Fluidampr announced that World Racing Group (WRG) has expanded approval of its performance crankshaft dampers to the popular DIRTcar 358 Modified division. Effective in 2014, teams now have the option to compete with an appropriate Fluidampr, part numbers 620101, 720101 or 62260D.
 
"We are excited by World Racing Group's and DIRTcar's decision," remarked Ivan Snyder, Fluidampr Lead Sales Account Rep. "The request for us to approach WRG came from the 358 Modified teams themselves. They have or have colleagues who are benefiting by installing a Fluidampr performance damper in other WRG divisions or sanctioning bodies. The rule update provides greater uniformity and the opportunity for hundreds of DIRTcar 358 Modified teams to select the best harmonic balancer to meet their safety, durability and performance needs."
 
World Racing Group owned divisions that permit Fluidampr performance dampers in open engine configurations include:

* World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars

* World of Outlaws Late Model

* Super DIRTcar

* DIRTcar 358 Modifieds

* UMP DIRTcar Late-Model

* UMP DIRTcar Modifieds
 
In 2014, Fluidampr looks to further support grass roots dirt track racing through sponsoring the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals series this Summer and  NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIII in October.

Suspension specialist BILSTEIN and the Aston Martin Racing works team have agreed to a new three-year technology partnership up until December, 31 2016.

The agreement supports the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), which apexes with the 24-hour race in Le Mans. The prime objective of the cooperation is the development and trial of the new 4-way BILSTEIN MDS motorsport suspension, which will be outfitted on up to five Aston Martins competing in a total of eight endurance races. BILSTEIN already gave its official support to the British manufacturer at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2013 on the basis of many years of successful cooperation between the two companies as OEM technical partners.

“After our first joint appearance at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2013, we are very proud that Aston Martin is now backing BILSTEIN’s further technological developments in the field of motorsport suspension in the long term on the international stage of professional endurance racing sport,” emphasized Thorsten Schwippert, AfterMarket managing director with BILSTEIN. “Drivers are already benefitting from this collaboration through developments such as the active BILSTEIN DampTronic suspension, which is installed as a standard feature in all road models.”

The new 4-way BILSTEIN MDS motorsport suspension is being used for development and trial purposes in the Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE motorsport version painted in the iconic light blue, orange and white colors of the much praised Gulf brand.

With independent damping force adjustment now in one rebound and three compression stages and the even wider spectrum of individual adjustment options this produces, the new version of the modular damping system (MDS) from BILSTEIN provides all of the prerequisites for successful motorsport performance.

Thanks to ten clearly discernible clicks from one (soft) to ten (tight), the high-performance damper system can be adjusted in the ideal manner to the demands of the various race tracks.

Manufactured by hand in Ennepetal, the 4-way BILSTEIN MDS passed the first acid test with flying colors at the 24-hour race in Daytona, Florida, where regular Aston Martin drivers Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner finished in eighth position in the GTLM Class in their 600 hp Vantage V8.

“Our aim is to put our new developments through their paces under the hardest possible professional motorsport conditions,” explained Martin Flick, head of motorsport at BILSTEIN. “The technology partnership with Aston Martin Racing provides us with the ideal prerequisites for this.”

Aston Martin Racing will be receiving complete on-site support from BILSTEIN at the subsequent tests in Portimao (Portugal) at the end of February and Mugello (Italy) in March, as well as the FIA WEC 2014 races.

German automotive magazine, MOTORSPORT aktuell (MSA) recently polled 10,000 of its readers, asking them to vote for the most popular brands in motorsports—and for the fifth year in a row, Eibach was selected as the "Best Brand." More detailed results can be found in issue 10/2014 of MSA.

In 2013, Eibach and its various racing partners took home a record-setting total of 856 wins and over 50 championships in a variety of motorsports, including DTM, Formula 1, WRC, NASCAR and many others.

Those who know the most about racing and pure performance know that choosing the right suspension components is one of the easiest modifications racers can do.

Lucas Oil Midwest Latemodel Racing Association series officials have announced a sizable bump in the season ending championship point fund.

In the past 25 seasons, the highest fund ever paid was $10,000 to the year-end champion. For 2014, the dollar figure at the top has jumped 50 percent to $15,000. The hefty Winner’s Circle Program is still in place providing tow money to the top 10 drivers with perfect attendance in the championship standings.

The only adjustment in eligibility requirements for 2014 is participation in 80 percent of the series sanctioned events is required to be eligible for post-season awards, including cash and contingencies.

“The Lucas Oil MLRA was extremely solid when we purchased it,” commented Series Director Dan Robinson. “However, we knew with Lucas Oil’s support we would like to add and expand a few of the incentives to follow our tour. Last year we brought on several new marketing partners and this year even more, so we are excited to finally release this bit of news. We knew the schedule would be more demanding this year, and hopefully we will continue to be able to offer more and more incentives to our drivers.”

Marcus Lemonis, Chairman and CEO of Camping World, said Sunday that his company is set to extend its title sponsorship of NASCAR’s Truck Series soon.

Camping World has sponsored the Truck Series since 2009.

