Jean Todt unanimously won a second term as president of motorsports governing body FIA, running unopposed.

The Frenchman's main rival, David Ward of Britain, pulled out of the race last month because of a lack of backing.

Todt detailed the platform for his second mandate in a brochure entitled "The Road Forward." It emphasized the creation of a Motor Sport Development Fund, the growth of motorsports at the grassroots level, and reducing carbon emissions at particular racing events.

His campaign has been boosted by the completion in September of a new Concorde Agreement, which sets the framework upon which Formula One teams participate in the championships and share in its commercial success from 2013-20.

Ward challenged Todt in front of FIA's ethics committee in September, claiming the Frenchman collected letters of support before the election process started, but his complaint was thrown out.

Four years ago, Todt beat Finnish candidate Ari Vatanen 135-49 to succeed Max Mosley, who stepped down after 16 years in charge.

Todt is a former Ferrari principal who revived the fortunes of the flagging Italian team. Under his guidance, Ferrari won six straight constructors' championships from 1999-2004.

The Coca-Cola Company was honored with the 2013 NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon held in the Encore Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas.

An official partner since 1998, Coca-Cola becomes the first three-time recipient of the prestigious award. Utilizing an immersive integrated marketing approach, Coca-Cola has engaged fans, customers and employees across virtually every facet of the NASCAR ecosystem, including intellectual property, promotions, public relations, B2B, online, broadcast, at track, event marketing, social media and retail.

“Over the course of our 15-year relationship Coca-Cola has become one of the most recognized brands in our sport,” said Jim O’Connell, NASCAR chief sales officer. “Once again Coca-Cola raised the bar by creating innovative activation and an integrated marketing approach to engage with millions of NASCAR fans, embodying the spirit of the award.”

This year, Coca-Cola introduced a series of brand spots titled, “Coca-Cola Racing Family Road Trip,” featuring NASCAR stars Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. The four-part series premiered during the Daytona 500 and its creative mirrored storylines that were playing out on the track throughout the season.

“The Coca-Cola partnership with NASCAR is rich in history and passionately multifaceted. We’re honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award from such a valuable partner,” said Sharon Byers, senior vice president, sports and entertainment marketing, Coca-Cola North America Group. “From our Coca-Cola Racing Family members to decades of supporting local, regional and national activation, together our properties talk to a broad scope of fans. In 2013, the NASCAR partnership extended across 19 tracks, 13 current and alumni drivers, two entitlement races, activation with 36 national retail partners in over 250,000 retail locations, 2.8 million My Coke Rewards entries in NASCAR-themed sweepstakes and nearly 12,000 participants in our Coca-Cola Family Track Walks.”

Tony Stewart was announced Thursday as the 2013 National Motorsports Press Association's Myers Brothers Award recipient for outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing.
 
The honor was announced during the annual Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon as part of NASCAR Champion's Week at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, helped to organize and promote NASCAR's first national series race on dirt since 1970, hosting the first Mudsummer Classic in July for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The event was run before a capacity crowd at Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Ohio and drew rave reviews from drivers, fans and officials.
 
Stewart's passion for racing extends beyond his ownership stake in Stewart-Haas Racing, his powerhouse team which will expand to four full-time Sprint Cup cars in 2014. Besides the half-mile dirt oval at Eldora, Stewart is also part-owner of local tracks in Macon, Illinois, and Paducah, Kentucky.
 
Stewart is also a frequent competitor at the local level, especially in the open-wheeled sprint cars from his earliest days in racing. A crash in early August left Stewart with a severely broken leg, cutting short both his season in NASCAR's big leagues and his grass-roots endeavors.
 
"I don't know of anyone more passionate about what they do than Tony Stewart," NMPA president Kenny Bruce said. "Before an injury sidelined him during the second half of the season, he was on pace to compete in more than 100 races in 2013. Tony eats, sleeps, lives and breathes racing and he understands the importance of the local weekend shows better than most. It's where he came from, and he's never forgotten that or those who made it possible."
 
