Edelbrock has announced the 8th Annual Rev'ved Up 4 Kids Charity Car Show, which will be held on Sunday, May 5, 2013, to benefit the newly created Edelbrock Family Foundation.

On Saturday, May 4, 2013, Edelbrock will once again be opening the doors of their corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility to the public for free shop tours. Participants will partake in a guided tour of the research & development, manufacturing and quality control departments. 

Shop tours begin at 10:00 a.m. and will end at 2:00 p.m. Limited spots are available and are going fast. Interested parties can register online at www.revvedup4kids.com.

On May 5, over 300 cars will fill the streets around Vic's Garage for the 8th Annual Rev'ved Up 4 Kids Charity Car Show. Automotive enthusiasts are invited to enjoy a day of hot rods, great food, live entertainment and everything else that encompasses car culture.

Leon "The Motorman" Kaplan from Talk Radio KABC will be broadcasting live from the K&N booth starting at 8:00 a.m. Various popular gourmet food trucks will be attending.

The show will also host the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge, where teams of high school students from all over Southern California race to tear down and rebuild an engine in a timed and judged competition.

Additionally, the popular Kids Corner will return with activities for children of all ages.

Many aftermarket manufacturers will be in attendance as well to exhibit their products.

Show hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Spectator entry is free, however, The Edelbrock Family Foundation will be accepting any donations.

All makes and models of vehicles are welcome, and interested car show participants can register online at www.revvedup4kids.com. Standard registration is available from now until April 26 at $40 per vehicle. Day of show registration is also available at $50 per vehicle. Finally, a limited number of VIP spaces are also available for $100 per vehicle.

All event proceeds will go to the Edelbrock Family Foundation, benefiting the youth and future of the automotive aftermarket industry

For more information, visit www.revvedup4kids.com.

The NHRA Factory Stock Showdown will be expanded to three events for the 2013 season with new stops at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events in Englishtown, May 30-June 2, and Charlotte, September 13-15.

The new venues will bookend the stop at the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Labor Day weekend, August 28-September 2, where the program was introduced last year.

In addition to expanding the number of events, the class has been split into two classes within Stock eliminator. The split will bring more parity into the program and, combined with new class indexes, is expected to draw more participation. The new classes of competition will be:

* FS/AC: Minimum weight up to 400 cid, 3,250 pounds; 401 to 450 cid, 3,350 pounds; 10.50 index

* FS/DC: Minimum weight 451-plus cid, 3,200 pounds; all supercharged, 3,500 pounds; 10.20 index

Each of the two classes will run as a separate category within Stock class eliminations during the Englishtown and Indianapolis events, and the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown in Charlotte will be contested as a stand-alone event with a winner being crowned in each.

The two winners will then square off for the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown championship using a three-tenths staggered start. Each of the two class winners will receive an NHRA class Wally as well as any contingency posted awards at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

Bo Butner took the win at the inaugural NHRA Factory Stock Showdown last year in his Cobra Jet Mustang, running 9.10 seconds to beat Brett Candies.

The NHRA Factory Stock Showdown was designed to showcase the NHRA Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, Dodge Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, and Chevrolet COPO Camaro.

The annual Independence Motor Speedway car show will be held on Saturday, April 20. Again this year, cars will be on display on the streets of downtown Independence, Iowa.

Driver registration will begin at 9 a.m. with the car show held from 10 a.m. to noon.

A number of streets in the downtown area will be blocked off to give race fans the opportunity to get a close-up view of this season’s competitors and to meet their favorite drivers. Downtown areas that will be restricted to race cars and foot traffic include 1st Street East from 2nd Avenue NE to 3rd Avenue NE, along with 3rd Avenue NE from 1st Street East to 2nd Street NE.

Competitors in each of the six weekly divisions—IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, IMCA Late Models, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts—are invited to attend.

At around noon, awards will be presented to three drivers—Best of Show (as voted by a panel of judges), Fan Favorite (as voted by fans in attendance) and Most Unique Graphics (as voted by fans in attendance).

Area youngsters are also invited to display their go-karts at this year’s show.

Following the awards, a parade of car show entrants will make its way through the streets of Independence to the fairgrounds for the annual test and tune session. The practice session will run from 2-5 p.m., weather permitting. Fans will be admitted free into the grandstands for practice. Pit passes are $10 each.

Each driver who displays his/her car at the car show will be given two free pit passes for the test and tune session.

Weekly racing at Independence is set to begin on Saturday, April 27, for the first of a scheduled 18 consecutive Saturday nights. Visit the track’s website, www.independencemotorspeedway.com, for the latest information.

Dillon Motor Speedway owner Ron Barfield, who last year closed out his season with a free night of racing for all of his competitors, has come up with a new promotion for 2013.
 
Drivers in the support classes who compete in every points race this season will have a chance to win a drive in a Late Model sponsored by RacewayAutomotive.com during the final weekend of the ASA-sanctioned, Dillon Motor Speedway’s schedule in 2013.
 
