The 2013 NHRA Rulebook is now available online in the secure Members section of NHRA.com for members and associate members to view, download, and print at their convenience.

This online benefit for members, viewable on computers or mobile devices, does not require any special software. It can also be downloaded in full or in part as a PDF.

Members and associate members who are already registered to use the secure Members section need only log in at the top left of any NHRA.com page as usual and then click on Member Features to access the Rulebook.

Members and associate members who haven’t yet registered to use the secure Members section must first register to be able to access the online Rulebook and all of the other online member benefits.

Here’s how to register:

1. Have your membership card handy. It contains your membership number, which you will need for registration. We apologize, but neither your car number nor the number on your National DRAGSTER address label is valid for registration.



2. Go to NHRA.com and choose Member Website Registration from the top of any page.



3. Follow the instructions to enter your information, including your membership number, and create your password. Tip: Enter your information exactly as it appears on your membership card.



4. Once you have registered successfully, click on Member Features at the top of any page to access the Rulebook. It will appear as a link on the Member Features page.

NHRA members can review, download, and print the Rulebook as often as they would like. Rules may be amended during the year, so the online version will be updated periodically to include any amendments.

Amendments will also be posted on NHRARacer.com, and an index of those amendments will be published periodically in National DRAGSTER. In addition, amendments are always available by contacting the NHRA Tech Department, 626/914-4761, ext. 485.

For those who prefer the printed version of the 2013 Rulebook, copies will be available for purchase at a discounted rate for members (30 percent off the cover price; one copy per member at the discounted price).

To order, call NHRA Membership Services, 800/308-NHRA (6472), Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT, or Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT.

Offering one of the most comprehensive racing programs in the motorsports industry, Champion Racing Oil has announced the details for their 2013 “Preferred Racer” Program, providing support for participants in almost every recognized sanctioned gasoline and diesel racing event in North America and Canada. 
 
“The Champion 2013 Preferred Racer Program is an all-encompassing marketing program designed to link Champion’s racing and performance lubricant distributors directly to regional and national racers for most sanctioned racing events in North America including the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC), AmericanSprint Car Series (ASCS), World of Outlaws (WoO), United States Auto Club (USAC), the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) and the National Association of Diesel Motorsports (NADM),” said Karl Dedolph, Director of Racing & Performance Products for Champion Oil.
 
“There are many other popular series such as MOWA, UMP, USCS, IRA, MLRA, NHRA, MARA, NDHRA and MARS,” added Dedolph. “Champion Racing and Performance products are the choice of champions in racing events nationwide. Champion’s new 2013 Preferred Racer Program supports race teams from dirt track to pavement, circle track to drag racing, tractor pull to diesel motorsports, etc. with special pricing, sponsor decals, product support and technical advice. Innovation and technical knowhow are at the heart of Champion’s Racing and Performance Division.”

For more information regarding the 2012 Champion Preferred Program, email racer@championbrands.com or access the online registration form at www.championsusechampion.com.
 
Champion Oil is an industry leader in the development of synthetic motor oils for gasoline and diesel racing. These multi-viscosity motor oils contain high zinc and phosphorous formulas designed to deliver the correct balance of chemistry to protect high performance engines, especially those using flat tappet roller cams operating at high RPM's and requiring high-pressure valve springs.

Kentucky Speedway will be back on the ARCA Racing Series schedule in 2013, a return to the Speedway Motorsports, Inc. facility for the first time since 2009.

ARCA and track officials announced the Friday, September 20, 2013, race this week, and the event will be the 20th for ARCA's top division at the 1.5-mile track.

The event will precede a NASCAR Nationwide Series event the next day. Kentucky Speedway will also host a NASCAR tripleheader weekend in July.

The list of past ARCA race winners at Kentucky includes nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel, who has four Kentucky wins and five Menards Pole Awards in 19 appearances.

Kyle Busch, Tim Steele, Ryan Newman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and James Buescher have all won at the track, and Parker Kligerman took the lead from Grant Enfinger on the final lap in July 2009 to become the most recent Kentucky ARCA winner.

The September 20 event at Kentucky joins March 9 at Mobile and June 22 at Road America as confirmed dates on ARCA's 2013 schedule. ARCA will release many more event dates later this week, with the full season schedule soon to come.

For more information, visit www.arcaracing.com.

For everyone who has turned a wrench, Prestolite Performance is offering the chance to take a turn at stardom.

Prestolite Performance announces The Search for Mr. Gasket, the company’s first-ever contest that will give one lucky fan a one-year contract to become Mr. Gasket’s official spokesperson.

