered Components Chevrolet Camaro, who is currently second to Lawrence in the points with four podium appearances, including a victory at Road Atlanta, and is coming off three consecutive pole placements. Together, Andretti and Lawrence have won every TA2 race, and pole, so far this year.



Their race for points will continue at Road America, but they will also be joined by the Mike Cope Racing rookie duo of Kevin Poitras and Ron Keith, in the #73 and #25 Mike Cope Racing Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, who will both look to continue what has been an amazing season so far for the rookie drivers, and team, that sees them sitting third and fifth in the points going into Road America.



Tom West, in the #56 Limerick Machine/Treelaine Consulting Chevrolet Camaro, is also having a strong season to date, currently sitting fourth in the standings with two podiums to his name; he and the other TA2 front runners will battle for position in the 19 car entry.


TA3 will feature both groups in full force, creating a Trans Am record entry for the production-based class, with 14 cars set to participate.   Featured in the group will be Russ Snow, in the No. 20 Carbotech Chevrolet Corvette, and Chuck Cassaro, in the #76 StackData/Aeromotive/ Metallica Ford Mustang, both of whom are leading their respective groups, the International Group and the American Muscle Group, in points.



Competing alongside them will be the likes of Rob Bodle, in the No. 16 Caribbean Food Delights/SPEC Clutch Ford Mustang, and Jason Berkeley, in the No. 67 BMG Management Chevrolet Corvette, both of whom have established themselves as strong competitors for championships. Berkeley is coming off his first Trans Am win at New Jersey Motorsports Park; and, while he has never raced with Trans Am at Road America, he has a wealth of experience on the Wisconsin based track.



Trans Am will first take to the track at Road America on Thursday, June 19, at 3:30 p.m. CDT, for practice. The Series will have one more practice session at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, followed by a split qualifying session at 4:30 p.m. later that day in preparation for the 101.2-mile race on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. for Round Six of the 2014 Trans Am Championship.



The race at Road America will be broadcast on time delay through a variety of networks, both regional and national, to over 80 million households. Air times and further details will be announced.



Fans can keep up with all the action over the course of the event at www.gotransam.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gotransam and on Twitter at @Gotransam.

The Automobile Driving Museum (ADM) in El Segundo, California, will hold its annual Book Fair for automobile literature and collectables on Sunday, June 29, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., with appearances by several authors, and Leon “Motorman” Kaplan of KABC Radio.

This event has been a popular gathering, held at the unique auto museum for the last four years, of those buying and selling automotive books, magazines, dealer brochures, manuals, posters, diecast models, and an assortment of other “Car Guy” collectables.

As always the ADM Book Fair offers an excellent opportunity for sellers to clear out their bookshelves or garage, and for buyers to find that rare book, brochure, or magazine issue featuring their first car.

Authors on hand this year to provide lively discussion and sign their own books will include Jim Wangers, considered the Godfather of the Pontiac GTO; Matt Stone, author of “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman” and “The Ferrari Phenomenon,” among others; and Robert Fria, author of “Mustang Genesis: the Creation of the Pony Cars.”

Vendor application forms are available on-line from www.theadm.org. The cost of table space is $40 per unit, and once again tables and chairs may be rented at the cost of $5 per table and $5 per chair. Credit and debit card payment can be made on-line as outlined on the space reservation request form.

Sales space is available under cover in The Packard Ballroom, and in the outdoor space, which is well suited for those vendors who transport their goods in small trucks and vans.

Note that there is no museum admission charge for Book Fair shoppers, who will be able to gaze at the plethora of showroom conditioned cars on display on the museum floor. Suggested is a $10.00 donation.

The ADM is conveniently located at 610 Lairport Street, El Segundo, less than a mile south of the I-105 and one short block east of Sepulveda.

Book Fair sales hours are from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., with exhibit set-up hours running from 8–10 a.m.

Preferred Selling Space is limited, so potential sellers are advised to sign up now.

An exclusive half-day workshop on July 14, 2014, from 2–5 p.m. at Williams Conference Centre—home of the Williams F1 Team in Grove, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom—will reveal, firsthand, 2014-15 business plans across the US motorsports market. The US racing market is valued at over $13.5 billion, and is comprised of 400,000-plus participants—grasp this opportunity to claim your share of this lucrative market.

Whether in off-road, drag, oval, road racing or beyond, the US constantly produces new business opportunities.

This market intelligence workshop will help you to identify the current opportunities for your business, in both US motorsports and the aftermarket, and will prepare you for the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

This is an ideal forum to gain valuable, advanced knowledge directly from leading US motorsports representatives and market experts to help grow your business and gain a significant competitive advantage.

Hear from key buyers and market experts from the US (via direct teleconference).