The Myers Brothers Award has been given annually since 1958. It's the second straight year that a current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor has won, on the heels of four-time champion Jeff Gordon receiving the honor in 2012.

Ford Motor Company, Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company and Toyota Motor Corporation today received the 2013 NASCAR Buddy Shuman Award from Federal-Mogul’s (NASDAQ: FDML) Champion Spark Plug brand. The three automakers received the award in recognition of their joint development of the Generation 6 car now used in Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series competition.
 
Presented annually by the iconic Champion brand, the Shuman award recognizes individuals and organizations that have played vital roles in the continued growth of professional stock car racing. It was created in 1957 in memory of early Grand National Series driver and technical inspector Louis Grier “Buddy” Shuman, who perished in a hotel fire in 1955.
 
The Shuman Award Committee selected the three automakers in recognition of their close collaboration in designing and testing NASCAR’s Gen-6 car, which debuted in the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. Nearly two years in the making, the new platform re-established NASCAR’s tradition of racing near-stock-appearing car bodies while incorporating a variety of safety and performance enhancements. With the exception of the carbon fiber hoods and rear deck lids, all Gen-6 body panels are now produced by the three vehicle manufacturers, further strengthening the sport’s ties to the passenger car market.
 
“The Gen-6 car has been a resounding success on all levels – safety, raceability and consumer engagement,” said Jay Burkhart, senior vice president, global marketing, Federal-Mogul Vehicle Components segment. “This is both a significant technical achievement and an inspiring example of cooperation for the greater good by three world-class organizations that are also fierce competitors. Their leadership reminds us that NASCAR is, above all, a community of competitors, enthusiasts and friends.”
 
Past winners of the Buddy Shuman Award include NASCAR co-founder Bill France Sr., Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Rick Hendrick, Robert Yates, Richard Childress, and, in 2012, Ken Squier. Among the companies and brands that have received the award are Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Motor Racing Network, Union Oil, and Federal-Mogul’s MOOG Steering and Suspension brand.

NASCAR announced a number of changes to the selection process for the NASCAR Hall of Fame (NHOF), including a modification to driver eligibility parameters and the creation of a new award to honor significant contributions to the growth and success of the sport.
 
In all, six changes and updates will be made starting with the selection of the Class of 2015—all designed to improve upon an already strong process that has led to the selection of 25 deserving inductees.
 
“We’re very proud of how the NASCAR Hall of Fame has evolved and believe the first five classes reflect the strength of the nominating and voting procedures, with voices from every corner of our industry included in the selection process,” said Brett Jewkes, NASCAR vice president and chief communications officer. “Based on feedback from voters, industry leaders, media who cover our sport and the fans, we believe the changes announced today are a strong recognition of the uniqueness of our sport and will make the overall selection process even stronger in how we honor those who have driven NASCAR to great success on and off the track.”
 
Following is a summary of changes:
 
Driver Eligibility
Currently, drivers who have competed in NASCAR for at least 10 years and been retired for three years are eligible for nomination to the NHOF. That will not change.
 
Moving forward, however, drivers who have competed for a minimum of 10 years and reached their 55th birthday on or before Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year are immediately eligible for the NHOF. Also, any competitor who has competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR competition by Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year is automatically eligible, regardless of age.
 
Drivers may continue to compete after reaching any of the aforementioned milestones without compromising eligibility for nomination or induction.
 
Nominating Committee Will Select Five Fewer Nominees for Enshrinement
Throughout its history, the NHOF Nominating Committee has selected 25 nominees each year to be discussed and voted on for NHOF enshrinement. That number will be reduced to 20 starting with the selection process for the 2015 class.
 
Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR
Beginning with the 2015 class, a new award – Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR – will be initiated to honor significant contributions to the growth and esteem of NASCAR.
 
Potential Landmark Award recipients could include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners will remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.
 
Five nominees will be selected by the NHOF Nominating Committee and then be voted on by the Voting Panel. To win the award, an individual must appear on at least 60 percent of the ballots and no more than one award will be presented annually. Voting for this award will occur immediately following the voting for the NHOF class and be monitored by the same independent accounting firm that oversees NHOF voting.
 