“In about a month we’ll be announcing a significant extension to that contract,’’ Lemonis said Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. “The NASCAR relationship has worked well for Camping World. We started with 35 stores and now we’re up to 120 stores. As we travel the country and meet new customers in stores, they’re always very appreciative of our relationship with NASCAR.’’

Lemonis served as the grand marshal and honorary starter for Sunday’s The Profit on CNBC 500 Sprint Cup race. He is the host of that show. The second season premiered last week.

Lemonis also said that 1-800-Car-Cash will sponsor the Truck race at Eldora Speedway the next two years. The company sponsored last year’s inaugural Truck race there.

Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) is expanding its 2014 motorsports program, signing an agreement to be the exclusive tire supplier of the Red Bull Global Rallycross series.

Red Bull Global Rallycross combines elements of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. The series features heavily modified 600-horsepower production-based cars built for fast-paced heat races. The tracks are a combination of dirt and asphalt with multiple obstacles and surface transitions and huge jumps – some up to 70 feet. Top drivers in the series include Tanner Foust, Scott Speed, Bucky Lasek, Travis Pastrana and Nelson Piquet Jr.

The agreement means that going forward, all competitors will race on specially-designed Yokohama ADVAN race tires.

“This is a major move for us,’” said Andrew Briggs, Yokohama director, marketing, product planning and motorsports. “GRC is a rapidly growing motorsport with global appeal to a young, passionate fan base, making it an ideal platform to showcase the technology, strength and competitiveness of Yokohama.”

“Yokohama is world-renowned for its full line of tires and rich motorsports history. We’re glad to have Yokohama aboard and look forward to an exciting season of rallycross racing,” said Colin Dyne, CEO of Global Rallycross.

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and IRG Sports + Entertainment have selected Clay Millican and Carissa Biele as hosts of the all-new Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series television show airing on MAVTV this fall.

Millican, one of the most decorated racers in the history of the International Hot Rod Association, will return to the IHRA spotlight as a commentator while newcomer Biele will serve as pit reporter for the brand-new show airing later this year.

Focusing primarily on character-driven entertainment, the NJDRS show on MAVTV will showcase drivers, classes and cars in a unique blend of on-track racing and behind the scenes stories. With its roots in reality storytelling, MAVTV will bring fans up-close-and-personal with the stars of the IHRA’s professional drag racing series and all of the exciting drama that is associated with championship motorsports.

“When you think of IHRA you think of Clay Millican. He is the most successful racer in the history of the IHRA, so when this opportunity came about, we thought who better to host this show than Clay,” said Scott Gardner, president of IHRA Motorsports. “With Clay’s racing experience and charisma, coupled with the broadcast experience and charm of Carissa, we feel that this team will elevate the program and create even more excitement when the IHRA finally makes its return to television later this year.”

Millican won six consecutive IHRA Top Fuel championships from 2001 to 2006, winning 52 races and earning more than 60 finals during that span. He won 68 percent of the races during his six-year reign atop the IHRA Top Fuel world including recording an amazing 21 wins in 24 races in a two-year span. He also set both ends of the IHRA Top Fuel world record and was the very first IHRA driver to dip into the 4.40s on the quarter-mile.

While Millican is definitely known for his accomplishments on the track, he is also a veteran in front of a camera. Millican has served as host and commentator on a number of motorsports shows including Pinks All Out, Burnout and Drag Race High, making him a perfect fit to join the IHRA team on MAVTV.

“I am really looking forward to partnering with the IHRA in bringing this great series back to television and hopefully turning this into one of the most watched motorsports shows on television,” Millican said. “There are so many great stories and characters within the IHRA and this program will bring those people to the spotlight and show what really goes on behind the scenes at a drag race, good, bad and ugly. I really feel like this format can turn into something big.”

Working alongside Millican will be Biele, a young, energetic reporter hailing from Nashville, Tenn. A former television news anchor in Missouri and aspiring country music artist, Biele will work with the drivers and teams as pit reporter for the all-new Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.
Biele has experience working with motorsports shows such as Pinks and Pass Time and has worked alongside the IRG team with events at Memphis International Raceway.

“I have always had an interest and passion for motorsports and I hope to carry that love for racing over to this great show and help bring to life the stories that make the IHRA so unique,” Biele said. “I have worked with the IRG team through Memphis International Raceway and Jason Rittenberry and I also did some work with Speed TV and all of that has led to this awesome opportunity. I am really looking forward to the upcoming season.”

We’ve recently publicized the fact that the business magazine for trade shows, Trade Show Executive, published its list of Fastest 50 Growing Trade Shows in its February issue, and the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show scored in all three categories: Attendance, Exhibiting Companies and Exhibit Space. There are thousands of trade shows held in convention centers throughout the US each year, and only 90 made at least one of these categories in Trade Show Executive’s list.

Yes, it’s a big deal to make this list in all three categories. And I thought I’d post a quick note here to share my thoughts.

First, I’d like to take this news as a sign of the returning strength of the racing industry after the shock of such a serious downturn in the economy a few years ago. Things are by no means easy, but the times do appear to be getting better. The fact that the industry rallied in such large numbers to exhibit at the 2013 PRI Trade Show, and attend the PRI Trade Show, has to be a good sign. The fact that the racing industry had one of the most successful trade shows in the country is good news. All the activity on the show floor resulted in a very positive vibe. A lot of business got done. There was optimism for the future.

