It was announced this week that Advertising Edge has extended its agreement as the Official Uniform of NHRA.
 
The relationship between NHRA and Advertising Edge began in 2010, and as part of the multi-year extension Advertising Edge will continue to provide NHRA with hats, staff uniforms, shirts, event winner jackets, and other special apparel items.
 
“We at Advertising Edge are looking forward to another four years of partnership with the NHRA," said Don Roe, president of Advertising Edge, "working together to help build a strong relationship and grow our business with our American made products.”
 
Also in the agreement, NHRA will provide Advertising Edge with recognition in National DRAGSTER and NHRA.com, track signage at all NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events, and video spots on the event big screen.
 
Since entering into its partnership with NHRA, Advertising Edge has gone on to secure exclusive relationships with many race teams within the NHRA community including Don Schumacher Racing, Kenny Koretsky and Nitro Fish Racing, Roy Hill Drag Racing School, Performance by Fisher Racing, many Top Alcohol teams, and Super Comp teams, among others.
 
For more information, visit www.customraceshirts.com.

QA1 has announced the recent hire of Dan Voight, who joins the QA1 team as Sales Manager of Motorsports.

Within this role, Voight will work closely with QA1 dealers on product awareness, sales training and inventory management. He will also play an important part in developing new business partners along with maintaining existing relationships in the motorsports industry.

Voight brings to QA1 nearly 30 years of motorsport industry experience in all aspects of business operations, including distribution account management, sales, tech support, marketing, product development and manufacturing. He has extensive experience working closely with and meeting the demands of weekend racers as well as top NASCAR teams.

For additional information, visit QA1’s website at www.QA1.net.

Developer CMV Inc. has announced plans to build a private motorsport club adjacent to Denver International Airport.

Altezza Motorsport Park is the region’s only “country club” style motorsport destination designed for use by both private club members and the general public.

Altezza is situated on 366 acres in Adams County, Colorado between Denver International Airport and Front Range Airport.

The focal point of Altezza Motorsport Park is the 3-mile FIA racing circuit designed by the world renowned German Formula One track designer, Hermann Tilke.

Additional amenities include a 1-mile kart track also designed by Hermann Tilke, a well-appointed club house, track side garages and villas, plus a large vehicle dynamics pad suitable for a variety of vehicle testing and events.

Proposed future amenities include an outdoor concert venue, running trails, motocross track, and towed-cable water ski lake.

As a multi-use destination centered on the motorsports lifestyle, Altezza is a facility not only for motorsports, but research & development, testing, education, and business.

For membership information, partnerships, and/or details, visit www.altezzamp.com.

Road Racing legends Skip Barber, Bill Noble, Bobby Rahal, Carroll Shelby, and Andy Porterfield compose the 2013 SCCA Hall of Fame Class for significant contributions to motorsports and the Sports Car Club of America.

The newly selected class will take their positions amongst the giants of the Club during an induction ceremony at the SCCA National Convention on March 2, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The SCCA National Hall of Fame was created in 2004 to preserve, protect and record the history and accomplishments of the Club by acknowledging those members who have made a significant impact on the development of SCCA, be it through service to the national organization, achievements in national competition, bringing national recognition to SCCA, or a combination of these factors. Nominations were submitted to and reviewed by the Hall of Fame Nomination and Selection Committees before the inductees were selected.

John “Skip” Barber has seen thousands of SCCA Racers pass through the driving school that he started and bears his name to this day. His career and contributions to the SCCA go well beyond his role as an instructor. Mr. Barber won the Formula Ford (now Formula F) National Championship in back-to-back years at the Runoffs, winning in 1969 and 1970. The 1970 title was paired with another championship in Formula B – a class that became Formula Atlantic – to earn him that season’s President’s Cup. Barber reached the pinnacle as a driver with a handful of races in Formula One, and remains President and Owner of Lime Rock Park to this day. Barber has been an SCCA member for 54 years.

William James “Bill” Noble became one of the most successful Championship-winning drivers in SCCA history and had a hand in many more. A renowned engine builder and five-time National Champion in one of Club Racing’s most competitive class, his “Engines by Noble” have captured an incredible 25 National Championships in the 49-year history of the Runoffs. Noble was awarded the Road Racing Driver’s Club Mark Donohue Award in 1989, and the Kansas Region presents the Bill Noble Award to the driver who best exemplifies the combination of mechanical expertise, driving skill, and competitive sportsmanship that were Noble’s traits. To display that sportsmanship, Noble had a long-standing offer to engine customers: anytime a customer wanted to trade their engine for the one in Noble’s car, he would not only take them up on it, but help them install the engine. Noble passed away in 2011 at the age of 69. His business and racing legacy are continued by his widow, SCCA Chairman Lisa Noble.