“We were thinking of ways that we can reward the drivers who are dedicated to our facility week after week,” Barfield said. “Not only will this be a dream ride for one of our locals, but it’ll help move the speedway forward for future promotions.”
 
Divisions that are eligible for the unique experience include the Mini Cups, Pure Stock Four Class (UCAR), Street Stocks and Chargers. The season points championship starts in May and runs through September, and each driver will have one mulligan for the year in case they can’t attend a specific event.
 
“This is a chance for a lucky qualified driver to get behind the wheel of a high-horse powered late model race car that he/she may not either have enough funds to drive on their own, or if perhaps a driver is thinking about having a great experience driving a  Late Model on the familiar Dillon Motor Speedway,” Barfield said. “The Late Model division is our premier series, and we wanted to give our local drivers a chance to experience the thrill, and live the dream.”
 
Any qualified driver in the support classes that competes in all the point races events will be eligible for the drawing on the front stretch during the last points race in September. During that time, names will be pulled out of a random drawing, and the lucky winner will have an all-expense paid weekend at the speedway as he/she competes in a Late Model during one of the biggest events of the season in October.
 
For more information, visit www.DillonMotorSpeedway.com.

At the New York International Auto Show this week, Infiniti announced Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver and triple Formula One World Champion, as Director of Performance for the premium automotive brand.

This latest announcement extends and enhances Vettel's relationship with Infiniti, which formally began in 2011. In this capacity, Vettel already has played a crucial role in developing Infiniti's vehicle line-up, starting with the exclusive Infiniti FX Vettel Edition and most recently with the all-new Infiniti Q50.

Vettel has been central to the development of the new Infiniti Q50 from its early stages. He spent time with Infiniti engineers in Japan, providing them with his world-class chassis dynamics, performance and handling feedback.

He was then involved in testing early models alongside Infiniti Red Bull Racing Test and Reserve driver Sebastien Buemi in Japan, around the famed Nürburgring in Germany, and at the Formula One pre-season test at the Spanish Circuit de Catalunya in early March.

As Title and Vehicle Performance Partner of Infiniti Red Bull Racing from the start of the 2013 Formula One season, Infiniti has deepened its technical relationship with the Team. This announcement ensures that Vettel will become involved in the development of more future Infiniti vehicles.

"I am really happy to extend my relationship with Infiniti and become their Director of Performance," said Vettel. "Helping to develop the Infiniti Q50 was a very different type of driving duty for me, but I approached it in exactly the same way as I do my Formula One car. I am looking forward to working closely with Infiniti in developing more of their road cars into the future."

Two of the most recognized names in the dirt late model industry, Muscatine, Iowa’s Brian Birkhofer and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Arkansas, are set to help the National Dirt Racing League kick off their inaugural season with two blockbuster $20,000 to-win events on March 29 and 30 at Paducah (KY) International Raceway and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO.



“I’ve never met (NDRL Owner) John Kennedy but I’d like to shake his hand,” said 2012 World 100 winner Brian Birkhofer about series founder John Kennedy. “I applaud the guy for what he’s doing and trying something that is financially stout.”

Billy Moyer, a six-time World 100 champion as well as a six-time I-55 UMP Nationals Champion, also commended Kennedy: “He’s sticking his neck out there,” Moyer said, “He's trying to build something, I'm going to be there to support him in the first two and more than likely we're going to try to do all of them.” 



Two complete NDRL shows will be in store at Paducah International Raceway and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 including Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and 75-lap, $20,000-to-win Feature Events.  

The UMP Modifieds will also be in action with two of their own complete shows paying $2,000 to the winner of each of their A-Main Feature Events.



Gates and driver registration will open for both events at 1:00 pm, as the driver’s meeting will be held at approximately 5:00 pm with hot laps immediately after. Time Trials will follow hot laps, with racing starting at approximately 7:00 pm. 



Paducah International Raceway is a 3/8-mile high-banked oval located in Paducah, KY. For more information on Paducah International Raceway, call the track office at 270/898-7469, or visit their website at www.paducahracing.net.



Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 is a high-banked 1/3-mile oval that features racing on Saturday nights. The speedway is located in Pevely, MO, 30 minutes south of downtown St. Louis. For more information on Federated Auto Part Raceway at I-55, call the track office at 636/479-3219, or visit their website at www.i55raceway.com.



For more information on the National Dirt Racing League, visit www.theNDRL.com.

American Canadian Tour officials have announced the hiring of several new officials across the Série ACT Castrol, Thunder Road, and the American Canadian Tour for the 2013 season.  

The overhaul is headlined by the hiring of former Kawartha Speedway (ON) manager Derek Lynch as the Chief Steward of the Série ACT Castrol. Lynch started racing with ACT at just 17 years old in the late 1980s, and had won the Oxford 250 before heading to the NASCAR Busch North Series. His career eventually led him to Charlotte, NC, where he worked in fabrication for Darrell Waltrip racing. 