“If you spend your weekends working under the hood, we’re looking for you,” said Rob Koller, brand manager for Mr. Gasket. “We’ve found that great ideas often come from weekend racers and everyday performance enthusiasts. We’re looking for that kind of person to become the face of the Mr. Gasket brand. For us, the glitz of Hollywood is no match for the grit that comes from working on an engine.”

And this isn’t simply a ceremonial title. The new Mr. Gasket will receive a one-year contract to star in television and print ads, and appear at select Prestolite Performance promotional visits, plus $2,500.

A recognized leader in performance auto parts, Mr. Gasket provides a variety of quality racing products including engine components, Ultra-Seal gaskets, fasteners, fuel accessories, suspension and drive train components, chrome-plated accessories and accessories for cooling systems and more.

Now, this legendary name is gearing up for a bold new era, starting with the face of the brand.

Through Dec. 31, participants can enter the contest by going to TheSearchforMrGasket.com, uploading a photo that shows their obsession with performance cars and briefly explaining why they should be chosen as Mr. Gasket.

Prestolite Performance will select 10 finalists, and the public will be able to vote on a winner from Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, 2013, either on TheSearchForMrGasket.com or The Search for Mr. Gasket Facebook tab. Site visitors can vote for as many finalists as they like, one (1) time per day.

Based on the results of the popular vote, Prestolite Performance will declare a winner on Jan. 31. The new Mr. Gasket will be announced publicly on or around Feb. 6.

When racing facilities decide to make environmental sustainability a top priority, they are increasingly looking to one product almost never associated with protecting the planet: their motor oil.

To meet their sustainability goals, more than 70 racetracks across North America, from Daytona to Indianapolis, have chosen EcoPower to help protect their track vehicles.

"The Raceway in Sonoma embraces sustainability as more than just social responsibility, but also as a core business driver to our Accelerating Sustainable Performance program," said Steve Page, president and general manager of the Sonoma Raceway. "The use of EcoPower in our track vehicles is a perfect example of our shared belief that you don't have to sacrifice performance in the name of sustainability."

EcoPower is re-refined engine oil from Safety-Kleen, the largest collector and re-refiner of used oil in North America. The oil is recycled and refined from reclaimed motor oil using a process that consumes up to 85 percent less energy than refining motor oil from crude oil.

Plus, re-refined oil reduces greenhouse gas emission by up to 81 percent, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

In fact, Safety-Kleen collects and re-refines over 200,000 gallons of used motor oil each year from racetracks. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions by over 1,555 metric tons. And that's equivalent to growing 40,305 trees for 10 years in an urban environment, according to calculations provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"We are proud that so many racetracks have trusted EcoPower to protect engines and the environment," said Curt Knapp, chief marketing officer for Safety-Kleen. "Choosing EcoPower for their vehicle and equipment fleets means choosing a product that requires no new crude oil to be produced, since it's recycled and refined from reclaimed motor oil. That's a major step in reducing the track's carbon footprint."

"While the ease of reducing a track's carbon footprint by switching to EcoPower may be a surprise, the large number of racing facilities focusing on environmental sustainability is not," said Drew Patey, Safety-Kleen director of motorsports. "Racing facilities want to be green and EcoPower helps the tracks show the racing community that they doing their part to protect the environment."

To learn more about how Safety-Kleen is helping to green motorsports, visit www.safety-kleenmotorsports.com.

The NMRA Ford Nationals has announced an increase in Contingency payments for Nitto Tire Factory Stock and Strange Engineering Coyote Stock (presented by 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords) finalists in 2013 and beyond.

All NMRA event winners will now be eligible for contingency payments of $300 per product (and decal on car) creating quite a lucrative increase in payout for both categories. The runner up at each event will also be able to claim contingency payments of $150 per product and decal.

Steve Wolcott, co-founder of NMRA, said, “we’re proud of our contingency program, which boasts nearly $3 million in prize postings. We also like to point out that all contingency payments are cash-only under our program.”

For some racers that could mean their winning prize in Factory Stock is over $4,000 when combined with the purse.

On the Coyote Stock front, a few racers will be taking home over $3,500 with purse and contingency.

The Contingency program is designed to reward racers for racing and winning with certain components.

Manufacturers and companies post eligible parts, and if a racer runs that part and the required decal, that person is eligible for a cash payment if they are the winner or runner-up.

