Simpson Performance Products announced this week that they are continuing as a major contingency sponsor in 2013 for the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

Simpson, headquartered in Texas, is the only full-service safety gear manufacturer inside the garage at NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races.

“Simpson is a valued contingency partner of NASCAR and we are proud to have them service our teams with “at-track support” each week,” said Nick Gallo, NASCAR Senior Manager Business Development, Automotive & Contingency.

Details and information about Simpson Performance Products are available at www.teamsimpson.com or by calling 800/654-7223.

Prestolite Performance, a performance auto parts manufacturer of brands including Mr. Gasket, ACCEL, ACCEL Motorcycle, Hays, Lakewood, Mallory, Mallory Marine and Prestolite Proconnect, has named Don Barry as its new president.
 
Barry stated that he plans to accelerate Prestolite Performance's growth through a focus on new products, brand marketing and world-class customer service.
 
"Prestolite Performance has deep roots in the performance automotive category, and we will dip back into those roots in order to grow faster in the future," Barry said. "My new role on the Prestolite Performance team will be to reinvigorate our brands and add excitement to the performance automotive industry. With so many exciting opportunities ahead, I am truly thrilled to become part of the Prestolite Performance family at such a pivotal point for the company."
 
With 27 years in the industry, Barry spent more than 16 years of experience with 3M, including its automotive aftermarket business and as president of the Consumer Group Europe, based in Paris. He was a senior vice president at Dorman Products, and was recently CEO at OttLiteTechnologies.
 
Barry also is an avowed "car guy." His current project involves searching for a chassis for his built vintage 392 Hemi, and he has owned numerous muscle (and other) cars during his lifetime, ranging from a '64 Mercury Marauder to a '70 LS-6 Chevy Chevelle, and others in between.

Holley has announced September 6-8 as the dates for Holley LS Fest 2013. This will be the fourth year that Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky, has been the venue for the all-LS celebration of performance and handling.

2012 saw continued growth for the event. Both vendors and participants increased as GM’s LS engine remains a popular choice for enthusiasts looking to make easy, reliable power. Participants choose LS Fest to put current or finished projects through their paces in a host of performance events.

LS Fest remains the only event where fans can experience auto-crossing, a countryside cruise, drag racing, drifting, a mobile dyno, engine swap challenge, show-n-shine, speed stop challenge, and all in the same place. The overarching rule to any of the events is that the vehicle must be powered by an LS engine to participate.

Each year a “Grand Champion” is announced at LS Fest. This award goes to the driver that performs the best across not only the autocross, but drag racing, the speed stop challenge, and the show-n-shine included. It truly showcases the individual with the most well rounded vehicle.

2013 should be the largest LS Fest yet with more vendors, spectators, and media exposure documenting the most impactful engine since the original small block Chevy.

Visit www.holleylsfest.com for HD video coverage of LS Fest and for more updates regarding Holley LS Fest 2013.

For the second year in a row the MAZDASPEED Scholarship winner, by way of the Skip Barber Race Series Championship Shootout, has chosen Belardi Auto Racing to compete in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Championship.

Peter Portante, 16, who won the Shootout at Road Atlanta in December, has signed with the Mazda Road to Indy team for the 2013 season.



"Being a huge fan of formula car racing, I always wanted to give road racing a shot, but with continued success in oval cars we found it tough to make the change," said Portante. "Once we learned about Skip Barber and what they had to offer it seemed like a no-brainer to us, so we made the switch while running a limited late model season.



"We could not have been happier the way 2012 went. There was a very steep learning curve when I started and I went through a lot of growing pains. With proper coaching from Lee Carpentier and the whole Skip Barber staff I was able to elevate my driving in a very short period of time.”



The Connecticut native began competing in karting at age 7 and eventually graduated to stock cars. Portante turned to open-wheel racing with a move to Skip Barber, where he had a successful season in the Summer Series.

Portante then participated in the Shootout, a rigorous three-day process of media training, fitness evaluation, and business proposal evaluation in addition to the race events.

"We're happy to see another talented racer from the Skip Barber Racing School make the jump to USF2000," said John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports. "Peter earned this ride against some great competition. He will certainly have his work cut out for him this season as he moves up a rung on the Mazda Road to Indy. The combination of his Skip Barber experience, coupled with great support from Belardi Auto Racing should allow Peter to rise to the occasion."

