Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has announced that the company will return to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 as the Garage 56 entry for innovative concepts with an all-new race car incorporating electric technology.

The entry will test innovative new powertrain technology and provide the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) with data to enable all parties to evaluate the incorporation of this breakthrough technology ahead of a potential return to LMP1 in the future.

“We will return to Le Mans with a vehicle that will act as a high-speed test bed in the harshest of environments for both our road car and race car electric vehicle technology,” said Ghosn.

Further details will be released as the project progresses, but the company is focusing on innovation and excitement, continuing the pioneering spirit of the Nissan DeltaWing; the award-winning experimental entry at Le Mans last year.

More conventional Nissan power will continue to be seen at Le Mans in the meantime. The 2013 Le Mans entry list displays 17 Nissan-Nismo-powered cars, the highest entry by a manufacturer for 15 years. The Nismo-tuned Nissan VK45DE V8 engine is now firmly established as the powerplant of choice for the majority of the LMP2 teams. All cars will carry the designation ‘powered by Nissan Nismo’.

Due to the unique USAC National Championship structure in 2013, with separate USAC National Midget Pavement and Dirt Champions to be crowned, guidelines regarding the USAC True Speed Triple Crown Championship have been restructured and announced.

The career achievement is acknowledged with a specially-crafted championship ring courtesy of True Speed Enterprises and USAC Triple Crown Champion Tony Stewart, who became the first to “sweep” the honors in a single year in 1995.
 
To enter the exclusive club of USAC Triple Crown Champions, a driver during his career must possess an overall championship in the three National categories, Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget.
 
Maintaining the integrity of the prestige of the USAC Triple Crown, which has only been achieved by five drivers in USAC‘s history, drivers in the 2013 National Midget series will earn eligibility meeting two criteria.
 
First, a driver must win either the dirt or pavement championship. In addition, the driver must compile the most points in total Midget competition. For the sole purpose of establishing this Triple Crown criteria, an overall National Midget Championship points tally will be maintained, utilizing total points combined on dirt and pavement.
 
Pancho Carter became the first driver to earn the Triple Crown designation, winning the Midget title in 1972, the Sprint in 1974 and 1976 and the Silver Crown in 1978. Tony Stewart won the 1994 Midget title and added all three championships in 1995. Dave Darland followed, winning the Silver Crown in 1997, Sprint in 1999 and Midget in 2001 and 2002. In 2001 J.J. Yeley won the Sprint title, came back in 2002 with the Silver Crown championship and then won all three in 2003. Jerry Coons Jr. joined the illustrious list with the 2006 and 2007 Midget titles and the 2008 Sprint and Silver Crown championships.
 
Currently active USAC drivers with two of the three Triple Crown legs to their credit include Tracy Hines (Silver Crown and Sprint), Levi Jones (Silver Crown and Sprint), Bryan Clauson (Sprint and Midget), Bobby East (Silver Crown and Midget) and Jason Leffler (Silver Crown and Midget).

QA1, a leader in high quality suspension components, celebrates 20 years in business this year, marking two decades of leadership and innovation in the motorsports and industrial markets.

In 1993, current CEO Jim Jordan founded QA1 with more than 25 years of experience in the rod end and spherical bearing industries. His innovation and forward thinking has led QA1 to be the groundbreaking company in the industrial and motorsports markets it is today.

QA1 was originally located in a rented warehouse in Burnsville, Minnesota, and began operations with just three employees. After rapidly growing its sales of rod ends and spherical bearings, QA1 broke into the shock absorber business with the purchase of Hal Shocks in 1998.

Quickly outgrowing the 8000-square-foot warehouse, QA1 moved to its current location in Lakeville, Minnesota. QA1 purchased Carrera Shocks in 2004 and CAP Auto Products and Edelbrock’s suspension line in 2011, further adding to its extensive product offering.  

Today, QA1 has sold more than one million performance shock absorbers and sells more than one million rod ends and spherical bearings each year. QA1’s manufacturing and office space spans 66,000 square feet, and will be expanded to approximately 100,000 square feet this spring.

QA1 introduced many new products in 2013 with several new circle track racing shocks, 5th Generation Camaro shocks, struts and related suspension components, and several suspension components for Mopar A, B and E-Bodies. Later this year, QA1 also will introduce carbon fiber drive shafts, all of which will be made in its Lakeville facility.

