The world’s premier symposium on race engine development—the Advanced Engineering Technology Conference—is moving to Indianapolis in 2013, where it will precede the 26th Annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show.   

A tremendous lineup of speakers from around the performance aftermarket is already taking shape for this historic event.

Indeed, this year’s conference, slated for December 9-11 at the Indiana Convention Center, has already confirmed a number of top presenters, including Lee Carducci from Arrow Racing Engines; Cecil Stevens from Illusions Engine Development; Bill McKnight of Mahle; performance researcher and author Harold Bettes; Total Seal’s Keith Jones; and Dan Jesel of Jesel Valvetrain Innovation.

The newly centralized location of AETC is expected to attract engine builders, racers, performance enthusiasts and media members from around the country.

More announcements will follow in the coming months—including the AETC’s topic for 2013.

Interested parties are encouraged to visit www.aetconline.com regularly for the latest updates and information, including discount rates on registration.

Motor State Distributing has added JRi Shocks to their quality brand selection of racing shock absorbers.

JRi Racing Shocks offer a wide range of shock programs for the dirt late model, asphalt late model and the late model road coarse racer.

JRi has five key important hydraulic component disciplines collected and integrated into one assembly, resulting in a 30-50 percent increase in vehicle performance.

Motor State stocks the Asphalt Late Model 3-way adjustable shocks, Dirt Late Model double adjustable shocks and late model Camaro and Mustang Autocross and Road Racing competition shock packages.

Motor State Distributing is located in Watervliet, Michigan. For more information, call 800/772-2678.

Bryan Murphy was recently named head of eBay Motors, where he is responsible for leading eBay’s vehicles, parts and accessories, and the WHI business unit.

In his new role, Murphy will help to deliver the best commerce solutions for parts and vehicle sellers and buyers, according to the company.


Murphy previously served as managing director of WHI Solutions Inc., an eBay Inc. company, and senior director for eBay Motors. Prior to eBay’s acquisition of WHI in April 2012, he served as WHI’s CEO from 2002 to 2012 and COO from 1999 to 2002.

Champion Oil, a recognized leader in purpose-built lubricants and annual corporate sponsor of the Great Race, is participating with three teams of drivers in a vintage and collector car competitive rally that follows North to South the Mississippi River.

The winner of the Great Race receives $50,000, and total prize money for the event is $150,000. This year the Great Race starts in St. Paul, Minnesota. From there, it will run South, with overnights in Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, toward its finish line at Mobile, Alabama.

In all, the race will cover 2,100 miles, cross into 10 states in 9 days, and afford numerous sights and crossings over the Mississippi River.

The Great Race, presented by Hemmings Motor News and Coker Tire, is an automotive competition based on precision driving and navigational skills in classic, antique and vintage automobiles.

The competition, which was founded in 1983, contains numerous timed endurance rally stages. Vehicle entries must have been manufactured in 1969 or earlier with a competition crew of a driver and a navigator in each competing vehicle.

For more information on the Great Race visit www.greatrace.com.

“Champion and our ‘Classic and Muscle’ motor oil are proud to support The Great Race, which combines the accuracy in calculation and rally skills with an appreciation of historic automobiles,” said Karl Dedolph, Director of Racing and Performance Products. “Being named the official motor oil is a great tribute to our ‘Purpose Built’ lubricant technology formulated for protection and performance.”

Champion’s “Classic & Muscle” Motor Oil is built specifically to meet the lubrication demands of hot rod, street rod, classic and muscle car engines, especially those using flat tappet and roller cams operating at high RPMs and requiring high-pressure valve springs.

For more information, visit championbrands.com.

At The NASCAR Foundation Board of Directors’ meeting this week, Lesa France Kennedy and Glenn S. Ritchey, were elected as the two newest board members.
 
Kennedy is CEO and Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors for International Speedway Corporation, as well as a Vice Chairperson for NASCAR. She is actively involved with several civic organizations in the Daytona Beach area, including the Chamber of Commerce, Seaside Music Theater, Leadership Daytona, the Civic League of the Halifax Area and the United Way.

She also supports Victory Junction, the American Heart Association, Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences and Moffitt Cancer Center, where she is on the Board of Advisors.
 
Kennedy’s long list of honors include, among others, being named “Most Powerful Woman in Sports” in 2009 by Forbes, “Most Influential Woman in Business” in 2006 by Volusia Flagler Business Report, “Most Influential Woman in Sports Business” in 2005 by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal and “Female Sports Executive of the Year” in 2001 by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal.   
 