In 2000, he married Cait Curley, daughter of longtime Thunder Road promoter Tom Curley, and took over management at Kawartha Speedway. He left Kawartha at the end of last season.

“I think the Castrol series is much like Kawartha. These teams are professional operations, and it’s going to be fun to work with guys doing this at such a high level,” said Lynch.

Lynch will also be joined by fellow Ontarians Tom Kenyon and Dave Brown. Kenyon, a longtime chassis builder, will serve as an official on the Série ACT Castrol, while Brown will become the Chief Tech Inspector after six years as the Head Tech Inspector at Kawartha Speedway.
   
On the ACT US side, John Hulburd has joined the staff for the 2013 season. Hulburd got his start at Catamount Stadium flagging, and eventually race directed for the NASCAR Busch North Series. He has continued to flag for ACT part-time over the years, and will also be doing some race directing in 2013. 

Former Oxford Plains Speedway official Randy Varney will also be joining the full-time staff, after assisting ACT part-time for a number of years.  

At Thunder Road, Director of Competition Dean Gallison has bolstered the tech staff with the appointment of former Late Model and Tiger Champion Chuck Beede, who will take over as Steward and Chief Technical Inspector of the famous “Flying Tiger” division. 

Beede is a well-known Tiger car builder, and the Beede family has been competing at Thunder Road for over three decades. Chuck’s brother Danny served as the Chief Tech Inspector for the ACT ProStock series.  

Gallison also appointed former Street Stock Champion Crew Chief Jamie MacAskill to join longtime official Sonny Barney and assist with the tech inspection for the Allen Lumber Street Stocks.

In addition, rejoining the Thunder Road staff will be Barre’s own Jamie Parker, who will take on control and inspection of tires for various divisions, along with former flagger Mike Renaud who will return in 2013. 

Extreme Outlaw Pro Mod, the regional Pro Modified racing association, has announced a special program supported by CV Products.

EOPM has joined forces with the Thomasville, North Carolina-based high performance manufacturer and distributor to create the CV Extreme Outlaw Challenge, a $3,000 winner-take-all shootout for the season’s top eight qualifiers that will be held at Rockingham Dragway on Saturday, October 19.



The brainchild of CV Products Technical Support Representative and longtime drag racer Matt Giangrande, the CV Extreme Outlaw Challenge is another step forward in the company’s expanding support of drag racing.



“CV Products’ roots are firmly planted in the world of circle track racing, but we’re now putting an increased emphasis on drag racing, particularly the local series here in the Southeast,” Giangrande said. 



EOPM racers will earn points for the CV Extreme Outlaw Challenge during qualifying of each race leading up to the event at Rockingham Dragway. The number-one qualifier at each race will receive eight points toward the shootout, seven points for qualifying second, and so forth. The eighth and final qualifier will receive one point.

These points will accumulate throughout the season, and the field will be set after EOPM’s stop at Bristol Dragway on September 28. Then, during qualifying at Rockingham, the CV Extreme Outlaw Challenge will be contested with the $3,000 winner-take-all final held at the end of the last round of qualifying on Saturday.



“There will be an awesome quick-8 style shootout and an intense final round atmosphere as these drivers gun for the $3,000 purse,” said Giangrande.

Alex Nagy has been named series director for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

Nagy, originally from Brantford, Ontario, brings a wealth of motorsports experience from both the technical and business aspects of the sport. Most recently he served as spotter and driver coach for Alex Tagliani in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

He also served as crew chief for Tagliani’s efforts in the Canadian Tire Series including a 2008 victory in Edmonton, Alberta. Over six seasons, he also led efforts for Steve Mathews, Pete Shepherd III, Ron Van Es and Jacques Villeneuve in the Canadian stock-car touring series.

Nagy, 50, succeeds Brad Moran, who was appointed as NASCAR Touring Series director in December 2012. Moran held the post for the last four seasons.

After beginning his racing career as a driver in CASCAR—the precursor to the Canadian Tire Series—Nagy worked his way into the business side of the sport as a CASCAR team owner and by managing some race specialty shops in Ontario.

He also served as the track manager and promoter for Twin Fountains Raceway, a karting and legends car complex in Shelbyville, Tennessee, along with launching the first legends car and pro challenge series in Ontario.

Nagy currently resides in Brantford, with his wife and two children.

Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Washington, has announced a partnership with the Monster Energy drink company to create the “Monster Meltdown World of Outlaws Event."


The Monster Meltdown World of Outlaws event will be part of a mega weekend beginning August 29 with the final round for the new Summer Thunder Sprint Car Series, and concluding with the World of Outlaws event Friday and Saturday.

“Part of our marketing plan the past few years has been to target the youth and young adult crowd, and Monster Energy drink hits that target for us,” said track promoter Steve Beitler. “The multi-year agreement allows us to do some fun events during the season while also allowing us to partner together with our charities during the off-season."



For more information on Skagit Speedway, visit www.Skagitspeedway.com.