Sports Car Club of America, Inc. and SCCA Pro Racing have named Chris Berg to the newly created Public Relations Coordinator position, serving roles in both organizations.
 
Berg will provide detailed event coverage and serve as the main point of contact for on-site media on behalf of SCCA Pro Racing at each Mazda MX-5 Cup and Pirelli World Challenge Championship race. Berg will also handle other assignments for SCCA’s Club Racing, Solo and Rally divisions.
 
Berg comes to SCCA with two years of motorsports public relations experience with a Kansas City-based karting organization. In addition to his public relations experience, Berg has also worked as a freelance journalist since 2004, covering a variety of subjects, including higher education and college sports. The vast majority of that time was spent covering motorsports for a variety of media outlets.
 
Aside from just writing about racing, Berg has been an active racer for the past 14 years and was an SCCA member prior to being hired into the organization. He earned his undergraduate degree from University of Missouri-Columbia, and has an MBA from Baker University.
 
Berg resides in Overland Park, Kansas, with his wife Anne. He can be reached in the office at 785/862-7147 or at cberg@scca.com.

Toyo Tire U.S.A has formed a partnership with Robby Gordon Off-Road’s Stadium Super Trucks (SST), becoming the first tire manufacturer to sign for the 2013 inaugural season of stadium-style off-road racing. 
 
Robby Gordon’s new concept of stadium racing involves high-powered off-road trucks racing on challenging dirt tracks consisting of huge jumps, crossovers, and tight corners. The 2013 season will be comprised of 12 events providing action in the greatest venues across North America.
 
Toyo Tires will have multiple Stadium Super Trucks equipped with its popular Open Country M/T, including that of No. 7 Robby Gordon.
 
Additional drivers representing Toyo Tires in the series will be announced at a later date. Toyo Tires will also be the presenting tire sponsor at two televised events, including the season opener at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, on April 6.
 
In related news, Traxxas has announced their commitment to a two-truck franchise for the inaugural 2013 season of Robby Gordon Off-Road’s Stadium Super Trucks, becoming the first official multi-truck team.

Traxxas President Mike Jenkins will drive the No. 47 Traxxas Slash SST. The driver of the second truck will be announced in the coming weeks, along with the team’s official tire manufacturer.

All SST events in 2013 will be televised via tape delay on NBC networks, seven on NBC and five on NBC Sports.
 
Venues include the University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, AZ), Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach, CA), Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA), Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA), Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis, MO), Soldier Field (Chicago, IL), The Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA), Cowboys Stadium (Dallas/Arlington, EX), Metro Dome (Minneapolis, MN), Sam Boyd Stadium (Las Vegas, NV), and one to-be-named international event.

Raw power has a stamp of its own today as seven-time NASCAR National Champion Richard Petty helps dedicate the America on the Move: Muscle Cars Forever stamps.

Petty, his son Kyle and Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe together dedicated the limited-edition stamps at the Daytona International Speedway, where “The King” won a record seven Daytona 500 Championships.

Typically equipped with big, powerful engines, these high-performance vehicles began roaring across America in the 1960s. The limited edition stamps feature five iconic muscle cars: the ’66 Pontiac GTO, the ’67 Shelby GT-500, the ’69 Dodge Charger Daytona, the ’70 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda and the ’70 Chevelle SS.

“The Muscle Cars stamps celebrate an exciting era in American automotive history,” said Richard Petty. “These examples of raw power bring back fond memories for me and my family, a testament to how aerodynamics transformed racing. I’ve been around racing and muscle cars all my life. These stamps bring back the memories of our racing heritage in the ‘60s and ‘70s. This is a great way to share our stories, old and new, about the Petty history in racing.”

“The muscle cars gave everyday Americans the opportunity to experience the rush of driving a fast, powerful car,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. “Just looking at the stamps evokes a feeling of speed. As Forever stamps, they’ll always be good for mailing a First-Class letter anytime in the future. And when you think about it, that’s fitting. Because these stamps—just like the great cars they represent—are timeless.”


The Muscle Cars Forever stamps are the third issuance in the America on the Move stamp series. The artwork was created by Tom Fritz of Newbury Park, CA, under the art direction of Carl T. Herrman of North Las Vegas, NV. Other issuances in the series, ’50s Sporty Cars (2005), followed by ’50s Fins and Chrome (2008), were the work of artist Art Fitzpatrick of Carlsbad, CA.  

The Muscle Cars stamps are being issued as Forever stamps in self-adhesive sheets of 20 (four of each design). Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

For more information or to order these stamps, click this link.

Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) President Ron Drager (pictured) and Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways General Manager Scott Schultz were jointly presented with the 37th Auto Racing Promoter of the Year award by Racing Promotion Monthly (RPM) recently during the 40th RPM Speedweek National Workshop at the Plaza Resort and Spa in Daytona Beach, Florida.

“Considering the caliber of auto racing industry leaders who have won the Auto Racing Promoter of the Year award in the past, it’s very humbling to be selected for this honor, and to be among that group,” Drager said.

“I accept this award on behalf of my grandparents (ARCA founders John and Mildred Marcum) who started promoting races in 1949, and Scott Schultz, who puts in tireless hours of effort so the tracks can be as successful as they are. I’m honored to be one of the six regional winners, who are all deserving of the honor.”

The Auto Racing Promoter of the Year is short track racing’s most prestigious award. It is awarded each year after voting by promoters. The award was originated in 1976 by the editors of Racing Promotion Monthly. Voting is conducted in two phases: a preliminary ballot in the newsletter nominates candidates in six regions. The six candidates become Regional Promoters of the Year and then appear on a second ballot for final voting. It is the only national award recognizing promotional excellence selected by peers. The award is for the 23rd year sponsored by Charlotte Motor Speedway which confers upon the Promoter of the Year perks and privileges at the North Carolina Superspeedway.

The nominees up for the award this year were Region One, the Eastern Region, Bruce & Teresa Rogers, Grandview (PA) Speedway; Region Two, the Southeastern Region, Harold Crook, Lonesome Pine (VA) Raceway; Region Three, the Central Region, Drager and Schultz, Flat Rock (MI) and Toledo (OH) Speedways; Region Four, the Northern Region, the Ashland-Bayfield County Racing Association and Kurt Beeksma, ABC (WI) Raceway; Region Five, the Great Plains Region, Dan Robinson, Lucas Oil (MO) Speedway; and the Rocky Mountain West Region, Steve Beitler, Skagit (WA) Speedway. The Rogers received their fourth nomination, their first coming in 1984 and most recent previous nomination in 2008, Beitler received his third nomination in four years, Drager and Schultz their second, following a previous nomination in 2001. Ashland-Bayfield, Robinson, and Crook are first-time nominees.

Bob Sargent, Track Enterprises, Macon (IL), Paducah (KY) Speedways, received the award last year. Previous winners are: Hugh Deery, 1976/1984; J.C. Agajanian, 1977; D. Anthony Venditti, 1978; Jack Gunn, 1979; George Eisenhart, 1980; Dick O’Brien, 1981; Howard Tiedt, 1982; Don Martin, 1983; Glenn Donnelly, 1985; Cary Agajanian, 1986; Bud Lunsford, 1987; Bob Daniels, 1988; Howard Commander, 1989; Ray Wilkings, 1990; Paul Kuhl, 1991; Robert Lawton; 1992; Earl Baltes, 1993; Jody Deery, 1994; Andy Vertrees, 1995; Charles Powell, 1996; C-Ray Hall, 1997; Larry Kemp, 1998; Charles Cathell, 1999; Charles Deery, 2000; Ralph Capitani, 2001; Lanny Edwards, 2002; Bob and Nadine Strauss, 2003; Tom Curley, 2004, Steve York, 2005; John Padjen, 2006; Lynn Phillips, 2007; Joe and Walt Doellefeld, 2008; the Nuckles family, Columbus (OH) Motor Speedway, 2009; and the Queensland family, Deer Creek (MN) Speedway, 2010.

The Auto Racing Promoter of the Year is selected by readers of Racing Promotion Monthly. Nominees operate weekly schedule oval tracks or drag strips.
Sixteen of 32 Promoters of the Year promoted or promote paved tracks, and 16 operate or operated dirt tracks. Sixty-one percent of Promoters of the Year owned or own their facilities, while 12 lease or leased them. Twenty-four of the 32 made or make their primary living promoting auto races. Breaking down the tracks by length, 10 operate or operated 1/2-mile tracks, eight, 1/4-mile tracks, four, 3/8-mile tracks, three, 5/8-mile tracks, three, 1/3-mile, and two 4/10-mile tracks. There have been 266 regional promoters of the year awards shared between 130 nominees.

Gateway Motorsports Park owner Curtis Francois has recruited one of the industry’s highest regarded track veterans to join his team, naming 20-year racing veteran Chris Blair as senior vice president of business development and promotion for the Madison, Illinois, facility.  

Blair is in charge of supervising Gateway’s overall motorsports racing operations and promotions while developing new revenue streams for the 1.25-mile Superspeedway, NHRA sanctioned drag strip, road course and venues currently under development.
 
