Nearly one-in-four (117) FORTUNE 500 companies use NASCAR as part of their marketing mix, according to an analysis of sponsors currently in the sport when compared to the magazine’s annual list released this month.

For the second consecutive year, the number of FORTUNE 500 companies involved in NASCAR increased; and is an eight percent improvement over 2008. The analysis encompassed companies currently involved as a sponsor of NASCAR’s sanctioning body, teams, tracks and/or as media partners.
 
Findings from a study commissioned by NASCAR and conducted by Toluna prior to the start of the 2013 season show that approximately one out of four NASCAR fans strongly agree that they support NASCAR sponsors more than sponsors of other sports.
 
“The current sponsorship landscape is as competitive as it has ever been,” said Michael Waltrip, founder and co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing. “Our partners continue to choose to use our team to drive their brands because we have had success demonstrating value in their investment, proven by our recent partnership renewals with NAPA Auto Parts and other major corporations.”
 
“Regardless of a company’s entry point into the sport, the demand for a quantifiable return on investment expands across all levels of sponsorship,” said Joie Chitwood III, president of Daytona International Speedway. “We take pride in delivering a best-in-class experience and valuable branding opportunities to a number of powerful companies on an annual basis.”
 
To be eligible for the FORTUNE 500, a company must be based in the US and publicly traded. Though many companies on the FORTUNE 500 utilize NASCAR as part of their business-building strategy to develop their customer base, strengthen market share, and increase value for their shareholders, only industry partners, media partners, and licensees involved in the sport were counted in the analysis. Companies invested in the sport solely as advertisers were not counted.
 
Although being a FORTUNE 500 company is the gold standard of success for publicly-traded companies in the United States, there are several global corporations currently involved in NASCAR that were not included in the analysis because they do not meet FORTUNE’s criteria. A number of those blue-chip brands not qualifying, but are involved significantly in the sport, include MillerCoors, Mars, Toyota and McLaren.

Goodson Tools & Supplies for Engine Builders announces the retirement of former Tech Services Manager Jim Tapp.

Tapp, whose last day is June 28, 2013, has been with Goodson Tools & Supplies since 1992.

“Jim has been at the heart of many of our new products over the years," said David Monyhan, Goodson Sales Manager. "He has experience in running his own shop and teaching at a tech school, which gave him a unique perspective on the shop supplies business. Jim will be missed, and we wish him the absolute best.”

Tapp says that once he retires, he plans to get his home machine shop reorganized so he can work on small engines and “finally finish the 1937 Ford Half-Ton Pickup I’ve been trying to get to for years.”

For more information about Goodson, visit www.goodson.com.

Performance Racing Industry recently hosted a reception for nearly 200 members of the North Carolina racing industry and visiting guests at Red Rocks Cafe in Huntersville, North Carolina.

The gathering, in addition to providing great food, cocktails and camaraderie, also played host to a check presentation on behalf of the Sunnen-PRI Engine Charity Sweepstakes, which raised more than $47,000 for Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Gang.

Attendees representing racing manufacturers, retailers, engine builders, media and more offered overwhelmingly positive feedback on the 4th annual get-together that took place May 22, between NASCAR's All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600.

"Every year, this event at Red Rocks grows in size with new faces and new companies," said Judy Kean, PRI Senior Sales & Marketing Manager. "It's a great networking event. And Ron, the owner at Red Rocks, has the ideal team and venue for an event like this."

Click here for more pictures from the event.

Simpson Race Products has renewed a long-standing relationship with the Irwindale Event Center as the official provider of driver, crew, and track worker safety gear.  

"We're all extremely proud to be associated with [Event Center President/CEO] Jim Cohan and his operations at this historic track," said Chuck Davies, Simpson CEO. "We always look for partners who are dedicated to great safe racing ... this is the perfect match."
 
From the introduction of parachutes to drag racing in 1959, and the manufacture of some of the first fire-resistant driver and safety personnel suits through to the present day, Simpson Race Products have set the standard for design, durability, effectiveness, and style.
 
Irwindale Event Center's on-site roster of race tracks includes the NASCAR half-mile and third-mile ovals, and its eighth-mile NHRA Drag Strip.

In addition, IEC is annually the site of a number of selected national and international events such as the final race in the 2013 Formula Drift Series.

For more, visit simpsonraceproducts.com.

Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC has announced that Mike O’Driscoll will become Group CEO, effective immediately.

O’Driscoll, formerly Managing Director of Jaguar Cars (2007–2011) and ex-President of Aston Martin Jaguar Land Rover in North America (2001–2007), has been appointed Group CEO to guide the long-term future of Williams.

The newly created role will see the Williams F1 Team and Williams Advanced Engineering united under one management structure, and will enable O’Driscoll to provide support to Sir Frank Williams, founder and Team Principal, and to work in partnership with Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal.

O'Driscoll will lead the Executive Committee, who will report to him, and in turn he will report to Sir Frank Williams and the Williams Grand Prix Holdings board.

Alex Burns, previously Chief Executive Officer of Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC, will leave the company immediately. Williams has thanked him for the significant contribution he has made to the business and wished him well in his future endeavors.

Hastings Manufacturing Company, a nearly 100-year-old global manufacturer of piston rings, announces the addition of Marion Holt as a key member of its global sales and business development team.
 
Marion Holt has been appointed to the position of Vice President of Business Development reporting to Bob Kollar, President and CEO. 

In this capacity, Holt will be responsible for complete management of the company’s sales and marketing in the US, Canadian, and Australian aftermarkets. Holt assumes the position most recently held by Tom DeBlasis of Hastings. 

DeBlasis will be expanding Hastings' growth plans as Vice President of Business Development in the European, African, and Middle East aftermarkets. 

Jeff Guenther will focus on the increasing growth for the Company as Vice President of Business Development in the Mexican, Caribbean, Central American, and South American aftermarkets.
 
Holt brings to Hastings over 30 years of sales, marketing, and management experience, with the majority of his career with Federal-Mogul/Sealed Power. 

He most recently served as Vice President of Sales for Melling Engine Parts, Jackson, Michigan.  

Holt has served as Program Chair and on the Board of Directors for Production Engine Rebuilders Association (PERA). He earned his undergraduate degree from Arkansas State University in Biology and his Masters in Marketing from Webster University. He and his wife Patricia reside in Novi, Michigan.
 
For more information, contact Hastings Manufacturing Company, 325 N. Hanover St., Hastings, MI 49058; 269/945-2491, 800/776-1088; www.hastingsmfg.com.
 

The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame has announced its 2013 class of inductees, including Charles Barrett of Cleveland, GA, Hank Blalock of Decatur, GA, Frank Christian of Dahlonega, GA, Freddy Fryar of Chattanooga, TN, and Huston Platt of Buford, GA.



The five new GRHOF inductees were chosen from a list of 15 semi-finalists, all of whom were honored last weekend.

The inductees were chosen by an 18-member panel of voters.



The 2013 Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Induction banquet will be held on December 13, 2013, at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, located inside the Dawsonville Municipal Complex in Dawsonville, Georgia.



A limited number of seats for the banquet will be available. For more information, call the Hall of Fame at 706/216-RACE (7223) or log on to georgiaracinghof.com.

Must See Racing has reached an agreement with MAV TV to carry their programming in 2013 and 2014.

Must See Racing provides racing coverage of the TruFuel Xtreme Sprint Series and the Engine Pro Supermodified Series, and with the addition of MAV TV, the shows will now reach over 100 million US households.

This latest addition helps insure that Must See Racing programming remains one of the most accessible of all major short track entities.

In addition to traditional broadcast outlets, MSR programming is available in an ever-growing realm that includes live Internet streaming, video-on-demand, and through a wide array of fixed and hand-held devices.

The Xtreme TruFuel Sprint Series winged sprint cars are recognized as the “World’s Fastest Short Track Cars,” and the Engine Pro Supermodified Series remains one of the most demanding and compelling forms of American motorsports.

MustSeeRacing events can be found throughout the Midwest at some of the sport’s most popular and historic racing venues.

For more information, visit mustseeracing.com.

The 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas has won the coveted “Sports Event of the Year” award at the 2013 SportsBusiness Journal/Daily Business Awards held last week at the New York Marriott Marquis in Manhattan.

More than 265,000 fans attended the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, which was conducted November 16-18, 2012, in the brand new $400 million world-class sports and entertainment complex that opened only days before its first multi-day, international event.
 
Circuit President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Sexton accepted the award on behalf of the Circuit’s owners and staff and noted the many challenges that were overcome to complete the state-of-the-art facility, assemble a team of professionals to manage and operate the venue, and successfully reintroduce Formula 1 racing, the world’s most popular motorsport, to the United States in a matter of months.
 
“From the very beginning, there was some doubt whether our project would happen, but we hustled and we had a great team and a great group of owners behind us the whole way,” Sexton noted. “We embarked on a nine-month journey, pulled the construction together, pulled the race off amidst a lot of complicated logistics—and had a great group of fans. I’m really proud of the team that pulled this off.”

Since the start of 2013, the Circuit has successfully conducted three motorsports events—the GRAND-AM of The Americas, the Red Bull MotoGP of The Americas and the V8 Supercars Austin 400—in addition to opening the Austin360 Amphitheater, which recently hosted the world-renowned Dave Matthews Band in the venue’s sixth of 15 concerts booked for its inaugural season.

The Circuit will next host the American Le Mans series in conjunction with the FIA World Endurance Championships Sept. 20-22. The 2013 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix is set for November 15-17. 

The United States Auto Club and American Honda Motor Company have announced a major sponsorship program to commence this year, beginning a multi-year agreement which includes title sponsorships and engine development programs.

Honda will become title sponsor for USAC’s National Midget, Ignite Midgets and .25 Midget racing series. A racing version of the Honda K24 engine, distributed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), will become the new spec engine for the Honda Ignite Midget Series.

USAC National Midget Series events currently include cars utilizing Honda K- and F-series engines supplied by HPD, and .25 Midget competitors have found the Honda GX-series engines to be popular choices.

Honda will become the official vehicle of USAC, as well as the Official Side-by-Side and All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) supplier; Official Generator and Official Pit Bike for USAC. Honda will also become the presenting sponsor of all USAC National race broadcasts via live streaming through USAC Racing.TV, Ustream and USACRacing.com.

“USAC is extremely pleased to announce this new affiliation with Honda,” says USAC CEO/President Kevin Miller. “We feel their involvement in USAC’s racing programs will be a perfect fit, not only for them, but for our participants as well with Honda’s national marketing footprint. Honda brings an expanded level of excitement to the Midget racing community and we are excited to announce this partnership today."

“Historically, USAC has occupied a leadership role in oval-track racing and grass roots motorsports nationwide,” says Mike Accavitti, Senior Vice President, Automotive Operations for American Honda. “We’re pleased to be able to greatly expand our role in USAC competition, while taking the next significant step in advancing HPD’s grassroots motorsports initiative. We look forward to a long and successful association.”

The 2013 Honda USAC National Midget series will continue with the May 25 “Night Before the 500” Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis and incorporate events across America, culminating in the annual “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at Perris, California, in November.

The Honda Ignite Midget Series includes events determining championships in Washington, Oregon, Western, Midget and Eastern disciplines. And the Honda .25 Midget Series offers youth the largest organized circle track National Championship for young racers starting at age five.