Ritchey is the President and CEO of the Jon Hall Automotive Group/Ritchey Autos Southeast Automotive Management, one of the nation’s most successful automotive companies.

The former two-term Daytona Beach mayor is on numerous boards and has served as Chairman of the following: Daytona Beach’s Board of Adjustments, Halifax Hospital Medical Center and its Foundation, Lively Arts Center, GMAC’s Dealer Advisory Board, Crime Stoppers, The Civic League of the Halifax Area, Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce and the Daytona Beach Rotary Club. He also serves as a Trustee on the Board of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
 
Ritchey has been presented the GM Dealer of the Year Award every year from 2002-2012, and the Genuine Leader Award from Chevrolet Motor Division every year since its inception in 1999. Among many other distinctions, he has also been honored with the Martin Luther King Chairman’s Leadership Award (2011), NAACP Humanitarian of the Year Award (2010) and the VCard Citizen of the Year Award (2008).

Kennedy and Ritchey’s appointment to The NASCAR Foundation Board of Directors increases their membership to 13. Other members include Betty Jane France (Chairwoman), Mike Helton (President), Jennifer France Bates (Secretary), R. Todd Wilson (Treasurer), Leonard G. Feld, M.D., Steve Gaffney, Harold Goodemote, Stu D. Grant, Jill Gregory, Doris Rumery and Rusty Wallace.

The TRUFUEL Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series (MSRXSS) is set to invade the "Deep South" this weekend as it contests the second annual Royal Oak Southern Shootout at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, March 22 and Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Alabama, March 23.

This will mark the only time fans will have an opportunity to see the record setting cars of the MSRXSS in the Gulf Coast area in 2013.
 
Last year’s initial visit to the area by the MSRXSS was witnessed by huge crowds and track records each night. This year’s return visit is destined to bring even more excitement as nearly 30 of the best pavement sprint car drivers in the world have already entered.

It is possible both track records could fall once again now that drivers have a feel for both tracks with several drivers having already competed in last years Royal Oak Southern Shootout.
 
The weekend kicks off with an open practice session at 5 Flags Speedway Thursday night followed by the season opener for the MSRXSS the following night. The series then moves on to Mobile International Speedway Saturday for the Royal Oak Southern Shootout finale. Sunday March 24th has been set as the Mobile rain date.
 
The entry list for this weekend’s events reads like an all-star cast of pavement sprint car stars. Drivers already entered include: Jo Jo Helberg, Troy DeCaire, Dave Steele, Jason Cox, Todd Fayard, Jacob Wilson, Brian Olson, Davey Hamilton, Bobby Santos III, Jimmy McCune, Brian Gerster, Aaron Pierce, Mike Larrison, Billy Wease, Dude Teate, Shane Butler, and Tanner Swanson among others.
 
The Hooker Hood/National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Southern Supermodified Reunion is also being planned at 5 Flags Speedway March 22 as several former Supermodified drivers will be on hand along with several cars on display.
 
5 Flags Speedway has posted a $500 bonus to any driver who can break Jason Cox's track of 13.783 seconds set last April when the MSRXSS visited 5 Flags Speedway for the first time.

For information, logon to www.mustseeracing.com.

The International Hot Rod Association has announced that Ozark Raceway Park, located in Rogersville, Missouri, will be returning to the IHRA member track family for the 2013 season and beyond in a multi-year deal. 

Purchased by the Chance family four years ago, Ozark Raceway Park is a 1/8-mile drag racing facility nestled in the beautiful hills of the Ozarks.

Featuring a busy schedule with racing every Saturday night from April through October, Ozark Raceway Park is once again excited to be a part of the IHRA family and looks forward to taking advantage of the many sportsman programs the IHRA has to offer. 

Ozark Raceway Park is owned and operated by the Chance family. Mitch, Neal and Marty Chance have been involved in drag racing for most of their lives and their experience has helped them grow the facility and their sportsman racing program.

A unique track, with log cabin-designed buildings from the main office to the starter box, Ozark Raceway Park embraces its forest locale as racecars roar down the 1/8-mile asphalt strip with over 200 feet of launch pad.

The busy Ozark Raceway Park schedule includes many forms of racing from shootout programs featuring Pro, Mod, Pro Street, True 10.5, Drag Radial, Junior Dragster and additional classes. The track also hosts multiple test and tune nights, Midnight Drags once a month, and multiple special events held throughout the year. 