Previous experts include:
• Scot Elkins, VP of Competition & Technical Regulations, Tudor United SportsCar Championship
• Chip Pankow, Founder & CEO, Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship
• Will Phillips, VP of Technology, IndyCar
• Bill Riley, VP & Chief Engineer - Riley Technologies
• Julian Robertson, Head of Engineering, Chip Ganassi Racing
• David Cunliffe, Managing Director, DC Electronics

GUEST SPEAKER – PRI's Francisque Savinien will discuss these two key US Shows:

SEMA Show - November 4-7, 2014 - Las Vegas

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place. In 2013 the show had more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers attend and nearly 2,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components.

PRI Show - December 11-13, 2014 – Indianapolis

In December over 37,000 buyers from over 70 countries will be attending the PRI tradeshow in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Careful preparation is KEY to securing new business in this influential market, and the MIA, can ensure you achieve your goals.

Secure your £2000 grant from UKTI now and claim your share of this lucrative $13.5 billion market.

UKTI has increased grants for UK companies to exhibit at the PRI Trade Show, December, 11–13, 2014, in Indianapolis, Indiana—making PRI 2014 a better value than ever.

Ticket Price*
• MIA Member - £20 + VAT
• Non-Member - £30 + VAT

Directly after this event, join the MIA for a rare evening with Ross Brawn—a true motorsports icon.


Please note if you are attending the dinner, then your place at this workshop will be FOC.

For more information, contact Clare Kelly at +44 (0)2476 692600
 or email clare.kelly@the-mia.com.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will be using a new compound on all four tires this weekend at Sonoma Raceway.

According to Goodyear, the new tire provides superior grip over the compound employed at the Northern California road course a year ago. The compound was chosen after a late March tire test at Sonoma that involved Marcos Ambrose, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers. The same compound will be used on all four wheels, different from ovals where separate tires are used on right and left sides.

Nationwide Series teams at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconisn, will use the same tires employed on the road course a season ago, again on all four wheels. Goodyear will also bring its wet-weather radials for use at Road America, should NASCAR determine that conditions warrant them.

John Holly, Education Manager at NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech), was invited to serve as one of six judges for the Automotive Service Technology contest during SkillsUSA’s National Championships. He will be the first representative from NASCAR Tech—and parent company Universal Technical Institute (UTI)—to serve as a judge at the national level in the automotive competition.

Kicking off on Monday, June 23, this week-long competition is the showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation. Open to high school and post-secondary students, the event aims to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance, and to stress the importance of continual training and education to meet the needs of industry.

The SkillsUSA Championships is the culmination of thousands of smaller contests that begin locally and continue through the state level, and it includes hundreds of competitive events ranging from Automotive Refinishing Technology to Aviation Maintenance Technology to Basic Health Care Skills to Cabinetmaking. Next week’s Championships are taking place in Kansas City, to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, also next week.

Judges for the Championships are chosen based on industry experience combined with their support for SkillsUSA.

According to Jerry Ellner, National Director of High School Development at Universal Technical Institute, “John was the logical choice based first on his passion for student success, as well as his experience in North Carolina as a SkillsUSA supporter.”

John has been judging SkillsUSA competitions at both the regional and state level in North Carolina for several years, and was so inspired by the positive influence he saw the events had on students that he decided to start a Top Tech Challenge at NASCAR Tech. Open to high school students from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, NASCAR Tech’s Top Tech Challenge gives students the opportunity to hone their automotive skills by completing a number of tasks in a competitive setting and contending with other students to win scholarships and other prizes.

“With so much discussion around closing the Skills Gap, events such as the Top Tech Challenge are a great opportunity to get in front of our nation’s younger generation to encourage them to begin thinking about their careers early on,” said Holly. As a result of his efforts, the Top Tech Challenge has since grown to be a turn-key event at all of UTI’s 11 campuses and open to any high school in the country interested in participating.
 
Holly is currently working with other NASCAR Tech instructors to start a SkillsUSA chapter on campus that will be able to compete at all levels—local, state and national. To-date, NASCAR Tech has had 49 students compete in various SkillsUSA events, including automotive, plumbing and carpentry.
 
“UTI is proud to help support SkillsUSA and provide additional opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in these industries,” said Holly. “It’s an honor to be part of this competition and to see the passion and determination of these students as they compete to become the workforce of tomorrow.”

UTI is a Gold Sponsor of SkillsUSA, offering over $3 million in scholarship opportunities. For more than a decade, the school has played a major role in the motorcycle competition and for the past few years has participated in the marine competition as well. With Holly now serving as a judge for the Automotive Technology contest, UTI will continue to grow its involvement in the event and with it, its support of SkillsUSA. UTI has added scholarship categories to include welding and fabrication, and has been invited back for the third consecutive year to be the keynote speaker at the SkillsUSA Leadership Conference.

NASCAR Tech is the exclusive educational partner of NASCAR and one of 11 campuses operating under Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI), the leading provider of post-secondary education for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians.