In the first of three acquisitions planned for 2013, National Performance Warehouse (NPW) has purchased the Sacramento, California, wholesale business unit of Performance Warehouse of Portland, Ore. The deal closed on May 10.
 
The Performance Warehouse facilities in Sacramento will become a Speed Warehouse location.

The companies have a transition plan in place where jobber ordering, delivery and product availability will continue without interruption and, as is the tradition of an NPW acquisition, the staff and management are being retained to service the customer base.


“The sale of our Sacramento Distribution Center to National Performance Warehouse will allow our company to refocus our sales efforts in our core areas of Oregon, Washington and Idaho with opportunities to add new independent jobber business and Baxter Auto Parts locations,” said JR Moore, president of Performance Warehouse. “Our retail division, Baxter Auto Parts, will continue to operate all of their existing stores in Northern California.”



Bob Baptiste will continue to manage the sales and operations out of Sacramento.
 


The National Performance Warehouse Companies operate five other facilities in California: Vernon, Tustin, Sacramento (Arden), Hayward and its main facility in San Jose.

Ponderosa Speedway is under new ownership, as current promoter Larry Yantz, along with co-promoters (and son and daughter-in-law) Chad and Sarah Yantz, recently took over the historic 3/8-mile red clay oval known as “Kentucky’s Baddest Bullring.”

An agreement was reached earlier this month between previous track owner Kevin Colston and the Yantz family.

All payouts and divisions that have been in effect will remain the same, they said. However, some adjustments to the remainder of the racing schedule will be released soon, the new owners indicated.

Ponderosa Speedway is located at 365 Phillips Lane on the Boyle/Lincoln County border, outside of Junction City, Kentucky.

For more information about racing activities at Ponderosa Speedway, visit the track’s web site at www.ponderosaspeedway.net.

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Oliver Racing Parts, manufacturers of high-performance connecting rods for motorsports applications, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by launching three contests filled with prizes and merchandise between now and December 31, 2013.

“Oliver Racing Parts has had a successful history—from setting land speed records at Bonneville to wins in NASCAR—so for Oliver’s 30th anniversary, we wanted to hear more from Oliver’s supporters and their accomplishments with Oliver rods,” said Oliver Racing Parts CEO Joseph A. Moch.

“This is a great way for racers and engine builders to show off what they’ve been working on, whether it’s winning a race, setting a record or sharing a memorable experience with Oliver. These stories will become an inspiration to many, and especially to us at Oliver!”

Oliver enthusiasts are invited to join the celebration by entering one of the following three contests:

1. Contestants who submit an Oliver Racing Parts story reflecting their success/experience with Oliver rods and at least one photo will receive an Oliver Racing Parts 30th anniversary hat. The first 30 contestants to submit a story to Oliver Racing Parts will receive a single Oliver rod, or can apply the value toward the purchase of a new set of Oliver connecting rods.  

2. Anyone who submits an Oliver story will automatically be entered to win a set of connecting rods, which will be awarded to one winner per category:

• The best story about using Oliver connecting rods

• The highest horsepower application (with proof)

• The longest-lasting set of Oliver rods

3. One Oliver customer will be selected to win an engine equipped with Oliver connecting rods in a drawing held at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, December 12-14, 2013. Winners will also be featured in next year’s Oliver Racing Parts catalog. Participants have two ways to enter the drawing:
• Participants must purchase a set of Oliver connecting rods between January 1, 2013 and October 15, 2013.
• Participants must set a sanctioned record or win a sanctioned series championship using Oliver connecting rods. Participants must reference the record or submit the season-end scoring sheet signed by governing body authority, photo and story by October 31, 2013.

All stories and photos should be mailed to 1025 Clancy Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, or submitted through Oliver Racing Parts’ Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oliver-Racing-Parts/160558270633219.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery has said that the company is aiming to bring the number of pit stops per race down in time for the British Grand Prix on June 30 following a pit stop-dominated race in Spain.

The Italian manufacturer has helped to promote some fantastic racing since becoming Formula One racing’s official tire supplier in 2010, but Hembery admitted that the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España 2013 at Barcelona—won by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on a four-stop strategy—featured too many stops.

“Our aim is to have (each car make) between two and three stops at every race, so it’s clear that four is too many: in fact, it’s only happened once before, in Turkey during our first year in the sport,” he said.

“We’ll be looking to make some changes, in time for Silverstone, to make sure that we maintain our target and solve any issues rapidly.”

In total, there were 79 pit stops in the race at Barcelona, with the majority of runners (12) opting for a four-stop strategy. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen finished the highest of the six three-stop runners, coming in second.

Two $1500 scholarships will be presented at the Henry County Fair NTPA Grand National Tractor Pull in Napoleon, Ohio, on August 10, 2013.

Winners need not be present to apply, and the scholarship award will be made payable to the school of the winner’s choice.

High school seniors and college students in good standing, who are pursuing a degree in the Ag industry, are eligible to apply.

Mail type-written applications to: Ridgeville Elevator, Inc. P.O.Box 275 Ridgeville Corners, OH 43555 c/o Mike Beck. The deadline for submission is August 1, 2013.

The scholarship will be awarded on the following criteria: GPA, SAT or ACT score, Citizenship and Leadership experience and the involvement in Agriculture.

Click here for Beck’s Hybrids, Ridgeville Elevator and Grelton Elevator Higher Education Scholarship Application.

JE Pistons, a company that has been manufacturing high performance racing pistons for more than six decades, has extended is agreement to being a Participating Manufacturing Sponsor of the ARCA Racing Series for another year.

The company is in its 17th year as a sponsor in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

“It brings us great pride to know our pistons have powered ARCA cars around the track for 17 years!” said Sean Crawford, Director of Marketing for JE Pistons.

JE Pistons posts a per-race award of $250, including $150 to the highest finisher and $100 to the second-highest finisher.

NASCAR and Sherwin-Williams have announced a multi-year partnership designating the nation’s largest specialty retailer of paint and painting supplies as the ”Official Paint of NASCAR.”

Sherwin-Williams, a FORTUNE 500 company, will leverage its new designation for architectural paint and the power of NASCAR’s intellectual property to activate at its more than 3500 stores nationwide and ignite the passion of its customers—many of whom are fiercely brand-loyal fans of the sport.
 
In addition to signing on as an Official NASCAR Partner, Sherwin-Williams also becomes a Contingency Sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series and GRAND-AM Road Racing.

The NASCAR and GRAND-AM contingency programs foster strong relationships between competitors and the high-quality, performance-driven brands that are part of the program, by providing prize money for each race and at the end of each racing season. Competitors become eligible for the money by displaying partner decals on their race vehicles.

As part of the contingency program, Sherwin-Williams will be title sponsor of the Fastest Lap Award in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
 
As part of this integrated partnership, Sherwin-Williams joins the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council, which brings together an exclusive group of more than 60 Official NASCAR Partners four times per year to buy and sell products and services from one another.

This exclusive business-to-business environment offers unique opportunities for many Fortune 500 companies to bypass the time and layers of corporate coordination that may exist to construct customized deals that help address specific business needs.

Northeastern Modified stock car racing teams will be hitting the road in 2013, as Management at Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway recently announced the creation of the all-new Northern Modified Challenge Series for center-seat Modified cars.

The five-race schedule will be the ultimate test for drivers and race teams, as events will be staged on both asphalt and dirt surfaces.

The Northern Modified Challenge Series will follow Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 2013 Bond Auto Parts Modified division rulebook, allowing a wide variety of racecars from tracks across the Northeast to compete.

While the sealed General Motors “602” crate engine will be the primary power plant that most teams use to compete, the events are also open to cars using 358 cubic-inch engines with a carburetor restrictor plate issued by series officials at each race.

The inaugural Northern Modified Challenge Series features five championship events staged on four vastly different race tracks. The Challenge begins May 26 at 1:30 pm at the high-banked quarter-mile at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT.

The track’s 51st annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic will raise the curtain on the Challenge schedule with a 50-lap event, run as a companion race to the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series.

Not only will the Thunder Road event award championship points toward the Northern Modified Challenge Series, it will also give each competitor 50 bonus points toward the Devil’s Bowl Speedway track championship.

The Northern Modified Challenge Series will have an exciting two-track weekend doubleheader on August 2-3. The Challenge runs on its home track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT, for the second annual C.J. Richards Memorial 67 presented by Carrara Masonry & Concrete on August 2 at 7:00 pm.

The second half of the doubleheader brings the Northern Modified Challenge Series to Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, NH, for a 50-lap showdown presented by S.K. Bean’s Enfield Garage on August 3 at 6:00 pm.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway will host the Northern Modified Challenge Series again during its annual Vermont 200 Weekend on September 14-15. The event’s format, which will be designed to create exciting competition, will be announced at a later date.

The Northern Modified Challenge Series will crown its inaugural champion on October 12 on the tough, racy 1/4-mile clay oval at Canaan Dirt Speedway in Canaan, NH, at the second annual Jaycox Property Maintenance-sponsored “OctoberFAST” event. The Charlie Elliott Memorial Canaan Cup 100-lap main event will pay $2500 to the winner.

The Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic on May 26 at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl is the opening event for both the Northern Modified Challenge Series and the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series, with racing scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm.

For more information, visit www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com or call 802/265-3112, or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com or call 802/244-6963.

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF) will host the 14th annual Racing to Recovery Gala on Wednesday, May 22, at The Crane Bay in downtown Indianapolis. The Gala will begin at 6:30 p.m.



During the event, SSPF founder Sam Schmidt will present the 2013 Legends of Racing Award to Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone Racing. The Foundation’s Visionary Award will also be presented to both Indiana University Health and Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine.



The Gala, one of the most anticipated events in the days leading up to the Indianapolis 500, will feature appearances by some of the biggest names in auto racing. Festive cocktails, gourmet food stations and a silent and live auction are among the highlights of the evening.

In advance of the live auction, an online auction has been created to sell unique items, such as a collection of coins signed and carried by 32 drivers from the 2005 Indianapolis 500. Coins signed and carried by Danica Patrick, Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves and the late Dan Wheldon are included. The 2005 race was Wheldon’s first Indianapolis 500 victory.

The coins and other items can be found at www.racing2recoveryauction.com.



The Racing to Recovery Gala and auction raises funds to support medical research to find a cure for paralysis. Last year’s event raised nearly $300,000 for spinal cord injury (SCI) research.



Reservations and sponsorship information can be obtained by calling 317/236-9999, or emailing events@samschmidt.org.