FCG Motorsports, part of the Foremost Currency Group, now offers a dedicated FC exchange service to the global motorsports industry.

The company's service and range of contract options, coupled with no fees, no commissions and no transfer fees, means the firm is not just a currency broker, but rather a currency partner.

For more information, visit www.foremostcurrencygroup.co.uk.
 

NASCAR has announced several moves aimed at continuing to strengthen its touring and weekly series and broaden the level of experience within the competition department.
 
Former crew chief Chris Wright has been named the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Director, while Kip Childress transitions to become the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Director. In addition, veteran team manager and Daytona 500 winning crew chief Tony Glover has been appointed as the NASCAR Touring Series Technical Director.
 
Les Westerfield, who has served as the interim NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Director during the first half of the season, will resume his role as NASCAR Touring Series Technical Coordinator and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race Director.
 
“NASCAR is committed to enhancing the competition and organization throughout all of our series,” said Brad Moran, NASCAR Touring Series director. “Kip Childress has provided tremendous leadership and guidance in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East over the last several years. Chris Wright brings a wealth of experience in the garage, and provides us with an opportunity to have a seamless transition.
 
“Having Tony Glover in the NASCAR Research & Development Center is invaluable,” continued Moran. “Tony will work closely with all of the touring series directors as NASCAR continues to provide a leading role in the advancement of short-track racing. Tony has many years of technological expertise and leadership that he brings to our series.”
 
As a crew chief, Glover has 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins, including Daytona 500 victories working with Sterling Marlin (twice) and Ernie Irvan. He also accumulated 45 Coors Light Pole Awards with 11 different drivers and guided two drivers to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie of the year honors.
 
Childress has been the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Director since 2008. His tenure has been highlighted by strong competition, diversity and growth in the series. Previously, he served as an official in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and is a third-generation NASCAR official with more than 20 years of experience in the sport.
 
Wright has been a crew chief, shop foreman and consultant for teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, as well as Late Model teams. The University of South Carolina graduate spent more than five years apiece with Robert Yates Racing and Team Rensi Motorsports.

Lee Fite, Senior Vice President-Commercial Banking at Fifth Third Bank, has joined the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA).

“Fifth Third Bank has been a big supporter of the NCMA, and having Lee Fite on our Board solidifies them as a major player in the motorsports industry,” said Greg Fornelli, founder and president of Stock Car Steel & Aluminum and NCMA’s Chairman of the Board.

“Lee’s financial expertise combined with his knowledge of the motorsports industry makes him an ideal candidate to join the NCMA board,” continued Fornelli.

Fifth Third is a primary sponsor of Roush Fenway’s No. 17 Fifth Third Ford Fusion driven by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

“Motorsports is a multi-billion dollar industry and is such an important component of our economy here in North Carolina. Fifth Third Bank is proud to be an active supporter of motorsports and also serve the unique banking needs of industry companies. I am honored to have been selected to serve on the NCMA Board,” said Fite.

For more information, visit northcarolinamotorsportsassociation.org.

SEMA's Annual Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser event took place last Friday, July 26, at the Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, California. It serves to thank its association's outgoing Board members and welcome those who have been newly elected.

Doug Evans of Source Interlink Media has been elected the Chairman-elect of SEMA and joins two newly elected Board members to help lead the association for the 2013–2015 term. Evans fills the position held for the past two years by Nate Shelton of B&M Automotive Group. Shelton will begin serving his term as Chairman. The newly elected SEMA Board volunteers are Kyle Fickler of Weld Racing and Tim Watts of Superlift Suspension. Jeff Bates of Bob Cook Sales was re-elected to serve another term.

2013-2014 SEMA Board of Directors:



Chairman of the Board: Nate Shelton, B&M Automotive Group

Chairman-elect: Doug Evans, Source Interlink Media

Immediate-Past Chairman: Scooter Brothers, COMP Performance Group

Board Members:

•    Jeff Bates - Principal/Partner, Bob Cook Sales
•    Jim Bingham - President and CEO, Winner's Circle Speed & Custom Inc.
•    Luanne Brown - President & CEO, eTool Developers
•    Nick Gramelspacher - National Sales Manager, Meyer Distributing
•    John Hotchkis - President, Hotchkis Performance LLC
•    Kyle Fickler - Vice President of Sales, Weld Racing
•    JR Moore - Director, Warehouse Operations, Performance Warehouse
•    Russell Stephens - President, MSD Performance
•    Tim Watts - Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Superlift Suspension
•    Steve Wolcott - CEO, ProMedia LLC

John Johnson of The Spartan Group will serve as secretary/treasurer, and Russ Deane of Trainum, Snowdon & Deane continues as general counsel.


The SEMA Banquet is also the setting in which SEMA announces the newest selections its Hall of Fame—a group whose inductees not only represent our industry's history, but also its members' dedication, service and devotion to their business.

This years SEMA Hall of Fame Inductees include George Barris, Eric Grant, Wade Kawasaki and Joe Schubeck. Barris is a legendary vehicle customizer, well known for his celebrity creations, including the Batmobile, Munster Koach, KITT from "Knight Rider" and the "Dukes of Hazard's" General Lee. Grant represented the government agency that eventually evolved to be the California Air Resources Board. Kawasaki is a past chairman for the SEMA Show Committee, Governance Committee, International Task Force and Audit Review Committee. Schubeck began his Top Fuel racing career in the '60s, while his greatest contribution to the industry came during his post-racing career.