Andrew Tracy “Andy” Poterfield is inducted for his years of contributions to the Club, both as a driver and behind the scenes. Porterfield, known as a Corvette racer, won the 1978 and 1979 National Championships in B Production, and was Southern Pacific Division Champion an unprecedented 23 times. A regular racer in SCCA Trans-Am races, Porterfield served on the Cal Club Region Board for 16 years, including as Region Executive for five years. He served on the SCCA Board of Directors, and was selected as the Chairman of the Board of SCCA Enterprises, where he continued to help grow and maintain the subsidiary until his death. Porterfield also organized the corner workers in the early days of the Long Beach Grand Prix. A winner of the 2008 John McGill Award for contributions to Club Racing and the Woolf Barnato Award in 2009 for outstanding long-term contribution to the SCCA, Porterfield’s SCCA credentials are unquestioned. Porterfield passed away in April 2012, but will continue to influence SCCA racers through his Porterfield Brakes, a company he founded in 1986.

Robert Woodward “Bobby” Rahal, has had a long and distinguished motorsports career that began in the Sports Car Club of America. As a 22-year-old, Rahal was awarded the President’s Cup following his 1975 Formula B (soon to be renamed Formula Atlantic) National Championship. Using Club Racing as a springboard, Rahal went on to drive IMSA and in the SCCA Trans-Am Series before becoming a champion open-wheel driver. The 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner won CART Championships in 1986, 1987, and 1992, as well as the series’ Rookie of the Year award in 1982. Rahal is the current co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, where they’ve recently hired 2005 SCCA National Champion Graham Rahal (son of the newest Hall of Famer) to drive in the IndyCar Series.

Carroll Shelby’s impact on the SCCA will last long into the future, even if you ignore the mark he made as a driver that won an SCCA National Championship in 1956 (Formula Libre). Though Shelby competed in eight Formula One races and won the 24 Hours of LeMans behind the wheel, his legacy is, obviously, as the man who practically invented the American iron pony car. In 49 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, 35 drivers have left with the gold medal in either a Mustang or a Shelby Cobra. An entire SCCA class, American Sedan, features cars that either are a Ford Mustang, or were built to compete on the showroom floor with the iconic sports car. Beyond Club Racing, the GT 350 was also the inaugural Trans-Am Series manufacturer champion. Shelby passed away in May 2012 at the age of 89.

More information on the Sports Car Club of America, including the SCCA Hall of Fame is available at www.scca.com. Registration for the SCCA Convention, which includes the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, is available at scca.com/convention.

Bob Jenkins of Carmel, Indiana, has accepted the role of chief broadcaster for the TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Series for 2013.

He will orchestrate the announcing duties for 11 events, beginning with the April 28 “Sumar Classic 100” at Terre Haute, Indiana, and ending with the September 21 “4-Crown Nationals” at Rossburg, Ohio.

Events Jenkins will announce also are scheduled at Indianapolis, Ind. (3), Madison, Ill., Fountain, Colo., Milwaukee, Wisc., Belleville, Kans., Springfield and DuQuoin, Ill.

Jenkins, with Hollywood credits on movies like Days of Thunder and Talladega Nights, is a graduate of Indiana University and Short High School in Liberty, Ind. and served as a cornerstone anchor on ESPN when it debuted in 1979.

Most recently Bob was the lead commentator for the IndyCar Series on NBC Sports Network.

His motorsports expertise with ABC and NBC and his long tenure with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have solidified his position as one of America’s most respected and knowledgeable motorsports aficionados.

At IMS, Bob’s voice has graced the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR’s Brickyard 400, the Formula One United States Grand Prix and the Red Bull MotoGP, among others.

The 2013 TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Series schedule and related series information can be found at USAC’s website: www.usacracing.com.

Track owner Steve Earwood has announced a 2013 Rockingham Dragway schedule that may be the most diverse in history with the return of the ADRL Pro Mod Series, an expanded remote control drag series, 11 races devoted exclusively to motorcycles and three manufacturer-specific races including the Super Chevy Show and the 22nd annual Mopars at Rock event.



In addition to a wide variety of drag racing events, the slate also will include a pair of Phantasm Street Wars races that will feature the KMS Drifting Series, plus a National Hot Rod Diesel Association National Drags and Sled Pull.



The new schedule will include 48 different feature events plus test-and-tune programs. With expanded private testing, Earwood estimates that there will be cars on the track for more than 100 days in the new season.