As part of its anniversary celebration, QA1 will host several events including its 2nd Annual Open House and Cruise in conjunction with the Car Craft Summer Nationals Friday, July 19. Learn more by visiting www.qa1.net/cruise.

For additional information and a free catalog, call 800/721-7761 or visit QA1’s website at www.QA1.net.

India’s first-ever international drag race will be held at Aamby Valley City on March 9-10.

The Valley Run 2013 will feature racers from across the country—and the world—showcasing their cars and bikes on the Aamby Valley City Airstrip, and competing with each other to set the best quarter-mile time.  

The competition is open to professional race car drivers and the general public, who will be able to participate in various categories, from 100cc to 225cc 2 stroke bikes, and diesel cars over the 3001 cubic capacity.

A total of 300 supercars, bikes, and modified cars and bikes are expected to participate, and will have to adhere to strict scrutiny and safety guidelines established by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

The event is being run in collaboration with Elite Octane Inc., and is also supported by the FMSCI, Performance Racing Store and Seventh Gear Customs.

Perma-Cool Products in Ontario, California, has appointed Kevin Doyle to the position of Sales & Marketing Manager.

Doyle’s main responsibilities include domestic and international sales, with an emphasis on expanding the company’s distribution base, as well as marketing, including advertising, brand management and media relations.

Doyle brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry. Prior to joining Perma-Cool, he was sales & marketing manager for Global West Suspension, sales manager for Russell Performance, and also worked for the Edelbrock Corporation.

He also has experience on the publishing side of the industry with The Rodders Journal and Drive Media.

Doyle can be reached at kevind@perma-cool.com.

For more about Perma-Cool, visit www.Perma-Cool.com.

Coxreels, a third-generation family owned and operated business, will observe 2013 as a time to remember its strong and loyal customers, the many achievements of the past, celebrate its accomplishments of today, and look forward to a successful future.

Established in 1923 as Cox Air Gauge, Coxreels set the bar as the industry standard and is today a leading US manufacturer of hose, cord, and cable reels.

Aimed at enhancing the automotive service station market in the beginning, the Coxreels brand has evolved and the offering has grown to be a global product used in over 24 different industries.

Many patents have marked the company’s milestones of quality and innovation, and the business works to continuously improve the hose, cord and cable handling industry, introducing proprietary technologies and superior special features.  

Building off its founding principles, advanced engineering teamed with unmatched manufacturing processes has allowed Coxreels to refine the industry resulting in top quality reeling solutions.

While strongly forging ahead, Coxreels acknowledges the roads that have led it to be who it is today.
 
Offering a full product line serving the industry in every channel and application, Coxreels takes great pride in designing, building, and supporting all of their products in the US.

For further information on the Coxreels product line, contact Customer Service at 800/269-7335 or visit www.coxreels.com.

Daytona International Speedway (DIS) President Joie Chitwood has conducted the first in-depth, virtual “walk through” of what the iconic Speedway would look like as part of a proposed redevelopment project, one that Chitwood emphasized would be designed to reaffirm the Speedway’s standing among race fans as “the world center of racing for years to come.”

The proposed project is subject to approval by senior management of the International Speedway Corporation (ISC), which owns Daytona International Speedway, pending several economic stability factors as well as construction design and costs. The project may also be impacted by state legislation that would include incentives for surpassing significant private investment levels.

Speaking to nearly 300 media members and motorsports industry leaders this morning at the Speedway, Chitwood guided attendees through three-dimensional video renderings of what the redeveloped frontstretch structure would look like. The vision for the redevelopment places an emphasis on enhancing “the complete fan experience,” beginning with five expanded and redesigned fan entrances (“injectors”) along International Speedway Boulevard.

Each injector would lead directly to a series of escalators that would transport fans to any of three different concourse levels, each featuring spacious and strategically-placed social “neighborhoods” along the mile-long frontstretch. The 11 neighborhoods, each measuring the size of a football field, would enable fans to meet and socialize during events without ever missing any on-track action, thanks to an open-sightline design throughout each concourse and dozens of added video screens in every neighborhood.

The central neighborhood, the “World Center of Racing,” would celebrate the history of Daytona International Speedway and its many historic moments throughout more than 50 years of racing.

In addition, the redevelopment would see every seat in the Speedway frontstretch replaced with new and more comfortable seating, as well as the addition of more restrooms and concession stands within easier access points for all fans.