The 2013 Stock Car Tech Seminar & Promoters Roundtable has been scheduled for Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23, 2013, at Five Star Race Car Bodies in Twin Lakes, WI. 

The bi-annual event is open to promoters, tech officials, and public/media relation members in auto racing.
 
The one-day seminar and roundtable is designed to help learn and share ideas with peers along with experts in the industry.
 
The Tech Seminar topics and experts include:

Ignition Tech (Terry Johnson, Crane Ignitions)
Wheel Safety (Brian Gill, Bassett Wheels)
Whistler and P&G (Eddie Chew, CRA Racing)
Crate & Seal Engines (DeWayne McGunegill & Sean Brincefield, MEP Engines)
Tires (Irish Saunders, Hoosier Racing Tires)
Chassis Safety (Wayne Lensing, Lefthander Chassis)
Seat and Driver Safety
Correct Body Mounting/Tech Inspection (Five Star Race Car Bodies)
How to Handle Non-Compliant Parts (Gerald H. Brandenhoff, Attorney at Law)
 
The Promoters Roundtable will feature experts discussing different topics with the main emphasis being an open discussion among promoters and public/media relation members.
 
The Promoter Roundtable Topics and Experts include:

State of Short Track Racing (Tim Frost, National Speedway Directory)
What the Racer Really Wants and Keys to Successful Promotion (Rob Fisher, Circle Track Magazine)
Current Insurance Issues and Trends (Jeff Ladd, Sports Insurance Specialists)
Marketing/Public Relations/Social Media (Craig Armstrong, Iowa Speedway)
Sanctioning Bodies (Dennis Huth, ASA Racing)
Race Directing and Dealing with Difficult People (Steve Dickson, Rockford Speedway)
Hits and Misses at your Track/Series
Ideas to Enhance your Announcers
 
Circle Track magazine is supporting the 2013 Tech Seminar & Promoters Roundtable.
 
A special thank you to the following supporters: Five Star Race Car Bodies, ASA Racing, Circle Track magazine, Hoosier Racing Tires, McGunegill Engine Performance, Crane Cams, Bassett Wheels, Lefthander Chassis, CRA Racing, National Speedway Directory, and Rockford Speedway.
 
On Friday, March 22, there will be a Meet & Greet Reception at Five Star followed by dinner & drinks at Lucky Mojo’s in Burlington, WI. 

The Tech Seminar/Promoters Roundtable will take place on Saturday, March 23 with breakfast and the opening presentation at 7:30am.
 
Registration is $75 per person if paid by March 1 ($85 after March 1). Checks should be made out to ML Racing and sent to Kevin Ramsell, 335 Olson Ct #103, Stoughton, WI 53589.
 
The Hampton Inn in Burlington has a block of rooms available at a discount rate of $89. Call 262/767-1900 to make a reservation and request the Five Star group rate.
 
Five Star Race Car Bodies is located at 36728 89th St, Twin Lakes, WI 53181. www.fivestarbodies.com.
 
For more information, call Mike “Lumpy” Lemke, Tech Seminar Coordinator, at 920/621-7329 or Kevin Ramsell at 608/219-5912. The official Tech Seminar & Promoters Roundtable is www.fivestarbodies.com/techseminar.

Online event pre-registration is now open for all 2013 American Drag Racing League tour events.

“Our team has worked very hard to simplify and streamline the entire online event pre-registration process,” said ADRL CEO Jessica Nowling. “Since reacquiring the company many of our competitors expressed their desire for a more efficient online pre-registration process. We have worked hard to provide them with just that and believe that they will be pleased with the results.”

Perhaps the most significant change is that neither racers nor crew members will be required to have individual ADRL memberships. Each race team will pay a flat competitors fee depending upon which class they intend to compete in. Their competitor packet, which will include everything that they will need to compete, will then be mailed directly to them as long as they pre-register at least 14 days prior to any event.

Anyone who pre-registers after the 14-day cutoff will be able to pick up their competitor packet at the gate when they arrive at the event.

Pre-registration is required for anyone wanting to compete in the 2013 ADRL tour. ADRL competitors may pre-register online at http://adrl.cloverpad.org/pre-registration. Online pre-registration will close at 5:00 p.m. CST on the Monday prior to each event. Anyone who plans on competing and has not pre-registered by this time can call toll free 855-660-2375 to do so no later than 5:00 p.m. CST on the Wednesday prior to each event.