Nominating Committee to Meet, Vote on 20 NHOF Nominees / Five Landmark Award Nominees
For the first time, the Nominating Committee will meet in person to discuss, debate and vote to create two ballots – the NHOF ballot and the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR ballot. Previously, the committee submitted nominees via mail to an independent accounting firm that tallies the nominations in order to create the final NHOF ballot.
 
The Nominating Committee will meet during Speedweeks at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, and the nominees for both ballots will be announced later that day.
 
Nominees To Be Recused From the Nominating / Voting Process
Any member of the Nominating Committee or Voting Panel who appeared on the previous year’s ballot or current year’s ballot will now be recused from participating in the nominating and / or voting process for as long as he / she appears on the ballot. If an individual who is currently on the Nominating Committee or Voting Panel is inducted, or is no longer included on a final ballot, he or she is immediately reinstated to active participation on the panel(s).
 
Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Added To Voting Panel
As was already announced on Nov. 14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the annual NASCAR Championship Contenders Press Conference, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will be added to the following year’s voting panel.
 
That means Jimmie Johnson, who captured his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, will be included in the selection meeting and can cast a vote for the NHOF Class of 2015 on Voting Day, Wednesday, May 21, 2014.

Formula One and NASCAR will be racing deep in the heart of Texas on the same day next year. The FIA, international motorsports' governing body, released its 2014 calendar Wednesday, placing the US Grand Prix in Austin on Nov. 2. That's the same day as the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, a three-hour drive from Austin.

"It's a foolish move by Formula One," said Eddie Gossage, president of Texas Motor Speedway. "Our two NASCAR Sprint Cup races draw the two largest crowds in Texas sports. It isn't the smartest move to try to compete with that. I'm sure regardless of what they say publicly, the folks at the Austin track are pulling their hair out over this one. They don't have any say over their date. "

Texas Motor Speedway says it has the capacity for up to 191,000 fans. Track officials did not immediately respond to requests for attendance figures for their 2013 Sprint Cup races and NASCAR does not provide them.

The US Grand Prix had an announced a crowd of 113,162 for the Nov. 17 race, down slightly from the 117,429 at the inaugural race in 2012.

Circuit of the Americas Chairman Bobby Epstein called the date a "beautiful time of year to visit Austin" and downplayed competition between the races.

"Due to the large number of NASCAR events scheduled annually, there will occasionally be overlaps with events at Circuit of The Americas, and that will happen next year," Epstein said. "However, there are few similarities between a NASCAR race and the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix weekend we have developed. We see this as a great opportunity to draw sports fans from around the world to Texas and to proving again that Austin is the place to enjoy premium racing and entertainment."

The Nov. 2 date for the 2014 U.S. Grand Prix allows F1 to avoid a crush in Austin similar to this year when the race was held the same weekend as a University of Texas home football game. The provisional race calendar initially had the U.S. Grand Prix on Nov. 8, the same weekend Texas is scheduled to play West Virginia at home, which would have again stretched the city's ability to provide hotel space and transportation.

Texas Motor Speedway has already juggled the schedule for its April race weekend, moving its planned Sprint Cup race from the night of Saturday, April 5, to Sunday, April 6, to avoid a sporting conflict with the NCAA Final Four in nearby Arlington.

As expected, the F1 calendar dropped plans to race in Mexico City and New Jersey, leaving Texas and Montreal as the only North American stops on the international circuit. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone had said last month he didn't expect either race to be on the 2014 calendar but hoped to have them in 2015.

Plans for the Grand Prix of America in New Jersey had it running on a 3.2-mile street circuit running along the Hudson River with the New York City skyline as a backdrop. Race promoter Leo Hindery Jr. said he's working to restructure the financing in order to race by 2015.

Hindery called it a "huge undertaking" to plan the road course without tapping public money while also meeting the sport's timing demands.

Other developments on the 19-race F1 calendar include adding races in Austria (June 22) and Russia (Oct. 12) and dropping the race in South Korea.