A special event returning to the banquet again this year was the Pinewood Drag Races to raise charitable contributions for SEMA Cares. The races featured three classes: Stock, Unlimited and Modified. Sponsors could select to build their own SEMA-supplied stock car or truck, or choose to sponsor  a cild-built vehicle in the Build It For Me (BIFM) Stock Class.

HPD technical director Roger Griffiths said that Honda would have been forced to go down the twin-turbo route with its next-generation IndyCar engine even if that configuration had not been mandated by the series.

IndyCar confirmed last week that manufacturers would be compelled to use BorgWarner twin-turbo systems for 2014. This ruling does not affect Chevrolet, which already uses twin-turbos, and Griffiths said that it also had been clear to Honda for some time that the single-turbo layout had left it at a disadvantage.

"If there was going to be no adjustments to the parity I think we'd still have had to have gone with the twin turbo," he said. "We cannot continue to fight with one hand behind our back, which is where we are today. IndyCar has admitted that there is not parity between them at any of the boost levels, so we're racing at a deficit at every event.

"In terms of outright performance, you're probably looking at a two or three percent [difference]. It varies with the boost levels—at lower boost levels it's not so bad, but at higher boost levels it's pretty significant."

With Honda having committed to the twin-turbo switch some time ago, Griffiths said that development of its 2014 engine plans are already well advanced. While he does not anticipate any problems matching Chevrolet on performance terms, he admits that the installation side of the new package will be a challenge.

"We've got a bit of catching up to do compared with our opposition," he said. "In terms of performance development, I don't think it puts us at a disadvantage.

"The area that we need to focus on more is the car installation, because GM has had two years to figure out the installation of the twin turbo into the chassis. "We need to get onto that so that we don't have issues in the first couple of races just through niggly little things that GM would have put behind them back in 2012. That's my main concern. I'm not so worried about our ability to make a twin-turbo engine work."

According to Griffiths, preparations for the 2014 engine will not impact ongoing work on the current unit, with parallel development programs having been put in place.

Honda has won three races in succession since introducing its most recent specification engine at Pocono.

A three-race Honda “Ignite Midget Week” has been created for participants in the Honda USAC Midwest Ignite Dirt Midget series, scheduled for August 16-18.

The series opens on Friday night at Gas City (Indiana) I-69 Speedway and continues with races Saturday night at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Indiana, and Sunday at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville, Indiana.

Sponsored by Indy Race Parts the three-race series will also offer a points fund to top competitors after the series concludes.

Gas City I-69 Speedway has hosted 24 USAC Ignite Midget events since 2003, while Lincoln Park hosted a pair of 2003 races and one in 2010. The race at Danville marks the inaugural appearance of the Honda USAC Ignite Midgets at the Vermilion County Speedway.

Gage Walker of Indianapolis, Indiana, currently leads the Honda USAC Midwest Ignite Dirt Midget standings. Toby Alfrey has a pair of 2013 victories there, and Cooper Clouse won the most recent race there. The Lincoln Park race will be the first there this season for the Ignite Midgets.

The SEMA Education Institute (SEI) will host a webinar on August 1, 2013, to provide an overview of the Affordable Care Act, including recent changes to key deadlines for its implementation.

“Providing guidance on how the new health care law impacts our members is a SEMA priority,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA President & CEO.  “While the employer mandate penalties have been delayed for one year, now is the time to become familiar with the law and confirm that your company will be in compliance. “ 

Kelly Davis of Clifton Larson Allen will provide an overview of “Obamacare” concentrating on key issues to SEMA Member companies and their employees.  She will explain the basics of the law and the recent changes for key deadlines.

Other topics to be discussed include: details on the employer and individual mandates, tax credits that are available to small businesses and insurance exchanges being created to assist small companies and individuals in obtaining coverage. The webinar will include a question and answer session.

The webinar will begin at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) and is free as a benefit to SEMA Members. Members may register for the webinar at www.sema.org/sema-webinars-member-registrations. The fee for non-members is $29: www.sema.org/events/2013/08/01/webinar-healthcare-reform-law-what-sema-members-need-to-know-obamacare.

The Rochester, New York-based Patriot Sprint Tour has made a clarification to the series rule book regarding the tires available for use in competition.

The tires that may now be used are as follows: Right Rear Hoosier Racing Tire, 105x18.0-15 HTC plated (or) 105x18.0-15 D-25. Left Rear Hoosier Racing Tire, 96-31209, 94-31191, 94-31191, 92-31169, 90-31159x14.0-15 RD-12. Front Tires must be Hoosier Racing Tires 31131 or 31132 D-12, D-15, or D-20. No tire preps or tire softeners are allowed.

Due to the lack of availability and cost, as well as it not being a contract tire, the Hoosier 31239 98.0/14.0W-15 or Hoosier 31227 96.0/14.0W-15 RD12 will no longer be used.

Most teams should not notice any change, as the permitted tires have been used by the majority of the competitors for many years. This rule has been clarified simply to eliminate the possibility of an additional tire intervening.

For more information, visit www.PatriotSprintTour.com.