Kim Green and Kevin Savoree have announced the promotion of five members of their leadership teams in Indianapolis, St. Petersburg and Toronto—changes that reflect and recognize the operation and growth of their company, Green Savoree Racing Promotions (GSRP), which owns and operates the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Honda Indy Toronto, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Mid-Ohio School.

The promotion, which entails title changes and alignment of roles and responsibilities, establishes uniformity in the structure of Green Savoree properties across all three markets and at the holding company level.

Indianapolis-based Terry Angstadt is appointed President, GSRP (previously Executive Vice President); Mike Morrisey becomes Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, GSRP (previously Vice President); Charlie Johnstone and Tim Ramsberger, previously General Managers at Toronto and St. Petersburg, respectively, are appointed President, Honda Indy Toronto and President, Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg; and Jeff Atkinson is promoted to Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Honda Indy Toronto (previously Sales Manager).

Craig Rust, an accomplished motorsports executive, remains president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School.

Terry Angstadt joined the company in early 2012 after successfully holding positions including President, INDYCAR Commercial Division and VP Marketing, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In his role as President, GSRP, Terry is charged with the performance of existing race properties and growth of the company.

Mike Morrisey began working with Kim Green and Kevin Savoree in 1996 in various financial capacities. In his present role, Mike is responsible for financial and budgetary management, bank relationships in the US and Canada, as well as human resources and information technology for the company and its subsidiaries.

Charlie Johnstone has been actively involved in the Toronto race since its founding in 1986, and has served as its GM since 2005.

Tim Ramsberger assumed the reigns of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in 2004.

Based in Toronto, Jeff Atkinson has spent the past seven years in sponsorships, ticket and hospitality sales as well as leading a growing internship and mentorship program.

Holley has announced that Trevor Wiggins is the company’s new Vice President of Sales. 

Wiggins will lead the Holley sales team in supporting customers of Holley Fuel Systems as well as other Holley products and brands including Earl’s Performance Plumbing, NOS Nitrous Oxide Systems, Hooker Headers, FlowTech Exhaust, and Weiand.

Wiggins brings with him nearly two decades of high-level sales experience in the automotive coatings industry with DuPont Performance Coatings, as well as racing experience in a wide range of motorsports.

Prior to joining Holley, he was a National Accounts Manager for key automotive aftermarket accounts including warehouse distributors and retailers as well as OEM customers across 92 locations worldwide.

A lifelong racer, Wiggins has spent time in shifter carts, Formula Ford, Formula Mazda and Toyota Atlantic, as well as in NTPA truck and tractor pulling. He is currently an NHRA Super Comp drag racing competitor and Bonneville Salt Flats racer. 

For more information, contact Holley Performance Products, 1801 Russellville Road, Bowling Green, KY 42101; call 270/782-2900; or visit www.holley.com.

The University of Northwestern Ohio will once again be presenting a $2500 Scholarship to a deserving USSA driver competing in the Mel Kenyon Midget Series or USSA Sprint Car Challenge Series Built by the UAW during the 2013 racing season. 

The UNOH Award is not points based, but rather is decided upon by USSA Officials based on a driver’s wish to learn the sport of racing, sportsmanship and a desire to build a career in motorsport. The award will be given to the driver who best represents these criteria and who is a junior or senior in high school.
 
In 1991, The University of Northwestern Ohio designed and implemented the first High Performance/Motorsports program in the world. In addition to the popular High Performance/Motorsports program offered to students in its School of Technologies, the University of Northwestern Ohio also offers degrees in its School of Business.
 
Located in Lima, Ohio, the University of Northwestern Ohio offers students many opportunities to get involved in racing.  Students don’t just build cars in the school’s shops; they compete nationally at Eldora, Waynesfield, Charlotte, Bristol, Daytona and more. Each year UNOH sends more than 60 students to Florida, who work as pit crew members at Daytona and Volusia during Speedweeks.  UNOH has a long tradition of placing students with race teams following graduation and many of those graduates are now working at the top levels of motorsport.
 
In 2006 UNOH opened a 70,000-square-foot facility dedicated to teaching the science of motorsports. Students have the ability to learn using the latest technologies used in racing. In 2012 UNOH also opened a building dedicated as a facility to house their racing teams.
 