The season will start in Australia on March 16 and will end in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 23 instead of the usual finale at Interlagos in Brazil.

Sebastian Vettel of Germany won his fourth consecutive world title last season. In 2014, F1 will change from the current 2.4-litre V8 engines to a 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged unit.

The 2014 NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series schedule has been released featuring a 10-race schedule, with each event to be televised on the Velocity Channel, it was announced by NHRA officials.

The series will visit drag strips across the country from March through November and will include a visit to Georgia’s House of Speed, Atlanta Dragway, for the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 16-18.

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 Velocity Channel features the best in automotive, sports, leisure and travel programming. The shows will be produced by Masters Entertainment Group and are scheduled to air during 10 consecutive weeks in the fourth quarter of 2014.

“We anticipate an exciting season of racing in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series and look forward to the Velocity Channel putting the NHRA Pro Mod Series on television to showcase these 250-mile-per-hour race cars,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “We also thank the presenting sponsors of the NHRA Pro Mod Series events for their support which makes it possible to conduct the series.”

The presenting sponsors will be recognized in the applicable Velocity Channel telecast and during NHRA Pro Mod Series qualifying and eliminations at the NHRA national events at which the Pro Mod Series is contested.

The series opens March 13-16 with the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville. The series will once again race on Father’s Day weekend at Bristol Dragway, during the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (June 13-15), and also again on Independence Day weekend (July 3-6), at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Featuring the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer race cars, highlighted by ’63 Corvettes, ’68 Camaros, ’67 Mustangs and ’68 Firebirds, as well as a variety of late-model cars, the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast.

The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series is supported by the Real Pro Mod (RPM) Association, a group of NHRA Pro Mod Series team owners who works closely with NHRA on many initiatives to maintain the series.

2014 NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series Schedule

45th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 13-16, Gainesville, Fla.

27th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals, April 25-27, Houston

34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals May 16-18, Atlanta

45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals, May 29–June 1, Englishtown, N.J.

14th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, June 13-15, Bristol, Tenn.

Eighth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, July 3-6, Norwalk, Ohio

60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals , Aug. 27–Sept. 1, Indianapolis

Seventh annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 12-14, Charlotte, N.C.

Third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, Sept. 26-28, St. Louis

14th annual  NHRA Toyota Nationals, Oct. 30–Nov. 2, Las Vegas

As grand an event may be, as smooth as the program may appear, it is all for not without proper communication. A simple miscue due to someone not able to hear an order, or the ability to relay that order can bring an event to a grinding halt.


In preparation for the 29th Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout and 28th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, event managers and directors are pleased to announce Racing Electronics as the official two-way radio supplier for both crown jewel indoor events.

“Racing Electronics is extremely happy to announce our partnership with such legendary events. We look forward to this new venue to showcase our product line and legendary customer service,” commented Director of Motorsports Communication Services Kevin Hughes.

For anyone who has ever attended at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, the use of scanners to listen in to the MRN broadcast during a race weekend is an absolute must. For the first time, fans will be able to use the same UHF style scanner to listen into to race commentary provided by Tony Bokhoven, Randy Ward, Mike Sweeton, and Bryan Hulbert with scanners available for sale and rent at the Shootout and Chili Bowl Trade Shows.

The multi-year deal will also encompasses the American Sprint Car Series in both Regional and National competition.

“I am really pleased to have Racing Electronics on board with the Shootout, Chili Bowl and ASCS. It makes our job easier knowing the equipment we are using is going to work when we need it to,” said Competition Director Matt Ward.

A return to the traditional grassroots concept of Friday and Saturday night racing and a second event at Wild West Motorsports Park in Sparks, Nevada, highlight the 2014 schedule of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by GEICO.

Six of the eight events on the schedule will use the Friday-Saturday format and all six will put the world's best short course off-road drivers in action under the lights. Both events in the Reno suburb of Sparks, single weekends at Las Vegas and Devore, California, and both visits to Lake Elsinore, California, will be on Friday and Saturday nights, a scheduling change that should further stimulate fan interest on the heels of an 18 percent gain in attendance in 2013.