The NMRA Tech Department vigorously inspects each vehicle to ensure the components and decals are present through the duration of the NMRA national event.

For internal parts—like pistons—the manufacturer usually requires a receipt for proof of purchase.

The contingency program is effective thanks to exposure through NMRA promotional services and racers taking the time to build their cars using the contingency list in order to maximize potential payouts.

Pocono International Raceway, Inc. has announced a new partnership with Front Row Marketing Services, one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing sports and entertainment marketing firms, making it the Raceway’s agency of record for commercial rights, corporate partnership development, and sales opportunities.  

Pocono is one of the longest-running, largest and most innovative independent racing facilities in North America, and in 2013 will host two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends as well as the return of Indy Car racing for the first time since 1989.
 
“Pocono Raceway has taken huge steps in bringing the Raceway to the forefront of the motorsports industry in America," stated Raceway President and CEO Brandon Igdalsky.

“We have completely repaved the track, added industry leading safety features, increased fan amenities and built a three megawatt solar farm making Pocono Raceway the largest solar powered sports facility in the world. Adding Front Row Marketing Services is another step in forging Pocono Raceway’s continued success in the future,” added Igdalsky.

NASCAR has announced the 2013 schedule for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, a lineup that includes a trip to Mid-Ohio for the first time in series history.
 
Mid-Ohio, a 2.4-mile, 15-turn road course in Lexington, marks the return of NASCAR national series racing to Ohio, the home state of the series’ Columbus-based entitlement sponsor, Nationwide Insurance. Mid-Ohio’s Aug. 17 addition fortifies the series’ trio of challenging road courses, joining Road America (June 22) and Watkins Glen (Aug. 10).
 
NASCAR national series racing last competed in Ohio in 2008, with the running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Mansfield Motorsports Park. GRAND-AM Road Racing has raced at Mid-Ohio since 2000.
 
The balance of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide schedule, the series’ 32nd season, maintains a familiar feel, with a strong mix of short tracks, road courses, intermediate race tracks and superspeedways.
 
Daytona International Speedway hosts the season opener on Feb. 23. That race also will feature the introduction of Chevrolet’s Camaro into the series. The series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway is set for Nov. 16.
 
On July 27, the series will race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the second consecutive year as part of “Super Weekend at The Brickyard” with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and GRAND-AM.
 
Next season’s schedule includes six “standalone” race dates: Iowa Speedway (June 8 and Aug. 3), Chicagoland Speedway (July 21), Kentucky Speedway (Sept. 21), Road America and Mid-Ohio.
 
Kentucky’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series race on June 28, one of 27 companion weekends with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, also will be the qualifying event for the 2013 “Dash 4 Cash” bonus program. The subsequent four races make up the 2013 “Dash 4 Cash” events: Daytona on July 5; New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 13; Chicagoland and the Brickyard.

Dunlop confirmed this week that it will no longer supply teams in the American Le Mans Series.



The tire company will re-direct its focus to the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series, according to Dunlop officials.



Dunlop's withdrawal from ALMS is expected to impact the Prototype ranks especially, where it supplied tires to all but two of the full-season Prototype competitors.


In response, ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton issued the following statement:



"Dunlop’s decision to concentrate on its European activities is understandable—and yes, disappointing," he said. "However we still enjoy strong manufacturer participation from Michelin, Falken and Yokohama going into the 2013 ALMS championship along with ongoing discussions from other tire brands investigating ALMS involvement.”


McLaren Electronic Systems Limited today announced that it will provide the electric engine, transmission and electronics for cars that will participate in the FIA’s new Formula E race series.
 
McLaren will be a key partner of Spark Racing Technology, which is led by Frédéric Vasseur and is dedicated to the creation and assembly of the electric cars participating in the FIA World Championship Formula E.
 
McLaren and Spark Racing Technology will work together to design and assemble high performance, highly efficient electric cars which will soon be racing around cities across the globe.

The FIA Formula E Championship will be launched in 2014 and solely feature electric powered cars, running exclusively in major international cities and with all the assets needed to reach a worldwide audience. It will also facilitate the development of important new electric car technology which could one day be featured in mainstream road cars and be of significant benefit to the environment.
 
Whether it be in the construction of the innovative and highly efficient McLaren Technology Centre or the use of lightweight carbon fibre structures in the 12C sports car, McLaren has developed and implemented a range of innovative technologies that improve environmental performance. 

This commitment to innovation and the environment enabled Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to be the first Formula 1 team to retain the Carbon Trust Standard and to be declared 'carbon neutral.'