To learn more about the potential project, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/redevelopment.

Firestone Indy Lights has announced that the introduction of its next-generation car will be delayed until after the 2014 season.
 


"While we have generated quite a bit of interest from a variety of manufacturers, we feel it's best to delay the introduction of the next-generation chassis and engine," said Tony George Jr., director, Firestone Indy Lights. "We want our teams, drivers and manufacturers to be competitive and successful, and if that means taking a step back to create a stronger series to support the economics of this long-termcapital investment as well as a formula that we believe will allow our drivers to transition between Pro Mazda and the IZOD IndyCar Series, then we're willing to make sure the introduction is timed properly."
 


Series officials, citing the desired attributes of a contemporary chassis with enhanced aerodynamics and technology, announced last May that a request for proposal had been distributed to potential manufacturers and development firms for both engine and chassis. All Firestone Indy Lights competitors currently run a Dallara chassis and a 3.5-liter, normally aspirated V8 engine.
 

INDYCAR continues to make investments to grow Firestone Indy Lights while providing further value to all participants throughout the Mazda Road to Indy system that also includes the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.
 


This season, Firestone Indy Lights has an improved TV package, with all races televised on NBC Sports Network. The television schedule features enhanced time windows, serving as lead-in programming to IZOD IndyCar Series broadcasts where the schedules allow, showcasing the series to a larger audience. The Freedom 100 on May 24 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be televised live.
 


Additionally, INDYCAR recently re-launched the Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy website as part of indycar.com, serving as the go-to resource for news and features on the next generation of the sport's stars.
 


The Firestone Indy Lights champion, claiming a Mazda Road to Indy scholarship to apply to an IZOD IndyCar Series program, has graduated to the premier series three of the past four years.

Several American Speed Association Member Tracks have released their 2013 racing schedules. Many will be opening within the next two months.

Following is the list of regular season opening dates already announced by the ASA Member Tracks:

Big Country Speedway (Cheyenne, WY) – Saturday, May 4
Dillon Motor Speedway (Dillon, SC) – Saturday, March 9
East Bay Raceway Park (Gibsonton, FL) – Saturday, March 2
Hartford Motor Speedway (Hartford, MI) – Friday, May 10
Havasu 95 Speedway (Lake Havasu City, AZ) – Saturday, March 2
I-25 Speedway (Pueblo, CO) – Saturday, May 25
Illiana Motor Speedway (Schererville, IN) – Saturday, April 21
Lonesome Pine Raceway (Coeburn, VA) – Saturday, April 6
Marshfield Motor Speedway (Marshfield, WI) – Saturday, May 11
Meridian Speedway (Meridian, ID) – Saturday, April 13
Newport Speedway (Newport, TN) – Saturday, April 6
North Florida Speedway (Lake City, FL) – Saturday, March 9
Norway Speedway (Norway, MI) – Friday, May 17
Rocky Mountain Raceways (West Valley City, UT) – Saturday, May 4
Shangri-La II Motor Speedway (Tioga Center, NY) – Sunday, May 12
Shasta Speedway (Anderson, CA) – Saturday, April 13
Skagit Speedway (Algers, WA) – Saturday, April 20
State Park Speedway (Wausau, WI) – Saturday, May 18
Virginia Motor Speedway (Jamaica, VA) – Saturday, April 13
Yakima Speedway (Yakima, WA) – Saturday, April 13–Sunday, April 14

To learn more about the ASA Member Tracks and Sanctioned Series, visit www.asa-racing.com.

A national engine parts manufacturer and distributor believes it has found a way to address concerns of machine shop owners who worry about the availability of good young talent to hire for their shops.

In an effort to prime the "talent pump," Engine Parts Group, Inc. and the University of Northwestern Ohio have announced the creation of the Engine Pro Performance Scholarship Fund at UNOH.

The initial funding is coming from the donation of a 500 horsepower small block Chevrolet project racing engine that was professionally built using Engine Pro parts by the Cope Brothers Automotive Machine Shop in Tacoma, Washington.

UNOH's College of Applied Technology will be raffling off the engine this spring with hopes of raising more than $15,000 to kick off the scholarship program. In addition, EPGI has committed to donating additional money on an ongoing basis to sustain the program.

For more information, visit enginepro.com.