Also, at PRI, we feel a big obligation here to deliver one of the best trade show experiences in the country to all of our friends and colleagues in the racing industry. I’ve been here for 23 years, and we have tons of longtime PRI veterans throughout the building. Whenever exhibitors or attendees visit other trade shows, we want them to rank the PRI Trade Show at the top for such things as ease of participating, affordability, customer service, promotion, ROI and, yes, fun. It’s a personal mission for us at PRI. This is what we do. It’s the only thing that we do. And we feel we owe a top-notch experience to the tens of thousands of folks who make the commitment to particpate in the PRI Trade Show. Making this list is one potential way of verifying we’re doing alright.

Making the list for 50 Fastest Growing Trade Shows in Attendance was particularly gratifying.  The whole point of combining of the IMIS Show with the PRI Trade Show, and PRI’s big return to Indianapolis, was to get everybody all in one place at the same time again. All segments of auto racing were represented in the attendance, with motorsports professionals travelling far and wide to get to Indianapolis for the Show. During PRI’s time in Orlando, there were familiar faces who had gone missing. In Indianapolis, there’s was a terrific sense of returning to one’s hometown and seeing a lot of old friends again. Of course, the exhibiting companies were also quite pleased to see such a strong turnout of attending buyers. At PRI, we printed up more credentials for the 2013 PRI Trade Show than ever before.

When it comes to growth in number of exhibiting companies, the PRI team has always viewed the strength of exhibits as the number one tool in developing buyer attendance. The 1200 exhibits of the latest in racing products and shop machinery serve as a powerful magnet. A big part of the ROI for a motorsports entrepreneur to make the trip to Indy is the ability to take a true reading on evolving technology, and make plans to have the hot new racing parts in stock for the start of the next racing season. There was an extraordinary array of racing products on display throughout the Convention Center. We received many generous comments from attendees that they sure felt like they were seeing it all.

Finally, making these lists confirms the value of the big adventure we entered into with SEMA to purchase the IMIS Show, combine it into the PRI Trade Show and move PRI back to Indianapolis. SEMA’s leadership and resources made this happen. As with any bold action, there was risk. But, if we could pull this off in just the right way, it would be a great thing for the racing industry. And making the Trade Show Executive Fastest 50 Growing Trade Shows in all three categories confirms the racing industry’s enthusiastic response to the move.

The ink was hardly dry on the purchase agreement before David Goode was back in promoter mode.

Goode is the new promoter and co-owner with Jerry Frydrych of Heart O’ Texas Speedway. The quarter-mile oval opens for its 20th consecutive season of IMCA racing this Friday, March 7.

All four sanctioned divisions, the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMods, return to regular weekly programs.

“I don’t feel like I’ve been out of racing at all,” said Goode, former promoter at Texas Thunder Speed­way, which closed and gave way to urban development last year. “We raced at Killeen right up until Boone and I drove a Modified at Super Nationals. We finalized the deal to buy Heart O’ Texas on January 15 and I’ve been working on the track ever since.”

They’ll run on a dirt surface that’s already been reshaped to a true oval.

“This track is a quarter mile 10 feet off the bottom. We’ve moved a lot of dirt and both straights are the same distance, with progressive banking,” Goode said. “We had 109 drivers, including 31 Southern SportMod drivers, register for this season during the 2013 banquet. I think the car count is going to be phenomenal.”


The pit area has been bladed and leveled. Other facility improvements include a new ticket booth, new women’s restroom and new snow cone stand, plus a new bar for beer sales.

The Texas Lone Star Series is at Heart O’ Texas on Sunday, May 25 and returns Friday and Satur­day, July 4-5 during the Texas Nationals. Weekly points continue through September 26.

HO’T is in IMCA’s Razor Chassis Southern Region for Modifieds, Arnold Motor Supply Southern Region for Stock Cars and Charger Chassis Southern Region for Hobby Stocks.

RACEceivers will be required in all divisions running at HO’T this season. Former owner and promoter Gene Adamcik will help with day-to-day operations, including sponsorships.

Bahrain International Circuit has renamed its first corner after Michael Schumacher as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.

The circuit notes that he “was directly involved in the early stages of the BIC’s development, offering his own input into the design of the track, including the layout of turn one.”



Circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani said: “With the support of his family, it is a great privilege to be able to honor arguably the greatest racing driver in the history of Formula One and someone who the people of Bahrain hold close to their hearts. From his first appearance at the BIC in 2004, he immediately became an inspiration for all those who love motorsport in the Kingdom and it is therefore natural for us to recognize him in this way. The team at the BIC continues to offer Michael and his family its best wishes.”

Sabine Kehm, speaking on behalf of the Schumacher family, said: “Michael’s family would like to thank the Bahrain International Circuit for this gesture, acknowledging Michael’s achievements in Formula One and interest in the BIC circuit design. We take it as a recognition for his passion for motorsport. I am convinced Michael will love the idea and feel very honored about having a BIC corner named after him.”