UNOH has the only High Performance/Motorsports program in the world with its own racetrack, Limaland Motorsports Park, allowing students to: hold classes at the track, participate in racing events, and work on technical support teams.
 
UNOH Students are provided the opportunity to get involved in all aspects of racing and motorsports from grassroots racing at oval tracks and dragstrips to the top at NASCAR and NHRA events. All of these opportunities and more are available during a student’s educational training while attending the University of Northwestern Ohio.
 
For more information regarding the UNOH Scholarship program, contact Eric Bunn at 317/413-9763. For more on the University of Northwestern Ohio, visit www.unoh.edu.

The International Hot Rod Association, Summit Racing Equipment and Immokalee Regional Raceway are proud to announce that the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL season opener at Immokalee Regional Raceway will be broadcast live the weekend of February 1-3.
 
Thanks to a unique partnership between Immokalee’s legendary owner Ralph Hester and the Seminole Casino and John Taylor of Taylor Elevators, Motor Mania TV will provide complete coverage of the event from the first pair of cars down the track to the last in both qualifying and eliminations—a first in the history of the Summit Pro-Am Tour.

The live coverage will feature four camera angles plus full event results, live audio from the track and a photo gallery from the weekend.
 
“We are beyond thrilled to be able to broadcast this event to the world thanks to our friends at the Seminole Casino and Taylor Elevators,” Hester said. “This is always a great time of year as we host the very first points meet of the season and that brings a lot of great cars and heavy hitters to the track, especially our colder weather friends up north. This year we are expecting an even greater turnout and with the entire event being broadcast live all of these great racers will be given a unique stage to showcase their talents.”
 
The 2013 Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL season opener at Immokalee Regional Raceway is unique in that it is one of two Wild Card events on the schedule. The event is open to racers of all divisions and will count as an in-division claim no matter what division the racer claims. The event will also feature two point paying races in one weekend, making it an attractive option for northern racers looking to get a little track time.
 
“Immokalee is always a unique event on the Summit Pro-Am schedule as it attracts a lot of racers from a lot of different divisions who are tired of being cooped up at home,” said Skooter Peaco, IHRA VP of Race Operations. “It is always one of the most competitive races of the season and with the event now being broadcast live, it should add a little extra incentive for the racers to show their stuff in front of thousands of people watching at home.”
 
IHRA’s very first live broadcast with Motor Mania TV was the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment World Finals at Memphis International Raceway. The event attracted over 34,000 viewers from 25 different countries, making it one of the most successful debut events in the history of Motor Mania TV.
 
The broadcast of the 2013 Summit Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL season opener at Immokalee Regional Raceway is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 2 and again at 9 a.m. on Sunday, February 3.

IndyCar and its television partners have announced 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series television windows for consistent blocks of network coverage and new race distances at selected events.
 
Live coverage of all 19 IZOD IndyCar Series events—including ABC’s first prime-time race and three doubleheaders (one on ABC and two on NBC Sports Network)—highlight the ABC and NBC Sports Network programming schedule. Race distances also were altered at four events to discourage fuel-mileage racing.

NBC Sports Network will televise the first four races of the season and kicks off with live coverage of the three rounds of qualifications for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at 2:30 p.m. (ET) March 23. The network will broadcast the ninth IZOD IndyCar Series race on the scenic 1.8-mile temporary street circuit at noon (ET) March 24, which includes a 30-minute pre-race show.
 
ABC begins its stretch of broadcasting six of the next seven races with the Indianapolis 500 at 11 a.m. (ET) May 26. ABC will televise the 500 Mile Race for the 49th consecutive year, extending one of the longest relationships between a sporting event and television network.
 
Television time continuity, including starts near the top or bottom of the hour and same on-air times for the first two doubleheader weekends, was built into programming schedules based in part from fan requests.
 
Qualifications shows for 12 events, including Pole Day and Bump Day for the 97th Indianapolis 500, plus Carb Day activities and race re-airs enhance coverage of the series on NBC Sports Network. The cable partner will continue to air the popular “INDYCAR 36,” which follows a driver behind the scenes during an IZOD IndyCar Series race weekend. The full schedule for ancillary programming will be announced at a later date.
 