The season once again will conclude with the exciting, entertaining Lucas Oil Challenge Cup races and the bragging-rights showdown between the Pro 2 and Pro 4 classes. Those are scheduled to be televised live by the MAVTV American Real network on Saturday night, October 18, at Lake Elsinore.

Series director Ritchie Lewis said the points battles in all classes will end at Las Vegas September 19-20, unless a race is postponed due to weather or other factors, and on the final weekend at Lake Elsinore the teams will be able to relax and compete without worrying about the championship.

If a race counting toward the points title is postponed, however, it will be made up on Friday night, October 17, at Lake Elsinore.

The series awards banquet will be held on Sunday, October 19.

In all, over 80 hours of television coverage is scheduled on three networks—8 shows on CBS, 32 hours on the CBS Sports Network and 41 hours on MAVTV. The broadcast schedules will be released as they become available.

THE SCHEDULE:
March 22-23, Wild Horse Motorsports Park, Chandler, Arizona
April 25-26, Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, Lake Elsinore, California (Night)
May 30-31, Wild West Motorsports Park, Sparks, Nevada (Night)
June 21-22, Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
August 1-2, Glen Helen Raceway, Devore, California (Night)
August 22-23, Wild West Motorsports Park (Night)
September 19-20, Las Vegas (Nevada) Motor Speedway (Night)
October 17-18, Lucas Oil Challenge Cup, Lake Elsinore (Night)
October 19, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series awards banquet

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by GEICO is supported by a potent marketing concept known as "Team Lucas" whose members include Lucas Oil Products Inc., E3 Spark Plugs, General Tire, GEICO, Canidae All Natural Pet Food, MAVTV-American Real, Speedco Truck Lube and Tire, Optima Batteries, Toyota, iON Cameras, LoanMart, Tonka and Protect The Harvest.

Additional sponsorship is provided by Rockstar Energy, 4 Wheel Parts, Lunarpages, ReadyLIFT, Mickey Thompson Tires, Team Associated and Magna Flow.

Swan Racing announced that it is expanding to a multicar organization in 2014 and will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with rising stars Parker Kligerman and Cole Whitt driving Toyota Camrys. This is a major step for Swan Racing as it seeks to improve its organization and to be more competitive in the upcoming season. Swan Racing completed its inaugural season this year under the leadership of team owner Brandon Davis.
 
"When we launched Swan Racing we pledged to race hard every lap of every race. That's what we have done and what we will continue to do. We learned a lot this year and now is the time to plan for the long term future by adding more resources to be more competitive," said Davis.
 
"The team is expecting steady improvement and we are in good position to deliver," said Kligerman. "Personally, I am looking forward to working with Cole as a teammate and as a competitor for Rookie of the Year honors."
 
"I am really impressed by how everything is coming together for Swan Racing. This is the place to be and we are going to truly take the next step in 2014," said Whitt. "Parker and I will learn a lot from each other next year while racing hard every lap of every race. I'm ready to get started!"
 
Swan Racing is preparing to move into its new shop in Statesville, North Carolina. The 25,000 square foot facility will provide the team enough space to accommodate the two teams and even grow if necessary.
 
"This is an important moment for this young team," said Swan Racing general manger, Bray Pemberton. "Things are falling into place and we are really looking forward to 2014. In the coming weeks we will make decisions on a number of additional details such as car numbers, hiring a crew chief and the addition of new sponsors."
 
Swan Racing competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2013 with several drivers including Michael Waltrip who racing the No. 26 Toyota in the Daytona 500 with a special paint scheme dedicated to the victims of the shootings and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct. David Stremme then drove the No. 30 for the next 25 races. The team then auditioned several drivers including Whitt, Kligerman, and Kevin Swindell.
 
About Swan Racing Swan Racing is a stock-car racing team, based in Statesville, N.C., that competes full-time in 36 nationally televised races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team is owned by oil and gas executive Brandon Davis. Former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski owns a minority stake in the team.