For more information on Ozark Raceway Park, visit the track website at www.ozarkracewaypark.com . For more information on the IHRA and its family of member tracks, visit www.ihra.com .  

Officials of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series have announced that ASi Racewear is expanding its partnership with the series in 2013.

ASi Racewear will again carry the title as the “Official” merchandise vendor for the series in 2013. The ASi Racewear merchandise trailer will attend every LOLMDS event, carrying numerous driver T-shirts and merchandise, including most of the stars of the LOLMDS.

ASi Racewear will also carry the popular and unique designs of the LOLMDS merchandise, including T-shirts, hats and other apparel for fans to purchase at events or online through the series website athttp://www.asiwear.com/Racewear_Store/DriverShirts/Lucas/Lucas.html.

ASi Racewear will also be the title sponsor of the “ASi Crown Jewel Cup—presented by Dirtondirt.com. This program will award points to drivers at the nine (9) crown jewel cup races within the series schedule that pay more than $10,000 to win. The driver that maintains perfect attendance throughout the season and earns the most points within these nine races will receive a $10,000 bonus at the championship awards banquet.

“We wanted to do something special for the racers and really put together a neat competition for the drivers to earn a nice bonus at the banquet. Michael Rigsby of DirtonDirt.com and I partnered together on this Crown Jewel Cup program and hope to grow it every year. We’re excited to be a part of the LOLMDS again and enjoy working with all the racers, sponsors, tracks, and seeing all the great fans of the series at the ASi trailer at all the events again 2013,” stated Gene Ullman, owner of ASi Racewear.

ASi Racewear has also expanded their partnership with the series by providing the series victory lane checks for each event, sponsor banners, custom embroidery, and graphic art work needed throughout the season.

ASi Racewear, located in Patchogue, New York, was founded in 1977, specializing in the Fire and Rescue industry. ASi Racewear has since become a leader in the motorsports industry as well, specializing in custom apparel from driver T-shirts, event shirts, custom driver suites, custom embroidery, decals, banners, and graphic art work for all forms of motorsports.

To learn more about ASI Racewear, visit their official website at www.asiwear.com.

Bilstein, a leading manufacturer of monotube gas pressure shock absorbers, has renewed its 3-year title sponsorship of the Southwest Rally Cup Series.

In past years, Bilstein was heavily involved in rally racing due to the sport’s extreme testing environment for suspension components and especially shock absorbers, and the renewal of this sponsorship agreement signals a significant return to this type of racing.

Bilstein’s racing roots run deep, going back more than 50 years. That’s because racing allows them to develop better, more advanced shock absorbers to provide street-bound vehicles better handling and a smoother ride.

In the case of the Southwest Rally Cup Series, that has particularly benefited the company’s new Universal Motorsports Strut, which is currently being used and tested by several teams in the series.

“This is an excellent venue to not only test Bilstein shock absorbers,” said Steven Beaty, Aftermarket and Motorsport President of Bilstein, “but to support this group of racers with series funding, prize money and a chance to win the annual Bilstein motorsports award.”

For more information on the Southwest Rally Cup Series, visit www.southwestrallyseries.com.

Standardized push-to-pass parameters are among the engineering updates incorporated into the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series rulebook.

Push-to-pass, which was introduced to the new engine-chassis package last July on the streets of Toronto, will have parameters for each of the road/street course events, including doubleheader races at Detroit, Toronto and Houston.

The option gives drivers a turbocharger boost from 21.7 Psi to 23.2 Psi and additional 200 RPM with the push of a button located on the steering wheel.

There’s no delay in activation or refresh time.

“If the driver chooses to use one, they can’t cancel it. It’s use it or lose it,” IndyCar vice president of technology Will Phillips said. “That in itself makes it more difficult to choose to use as a defense mechanism rather than as an overtaking opportunity. You’ll have to be careful because there are only 10 opportunities to use it during a race. The length of each push of the button should cover the longest straight, if that’s where they choose to use it, of each circuit.”

IZOD IndyCar Series-controlled push-to-pass parameters:

Event                      Total pushes   Time per push   Total time
St. Petersburg         10                 15 seconds        150 seconds
Barber                     10                 20                     200
Long Beach             10                 20                     200
Sao Paulo                10                 20                     200
Detroit                     10                 15                     150
Toronto                    10                 20                     200
Mid-Ohio                  10                 20                     200
Sonoma                   10                 15                     150
Baltimore                 10                 15                     150
Houston                   10                 15                     150