All 12 Firestone Indy Lights races will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network, including live coverage of the Firestone Freedom 100 at noon (ET) May 24 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Eight races will lead into the cable partner’s IZOD IndyCar Series broadcast, including the season opener at 11 a.m. (ET) March 24 on the streets of St. Petersburg.
 
International broadcast partners will be announced soon.
 
Meantime, four events—St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Milwaukee and Mid-Ohio—will feature new race distances this season to discourage fuel-mileage racing. The new distances better match traditional fuel windows at each circuit.
 
The races with new distances:
 
St. Petersburg: Increase of 10 laps to 110 (198 miles total)

Long Beach: Decrease of five laps to 80 (157.4 miles)

Milwaukee: Increase of 25 laps to 250 (250 miles)

Mid-Ohio: Increase of five laps to 90 (203 miles)

For more information, visit www.indycar.com.

Motovicity Distribution, a leading performance aftermarket parts distributor, recently added the Aeroquip line of performance hoses and fittings to its product offerings.

Long valued among automotive racing and performance enthusiasts, Aeroquip’s unique line of braided stainless steel hoses and anodized fittings have been the number one choice for high-performance fuel, brake, coolant and induction systems for decades.

“We are pleased to have a full line of Aeroquip products on our shelves,” said Motovicity Sales Manager Jay Webb. “It’s one of those iconic brands that everybody appreciates and is always in demand.”

Motovicity has already begun stocking Aeroquip stainless steel and lightweight Nomex/Kevlar hoses, and will specialize in the full line of re-useable, crimp and SOCKETLESS Aeroquip fittings. Color selection will include the iconic Aeroquip red and blue anodized aluminum alloy fittings, along with the new Aeroquip black anodized alloy fittings.

Exclusively approved by the NHRA and IHRA, Aeroquip Performance is the only brand of performance hose and fittings to handle the entire manufacturing process from forming to finish, which includes a battery of quality control and “100 Proof” performance tests on all products before they are shipped.

All Aeroquip hoses and fittings are specifically engineered to work as a system, and are pressure tested by a 4:1 factor to ensure that all products exceed performance and safety expectations.

“Motovicity represents a unique fit for Aeroquip. As a leading distributor of aftermarket performance and racing parts, they have the industry expertise and institutional knowledge to provide value-added support for Aeroquip performance products,” said Michael Rasnick, Aeroquip business development manager.

For more information, pricing and availability, contact Motovicity Distribution at 888/SPEED-16 or online at www.motovicity.com.

A new contingency award program for the 2013 racing season is in place for United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) drivers as Edelbrock has signed on as a marketing partner with the open-wheel dirt modified traveling road show.

“Edelbrock is a driving force in the aftermarket industry, and any time you can align yourself with such a quality manufacturer with an impeccable reputation it is a good day at the office,” said USMTS Marketing Director Jeff Nun.

In addition to contributing to the regional and national points funds for this year, Edelbrock will also award product certificates to the third-place finisher in every USMTS main event in 2013 as well as the top three finishers in the final points standings at season’s end.

For more information about Edelbrock, call 310/781-2222 or visit www.edelbrock.com. To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com or call 515/832-7944.

Substantial buying activity throughout the exhibit hall and well-attended events marked the final appearance of the PRI Trade Show in Orlando, following an extraordinary 8-year run in this terrific host city. After 25 years, the PRI formula continues to deliver results to the racing industry suppliers that exhibit their new product lines. Industry buyers appreciate the broad spectrum of new racing technology for their review. It is the place to get absolutely current with contemporary technology in racing, in addition to catching up with old industry friends and colleagues. The Show serves as the three biggest business days in racing.

There were also many educational opportunities and lively social functions that made for an outstanding Race Industry Week 2012, with over 35 conferences and seminars. PRI Editor Dan Schechner put together the Winning the eRace Digital Marketing Conference for Racing Businesses, and from the opening presentation by Lee Krefman, of Google, to the final panel discussion on Managing Forums, it was one of the best educational experiences ever created by PRI.

As for fun, there was plenty to be had at events like Grand Opening Breakfast and the PRI Happy Hour Sponsored by Budweiser.