Known throughout the industry for his ability to create trend-setting fan experiences, Blair is also highly regarded by racers and marketing partners.  He has been recognized for his accomplishments and promotional expertise by multiple drag racing, drift and oval racing organizations. 

Blair has also specialized in producing major events on multiple venues including NHRA Drag Racing, NASCAR touring series, Off-Road, Formula Drift, Supercross, Monster Jam and action sports entertainment. 
 
Blair’s experience in motorsports includes serving as Vice President of Racing Operations for Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NHRA Northwest Division Director, Director of Business Development for PACE Motorsports (now known as Feld Entertainment) and as an independent promoter and consultant for various racing teams and sanctioning bodies.
 
The racing season at Gateway Motorsports Park officially begins March 15, 2013. An important key to reopening Gateway in 2012 was the commitment to drag racing and the partnership with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Francois inked a long-term deal with the NHRA in 2012, and this year’s event will be held September 27-29.

The International Hot Rod Association has announced that Good Vibrations Motorsports will expand its partnership with IHRA Motorsports across the board in 2013, including a brand new sponsorship of the IHRA’s quickest and fastest sportsman classes in Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
 
Beginning with the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour event at State Capitol Raceway in March, Good Vibrations Motorsports will serve as the title sponsor for the premier sportsman doorslammer and dragster classes at all 2013 IHRA events, including Nitro Jam and Summit Pro-Am competitions as Good Vibrations Motorsports continues to expand its presence with the all-new IHRA.
 
Good Vibrations Motorsports, based in Whittier, California, was founded by former Funny Car driver Jim Maher in 1989 as a home for high-performance racing products. The company specializes in supercharged applications and mechanical fuel injection.

Good Vibrations founder Maher is also an avid drag racing fan and Funny Car racer with multiple victories to his credit.
 
Good Vibrations Motorsports will also act as presenting sponsor for three IHRA Nitro Jam events in 2013, including the Arizona Nitro Jam (March 23), the San Antonio Nitro Jam (April 5-6) and the MOPAR Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals (July 5-7).
 
The Good Vibrations Top Sportsman and Good Vibrations Top Dragster classes will compete at all of the remaining Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour events and at seven Nitro Jam events on the 2013 schedule. Good Vibrations Top Dragster will be the sole featured class at the Arizona Nitro Jam at Southwestern International Raceway.
 
For more information on the 2013 Nitro Jam schedule, visit www.nitrojam.com, and for more information on Good Vibrations Motorsports and its lineup of products, visit www.goodvibesracing.com.

DRT Racing, a North American importer of the DR Racing Kart, has expanded the chassis brand into the Lone Star state.

The New Hampshire-based operation has partnered with a new karting program based in the Dallas, Texas area—Apex Karting.

The newest dealer to the North American DR Racing Kart network under the DRT Racing banner will field a new race team, labeled Pole Position Kart Racing, and has announced rising shifter kart star Jake French to the DR Racing Kart for 2013.

The Pole Position Kart Racing operation is a new team formed by Robert Finley. The Texas businessman is the President and CEO of Lone Star Karting and owner of the Pole Position Raceway franchise in the Dallas area, located in Frisco, which has been open for roughly one and a half years.

With the creation of Pole Position Kart Racing, the operation has added some experience in the form of shifter kart driver Jake French. The Sachse, Texas, native is into his second season as an S1 Pro Stock Moto pilot on the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour and Texas ProKart Challenge programs.

The Pole Position Kart Racing team will make its 2013 debut at the upcoming Lone Star Grand Prix in Lockhart, Texas, on March 2-3, already working with five racers in various shifter classes. Among them is Skyler Finley, who moved over from motocross two years ago into karting.

The Finley family is no stranger to karting, as Robert and his brother Mike grew up racing karts in Texas. Mike won a number of karting titles in the 1990s, and will serve as Team Manager. Veteran motocross mechanic Travis Chevalier will work as the lead mechanic for the team. He’s been with the Pole Position Raceway in Dallas for two years, and has experience working with Monster Kawasaki and Rockstar Suzuki motocross operations. 

A website is currently in development, as the race team shop is busy with action inside the Pole Position Raceway in Frisco. Plans are to field a team of drivers at the Texas ProKart Challenge, the SKUSA Pro Tour, and other local events in Texas.

Find out more about Pole Position Kart Racing by contacting Robert at robert.finley@frisco.polepositionraceway.com or calling 972/839.3414.

DRT Racing has two locations along the East Coast: The original shop is located in Hudson, New Hampshire with the new warehouse, engine development and race team is based out of the Bluff City, Tennessee.