“It’s pretty ambitious,” Earwood said, “but we’re looking forward to it. The Super Chevy Show will be back for all the GM folks plus we’ve got a beefed-up Mopars at the Rock and a new Fun Ford Weekend event and then one of my favorite races, the Big John Memorial Day Bracket Nationals.”

For complete schedule information, visit www.rockinghamdragway.com.

From Homestead to Las Vegas, a bevy of NASCAR awards have been given out in the past two months. And recently, a few more accolades were distributed to a number of industry personnel who are integral to every NASCAR race weekend.
 
These individuals perfect their craft behind the scenes, and earlier this week, NASCAR recognized industry leaders in track services, safety and security at the annual NASCAR Track Services Summit held in Concord, N.C.
 
Several awards were handed out to honorees who displayed excellence in their respective fields during the 2012 NASCAR race season. The highlight of the awards presentation was the recognition of the Jim Bockoven Track Services Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Jerry Petty of Charlotte Motor Speedway and Carolinas Medical Center. Petty was recognized for his pioneering efforts in the field of track safety and for his decades of service to the motorsports community.
 
Daytona International Speedway won the Track Services Teamwork Award for their interdisciplinary cooperation between fire, EMS, cleanup, track services and engineering crews to contain the large blaze that ensued after a jet dryer was involved in an on-track incident during a caution period during the Daytona 500.
 
Other medical personnel recognized for their teamwork was the Infield Care Center at Kansas Speedway. Medical director Dr. Dennis Allin and Nursing Director Rick Blevins, both from Kansas University Medical Center, led a group that was given the Teamwork Award by the NASCAR Medical Liaison Department.
 
Other award winners included:
 
TRACK SERVICES MISSION AWARD … Ruben Rayneri, Homestead-Miami Speedway
TRACK SERVICES INNOVATION AWARD … Robert Garland, Darlington Raceway
EXCELLENCE IN TRACK SERVICES AWARD … Jay Donnay, Homestead-Miami Speedway
NASCAR SECURITY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE … Tyler Clement, Iowa Speedway
NASCAR SECURITY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE … Billie Hodges, Talladega Superspeedway
NASCAR SECURITY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE … Dawn Klister, Road America
NASCAR MEDICAL LIAISON AWARDS
(Nursing Director Award) … Shelby Lash, Homestead-Miami Speedway
(Above and Beyond Award) … Michelle Robertson, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
The annual NASCAR Summit serves as the only annual meeting for representatives from the facilities hosting NASCAR events. The summit addresses topics related to operations, large-event/venue security, access control, risk management, training, fire suppression, extrication and emergency medical services.
 
Over the course of the three-day Summit, employees and volunteers come together to share experiences and gain additional knowledge regarding their roles in operations, fire and safety, medical, security and other fields at their respective tracks.
 
NASCAR welcomed representatives from all tracks that host the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and GRAND-AM Road Racing as well as NASCAR Home Tracks that host developmental series events.

Smith Brothers Pushrods this month celebrated the Grand Opening of its new pushrod manufacturing facility in Bend, Oregon.

At 46,000 square feet, the additional space and convenient new location will allow the firm to increase production, stock additional inventory and materials, and expand its product lines into the future.

Smith Brothers Pushrods was started in California in 1953 by Hank and Joe Smith. Hank moved the business to Bend in the early 1990s, and in 1999 the company was purchased by Dennis and Kristen Marshall and operated out of a 4000-square-foot building.

Smith brothers has since expanded its operations to include the manufacture of custom and OEM replacement pushrods as well as development of its own line of rocker arm adjusting screws and nuts, super strong Harley Davidson pushrods, and an HD fast install pushrod upgrade kit.

The company’s Machine department now consists of six Swiss multi-axis CNC machines, six CNC lathes, a Micro finishing dept and three laser engraving machines to produce not only the ends and parts needed for Smith Brothers Pushrods, but also for proprietary parts for many other companies as well.

For more information, call 800/367-1533, or visit www.pushrods.net.

The Annual Bicknell Racing Products (BRP) Open House takes place this Saturday, January 12, 2013, at the company’s Canadian store at 117 Cushman Road, St. Catharines, Ontario.
    
The schedule is as follows:

9 a.m.: Doors Open
10 a.m.: Integra Shocks Seminar
Noon: Lunch (free)
1:30 p.m.: Bicknell Racing Products Seminar
4 p.m.: Chassis Draw Seminar (*must be in attendance at Canadian store to win)

There will also be a number of Open House specials offered, including discounts on Complete Bumper Kits, 5-Point Seatbelt Harness, and Standard Roll Bar Padding.