The Top Sportsman and Top Dragster classes will be limited to 50 entries at each event. The Pro Junior Dragster and Top Junior Dragster classes will be limited to 32 entries at each event. As a result, competitors in these classes are encouraged to pre-register for the events that they desire to compete in as soon as possible.



The 2013 ADRL Tour presented by Speedtech kicks off with Dragpalooza IX at Rockingham Dragway on March 9–10.

For more information, visit www.adrl.us.

On April 21, history will be made at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with an unprecedented road course demonstration race by Robby Gordon Off-Road Stadium Super Trucks, which will run just prior to Sunday’s IZOD IndyCar Series main event.



“Long Beach is going to be insane,” said Gordon, a California native. “Imagine these 600 HP machines drifting around corners and hitting metal jumps, flying over 50 feet through the air on the famous road course that has seen icons like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Jr. and many more. To run our Stadium Super Trucks Series here it’s truly a great thing for us as we get to bring even more fun and excitement to the Long Beach event and show racing fans what off-road trucks can really do on asphalt.”



Gordon, who himself competed regularly on the streets of Long Beach in the mid-1990s, scored a Trans Am win as well as a podium finish for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race in 1994.

Gordon will be one of the many drivers who will race as well as become airborne (over specially constructed metal ramps) in the only event on the 2013 Stadium Super Trucks schedule slated to run on asphalt.



“We are excited to add Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks to our Sunday program,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “This will bring a whole new dimension to the multitude of racing activities we have on our weekend program and the sights and sounds of those V-8 trucks going down Shoreline Drive should be awesome.”

Race fans will certainly get an eyeful as the Stadium SUPER Trucks go to battle, powered by 600-horsepower engines, going door-to-door on the 11-turn, 1.97-mile street course circuit for this special one-of-a-kind event.

The Grand Prix exhibition will serve as the build-up to the Robby Gordon Off-Road Stadium Super Trucks event scheduled the following weekend (April 26-27) at the famed L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The series then moves to San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium on May 4 and May 18 for two thrilling venues to round out the commemorative California portion of the inaugural 2013 season. 



Gordon’s new series, based in Charlotte, N.C., debuts April 6 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with packed stadiums expected throughout a 12-race season. Other venues include Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Soldier Field in Chicago, Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, and the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

In related news, SST announced this week the addition of the Super Buggy class to the Inaugural 2013 season.

The Super Buggy is an off-road racing class similar to one of the popular Super 1600 Buggies that used to compete in Mickey Thompson’s Off-Road Racing Series more than 25 years ago.

The eagerly anticipated Super Buggy debuts April 6 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. and will also feature racing from Bigfoot Monster Trucks as well as the Stadium Super Trucks, the main feature of the series.

“Guys will race for $5,000 going to the winner with second place earning $2,500 and third getting $1,500, all while being televised on NBC. Adding another competitive class to SST will bring great drivers and teams that will make for exciting racing that fans will really enjoy,” said Gordon.

The new Super Buggy is an open-wheel buggy, very similar to the familiar Pro Buggy Unlimited class that features a motor with approximately 210 horsepower.

With a maximum track width of 93” and only weighing a minimum of 1800 lbs., this class is a stepping-stone for young guns and a playground for off-road veterans to showcase their skills in front of thousands of fans in first-class stadiums.

Registration for the SUPER Buggy class will be available for participants to sign up for the 2013 Championship season soon at http://www.usacracing.org.

BrakeQuip has moved to larger facilities, and this week installed its new sign to mark the occasion.

The company’s new address is 3143 Regal Drive, Alcoa, Tennessee 37901
 
BrakeQuip was founded in 1998 in Australia by Fred Anderson, who owned a brake parts store and developed a concept of making brake hoses to order at the point of sale, usually while the customer waited.

The concept proved so successful that Anderson developed a manufacturing system that could be easily and economically pro­duced to sell to others.

Today, BrakeQuip is a leading supplier of automotive tubes and hoses related parts and specialist tools. The company has expanded from just brake hoses to include power steering hoses, fuel Lines, metal tubes, stainless braided hoses and more.

BrakeQuip has established more than 700 distributors in the US and has a presence in over 50 countries worldwide.