For more information, or to be part of the growing DR Racing Kart chassis dealer network, visit www.drt-racing.com.

Columbia Marking Tools (CMT) is taking demonstrations of its marking systems to customers’ facilities again in 2013, touring the country with a 40-foot showroom on wheels.

The air-conditioned trailer lets visitors walk through to see and try a variety of CMT marking technologies, followed by light refreshments. The line-up includes:

·      I-Mark dot peen systems — I-Series (Integrator) and M-Series (Moderate production)
·      I-Mark C-Series high-speed dot peen/scribe system
·      Cognex 2-D UID code reading system
·      Eco-Mark laser marking station
·      Handy Andy bench top dot peen marker
·      Roll marker
·      Air impact marker
·      Stamps and dies in a variety of shapes and sizes
           
“Since it’s not convenient for every marking system user to visit us in Michigan or attend a trade show where we’re exhibiting, we are taking our technologies to them,” said Michelle Krembel, CMT president. “It’s one more example of how Columbia Marking Tools puts customers first.”
           
CMT is currently scheduling appearances of the mobile exhibit at customer locations, making one or two stops a day. Its route will take it to every region of the United States:

·      February – California
·      April – Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia
·      May – Illinois
·      June – Ohio and Missouri
·      August – New England
·      September – Michigan and Indiana
·      October – Texas

Anyone interested in attending one of these demonstrations or hosting the CMT mobile exhibit should contact Columbia Marking Tools at 586/949-8400.

Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards have extended their contract, which calls for Hoosier to be the official tire of the series, through 2015.

The agreement provides for the continued exclusive use of Hoosier Racing Tires in the ARCA Racing Series for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 racing seasons and continues an established awards program and cost containment initiative for series teams.

Hoosier has recently developed and introduced a short track radial tire and a road course wet radial tire to complement its long established superspeedway radial tire and dirt track bias tire programs in the series.

“Hoosier’s exclusive business is building quality tires for racers, and we have great confidence in extending the ARCA-Hoosier relationship through the 2015 season,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “Hoosier’s commitment to engineering, development and production of tires constructed specifically for the demanding and diverse ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards venues—including paved short tracks, dirt tracks, road courses and superspeedways—continues to be proven each race weekend.”

The agreement extends Hoosier’s status as among the longest-standing participating manufacturer-sponsor relationships in the 61-year history of the sanctioning body. Hoosier has participated as a supplier for ARCA sanctioned racing events since 1985, and first became the official tire of the ARCA Racing Series in 1995.

Hoosier co-founder Bob Newton began his association with ARCA founder John Marcum in 1953 when he competed as a racer in ARCA-sanctioned short track racing at Flat Rock Speedway.

“ARCA has played a key role in our strategic vision here at Hoosier,” said Hoosier Vice President of Sales & Marketing Dennis Sherman. “Our participation with ARCA has facilitated the expansion and development of our tires and service for the race teams over the years, and we look forward to more racing accomplishments as the official tire of ARCA in the future.”

Hoosier is a major series point fund contributor and the exclusive sponsor of the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge point fund, in addition to posting other prize money bonuses including a per-race and year-end winner’s bonus. Hoosier has also worked with ARCA to develop a maximum tire consumption rule for all venues and races on the tour as a cost containment measure.

The Hoosier extension has received considerable support from the ARCA Racing Series competitor base.

“It’s great to see Hoosier coming back to provide our race tire through 2015,” said nine-time ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards champion Frank Kimmel. “We know how hard those guys in the purple shirts work, race in and race out, to consistently provide us with the best product they can put on the track. There’s a comfort level knowing that Hoosier and ARCA have made such a commitment to one another over the years, and that the common goal is a good, safe, fast race tire for all of us in the series to race on.”

Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) has announced the signing of a sanctioning agreement with SCCA Pro Racing.

SCCA Pro Racing, a subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., will provide sanctioning for all nine rounds of the 2013 GRC Championship, working in conjunction with local sporting authorities for three international rounds planned in Brazil, Spain and Germany.

“SCCA was a logical choice for us and we look forward to working together with them as we expand our series,” Colin Dyne, CEO of GRC said. “Through our relationship with SCCA Pro Racing, GRC will now be an FIA recognized series which is an important step for international growth.”

SCCA is a member of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), the National Sporting Authority for the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in the USA.

SCCA Pro Racing will license all GRC drivers and also provide FIA licenses for drivers competing in international events. SCCA Pro will further provide, via ACCUS, listing of all GRC events on the FIA International Calendar.

For more information, including ticket sales, competitor information and registration details, visit www.global-rallycross.com.