The 25th Annual PRI Trade Show was a wonderful success! PRI thanks the dynamic racing industry for 25 extraordinary years. We’re already off and running in planning the return of the PRI Trade Show to Indianapolis this year. We guarantee the 2013 PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis will deliver even more value to industry buyers and Show exhibitors!

IMIS Packs The Aisles: At the 4th Annual IMIS Show, we experienced tremendous energy throughout the exhibit hall at the Indiana Convention Center. It was a strong, well-produced event, with plenty of buyers in the exhibit aisles and tons of new hardcore racing products on display. Chris Paulsen, co-founder of the IMIS Show, said, “We’re very happy with where we’ve come in four short years. We sold out all of our floor space, which this year was just under 400,000 square feet. We had well over 25,000 people this year, which was great for our small show. So we were extremely happy with the outcome of the show this year.”

Congratulations to the IMIS team on an outstanding event.

We began the process immediately in Indianapolis of working together to consolidate the two shows in 2013 to provide a single, powerful racing business event. This is going to be fun.

Industry Welcomes Return of PRI To Indianapolis: We received many positive comments about the purchase of the IMIS Show by SEMA, and the consolidation of the IMIS Show into the PRI Trade Show in 2013. Several exhibitors thanked us and said the move will save them between $10,000 to more than $100,000, depending on the size of their exhibits. As Paulsen told us, “Looking into the future, with SEMA on board and the acquisition of PRI and IMIS and the consolidation of the two shows, it’s going to be better than ever—it’s a step above anything we’ve ever had, so we’re pretty excited about that.”

Yes, indeed. It’s going to be a barn burner this year in Indianapolis!

The X-treme Drag Racing League (X-DRL) has announced a multi-year television agreement with Velocity by Discovery, an upscale male lifestyle national television network.

The agreement calls for a series of programs on the popular high-definition network, giving the X-DRL a national television presence for its inaugural 2013 season.

The X-DRL television show will include race highlights, interviews and coverage of the 2013 season.

Velocity by Discovery, formerly known as HD Theater and Discovery HD Theater, is currently available in nearly 50 million homes and continues to grow at a strong rate. It features more than 400 premiere hours of new and returning series and specials showcasing the best of the automotive, sports and leisure, adventure, and travel genres.

The X-DRL broadcasts on Velocity will air during the fourth quarter of 2013 on Sunday afternoon with a repeat on Thursday evening and one other time each week. The X-DRL will also be featured in Velocity’s on-air and online promotions.

Velocity is currently available on DirecTV, Dish Network and a variety of major cable providers.

Produced by Masters Entertainment Group, each episode will feature all the top stars of the X-DRL as they compete for the first world championships in X-DRL history.

Following a three-year absence, Royal Purple Raceway announced recently that it will return to a weekly Saturday night racing series on its Dirt Track.
 
The 2013 campaign will be billed as the “Dirt Series” and will feature side-by-side racing in USRA Modifieds, USRA Limited Modifieds, Hobby Stock, and Pure Stock classes. The weekly “Dirt Series” will also feature competition in the American Sprint Car Series, the ASCS II mini sprints, and the Classic Dwarfs. Opening night for the “Dirt Series” is slated for Saturday, March 9, 2013.

Drivers in the USRA Modified division will compete for a points fund worth up to $1500 at season’s end to the track champion, plus multiple contingency awards for several drivers in the class. A $10,000 cash award awaits the USRA Modified national champion in the USRA Weekly Racing Series.

USRA Limited Mod competitors will see a track points fund that pays the 2013 champion $500 plus several contingency awards while $2000 has been earmarked for the USRA Limited Mod national champion.

Limited Mods will get the first crack at USRA national points when they join the USMTS Modifieds at Royal Purple Raceway for the 4th Annual Texas Spring Nationals, February 21-23. All three days will award USRA national points in the division.

National points are awarded to each licensed driver based on his/her best 20-point nights within their division from February 21, 2013, through October 20, 2013.

The Dirt Track at Royal Purple Raceway is a state-of-the-art 1/4-mile high-banked clay oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7500. The facility also includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.

Located in Baytown, Texas, the Dirt Track at Royal Purple Raceway is located 25 miles east of downtown Houston off Interstate-10.

To learn more about Royal Purple Raceway, visit www.royalpurpleraceway.com or call 281/383-7223.