For more information on BrakeQuip parts, tools and manufacturing systems, visit www.BrakeQuip.com, call 877/431-0075 in the US, 865/251-9193 worldwide, or e-mail info@BrakeQuip.com.

The 30th season of the National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas, presented by Precise Racing Products late model division has released an 11-race schedule for the upcoming 2013 race season.

It includes familiar events and regular appearances as well as three tracks the tour hasn’t appeared in for several years.



The tour kicks off the season with a Memorial Day weekend doubleheader beginning on Saturday night, May 25th at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool, Nebraska. The tour will then head south to the home track of the series, 81 Speedway in Park City on Sunday night, May 26th.



For the first time in ten years the Salina High Banks Speedway in Salina, Oklahoma will host the series late model tour on Saturday night, June 15th in a companion event with the MARS DIRTcar series. Former series champion Al Purkey picked up the feature win that night at the track back in August of 2003.



A huge three day holiday weekend will be up next for the tour, kicking off on Wednesday night, July 3rd at Monett Speedway in Monett, Missouri in another co-sanctioned event with the MARS DIRTcar series. It will be the tours first stop at Mooneyham’s place since June of 2009 when Ken Essary picked up the victory.



The next night both tours will head to 81 Speedway in Park City for a 4th of July late model challenge before the NCRA late model series head north to the Belleville High Banks in Belleville, Kansas on Friday night, July 5th.



The O'Reilly Auto Parts 57th Annual Hutchinson Grand National Auto Races Presented by Midwest Ford Toyota will host the late model tour on Friday night, July 12 at the famed Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas before heading to the 12th annual “NCRA Late Model Nationals” at Mid-Nebraska Speedway in Doniphan, Nebraska on Saturday night, July 13th.



The tenth annual “King of the Hill Late Model Nationals” at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool, Nebraska will take place on Friday and Saturday night, August 9-10 and this year the tour, as well as event regulars from the MLRA, will be joined by the MARS DIRTcar series in what is sure to be a “can’t miss” event for all late model fans.



After a two year hiatus, Thunder Hill Speedway in Mayetta, Kansas will host the NCRA late models on Saturday night, August 24th.



For the third year in a row the season will come to an end at the Belleville High Banks Speedway in Belleville, Kansas on Labor Day Sunday night, September 1st.



Since 1971 the NCRA has sanctioned dirt track races across the Great Plains with the series currently sanctioning five other divisions. They include modifieds, southern sport modifieds, 360 sprint cars, 305 sprint cars, new mod-lite and late models.


For more information on the NCRA, visit www.racencra.com or call the series office at 316/755-1781. 



2013 NCRA Late Model Schedule



May 25 - Junction Motor Speedway McCool, Nebraska



May 26 - 81 Speedway Park City, Kansas



June 15 - Salina High Banks Speedway Salina, Oklahoma (w/MARS)



July 3 - Monett Speedway Monett, Missouri (w/MARS)



July 4 - 81 Speedway Park City, Kansas (w/MARS)



July 5 - Belleville High Banks Belleville, Kansas



July 12 - Kansas State Fairgrounds Hutchinson, Kansas



July 13 - Mid-Nebraska Speedway Doniphan, Nebraska



Aug 9-10 - Junction Motor Speedway McCool, Nebraska (w/MARS and MLRA)



Aug 24 - Thunder Hill Speedway Mayetta, Kansas 



Sept 1 - Belleville High Banks Belleville, Kansas

Michael Waltrip Racing has hired Tom German as Chief Technical Officer for the NASCAR Sprint Cup organization.

German has spent nearly 15 years with Penske Racing, most recently serving as technical director for Penske’s NASCAR teams. German will begin his duties after the February 24 Daytona 500.

The highest-ranking technical position at MWR became available when longtime MWR Technical Director Nick Hughes informed MWR he would return to his native Australia some time in 2013. Hughes joined MWR in 2008 creating and managing one of the best engineering staffs in NASCAR.

“This is such a bittersweet announcement for MWR,” said MWR founder and co-owner Michael Waltrip. “It is so rare that a person of Tom German’s experience and education comes along, period. It is even more remarkable that he became available at the perfect time.”

German received his Master’s degree in business administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management and his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron.

Hughes will remain in the United States through this summer and will maintain a close relationship with MWR as a consultant over the medium term.