For more information, visit www.bicknellracingproducts.com, or contact a sales representative in the US (716/285-7502) or Canada (905/685-7223).

NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, DIRTcar Modified driver Brett Hearn, motorsports mogul Roger Penske, rising star Kyle Larson, and racing journalist and public address announcer Al Robinson received top honors at the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame Banquet held during the annual EMPA Convention, January 4-6 at the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge Hotel in King of Prussia, PA.           
 
Selected by a vote of the more than 150 members of the EMPA, Keselowski was named the Al Holbert Memorial National Driver of the year; Hearn chosen the Richie Evans Memorial Northeast Driver of the Year; Penske honored as the T. Wayne Robinson Newsmaker of the Year for his pivotal role as the head Penske Racing, winning his first NACAR Sprint Cup title as team owner and taking his NASCAR team from Dodge to Ford products; Larson was named the John Blewett III Young Guns Award presented by New England Racing Fuels for his achievements in both NASCAR’s developmental division and his open-wheel prowess; longtime journalist and announcer Robinson received the Junie Donlavey Spirit of the Sport Award for continuing participating in the sport despite serious medical issues.
 
Jim and Laura Allebach, owners of Lucas Wolfe’s car, received the Jerry Reigle Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing Award presented by the World of Outlaws.
 
EMPA members receiving special recognition included Robin Ervin (Art McHugh Memorial EMPA Service Award), Steve Barrick (Jim Hunter Memorial Writers Award), Dave Moulthrop and Todd Dziadosz (Ace Lane Sr. Memorial Photography Award), and Gary Rowe EMPA President’s Award).
 
Inducted into the EMPA Hall of Fame were drivers Tony Siscone and Doug Wolfgang, driver and speedway operator Stan Friesen, car owners Lou Cicconi Sr. and Ken Tremont Sr., and track operator Paul Kuhl.
 
A highlight of the evening was the awarding of prizes in the organization’s video and broadcasting, writing, and photography contests.  Winning first place in the American Honda Motor Company/EMPA Video and Broadcast Contest were Brian Unangst, Broadcast News Segment; Sean Siff, General Racing Programs; Brian Unangst, Single Event Coverage; Matt Thomas, Non-Broadcast Single Event; and Mel Thomas, Non-Broadcast General Racing
 
Winning top honors in the Pocono Raceway/EMPA Writers Contest were Bill Huneke, Race Report; Jim Donnelly, Personality Profile; Bruce Bennett, Feature; Herb Anastor, Column; and Dino Oberto, News Story
 
Photographers earning first place recognition in the Brice/NAPA/EMPA Photography Contest included Dave Dalesandro, Action; Tommy Hein, Action Sequence; Loren Carmen, Crash Action; Rebecca Eisele, Feature; Paul Arch, Picture Story; Brent Smith, Portrait and Personality; Bob Yurko, Pure Art; Dick Ayers, Unpublished Color.
 
Brent Smith captured the Portfolio of the Year, while Rebecca Eisele won Best in Show. The Janice Brice “Honorable mention” Award went to Todd Dziadosz.
 
The EMPA Convention included press conferences, seminars, presentations by track and racing series promoters, as well as the video and broadcast, writing, and photography member contests, social interaction with all types of American motorsports personalities including Andretti Autosports developmental driver Zach Veach, and the NASCAR-sponsored Hall of Fame Banquet.  The late Dr. Joseph Mattioli, president of Pocono Raceway and a long time supporter of EMPA, was honored prior to the Saturday evening’s banquet.
 
A roundtable seminar on rights, responsibilities, and legal issues regarding blogs and postings on internet message boards was led by attorney, judge, and Modified race car driver Richard Yetter, internet guru Lewis Gruppo, and retired AP motorsports writer/reporter Mike Harris.
 
Sponsors of the EMPA Convention included NASCAR (represented by Tim Southers et al); Dover International Speedway (Gary Camp); IZOD IndyCar (Kate Guerra); World Racing Group/DIRTcar (Chris Dolack et al); Pocono Raceway (Bob Pleban), American Honda Motor Company; and Brice Auto Parts, Inc./NAPA.
 
At the EMPA Annual Meeting, Len Sammons, Ron Hedger, and Dave Dalesandro were elected to the Board of Directors. The Directors then named Hedger, president, and Oberto, vice president, and appointed John Snyder, secretary, and Jeff Gromis, treasurer. Committee chairs were also appointed.