Toyo Tires will offer VIP treatment this year for competitors racing in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill exclusively on Toyo Proxes RR DOT competition tires or the full-slick Proxes RS1.
 
Giving loyal Toyo Tires racers a boost, registered participants will receive free mounting and balancing services from AIM Tire on all preorders and via trackside service from December 5-9 at Thunderhill Raceway.

To make this endurance classic even more enjoyable, all qualified participants and their qualifying support team members will have access to free meals at the Toyo Tires hospitality area on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the race event.

Thursday’s practice day will be supported with snacks, lunch and beverages. On Friday, guests can dine on snacks, lunch, dinner and beverages. Saturday’s race day will have all meals available from breakfast to dinner while Sunday morning guests will receive breakfast.

Toyo Tires also announces a contingency program for racers competing on Toyo tires in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill.

Registration for this special program is limited. All competitors must be registered for the program and pre-order their tires through AIM Tire by November 26, 2012. All tires must be purchased through AIM Tire. 

Tires obtained elsewhere will not qualify for this program and benefits will be denied. In the event of wet conditions, Toyo Proxes RA1, Proxes R1R or Proxes R888 products can be substituted.

For full details on how to qualify to be a preferred VIP Toyo Tires racer, and to access the registration form for this promotion, log on to www.nasaproracing.com.

ASA Racing has announced a new feature—the “ASA Advantage Benefits Plan”—that allows ASA Members to purchase affordable health and life insurance plans for themselves, their family and for their workers if they own a small business.

ASA Members will be able to purchase health and life plans at a group rate rather than an individual rate.

The ASA Advantage Benefits Plan is a partnership with AmWINS Group Benefits, a provider of association insurance for association members.
 
The ASA Racing/AmWINS Group Benefits partnership was set up with the help of Jeff Ladd at Sports Insurance Specialists in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sports Insurance Specialists is also the provider for ASA Racing, ASA Member Tracks and sanctioned series.

The ASA Advantage Benefits Plan offers options in: Health Insurance; Term Life Insurance; Simplified Issue; Dental Plan (not available in all states); Prescription Plan; Pet Insurance; and Small Business

ASA Members can start looking today by visiting: www.speedwayeduseries.com/asa_advantage or http://asa-racing.com.

For more on ASA Racing, call 386/258-2221 or visit www.asa-racing.com.

American Canadian Tour officials have announced a major inaugural weekend event for the 2013 season: The International 500.

The landmark event will be run at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, New York, on the weekend of July 20-21.



The ‘500’ will be comprised of 300 laps for ACT Late Model Championship teams from throughout New England and Eastern Canada.

The Late Model portion of the ‘500’ will be run similarly to Thunder Road’s famous Milk Bowl with three 100-lap segments. 

Posted awards of over $100,000 will include a 100-lap non-qualifier feature event.



The popular Airborne Modifieds will participate in the ‘500’ weekend, with two 50-lap combined segments.

Rounding out the historic mid-summer event will be Plattsburgh’s own Renegade and Bomber divisions, Thunder Road’s Tiger Sportsmen, and the Quebec Sportsman Series will also be invited to attend.



More information regarding reserve ticket purchase and event schedule will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.



The International 500 weekend will be July 20th and 21st at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, New York.



For additional information, visit www.acttour.com, contact the ACT office at 802/244-6963, or email media@acttour.com.

Motovicity Distribution, the nation’s leader in import performance and modern muscle parts distribution, has hired Brett Kinsfather to the position of Marketing Manager.

Kinsfather has over nine years of experience in the performance aftermarket and racing industries, and an additional three years of experience in the fields of market research and business development. Kinsfather will provide his knowledge and support on co-op advertising, B2B promotions, market research and branding.

Located at Motovicity’s Madison Heights, Michigan office, he reports to VP Sales & Marketing Brian Lounsberry.

Kinsfather began his career at AutoMeter Products while attending college. After spending time with a ChampCar race team, he transitioned back to the performance aftermarket with K&N Engineering, Inc. While there, he worked in a variety of roles, most notably as K&N’s Sales & Marketing Program Manager, where he oversaw the build and execution of their business to business sales promotions.  

Kinsfather is an automotive and racing enthusiast as well as a longtime member of SEMA; he has served on the YEN Select Committee.

Ford has unveiled a new, faster version of its Cobra Jet turnkey drag racer at this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The Twin Turbo Cobra Jet Concept mates the capability of the 5.0L TiVCT engine with the technology of Ford’s turbocharger programs to create a vehicle capable of championship level performance.

In fact, the Cobra Jet concept adopts turbocharging technology from production EcoBoost engines.

For more information, visit www.fordracingparts.com/.

Clean Harbors, Inc., a leading provider of environmental, energy and industrial services throughout North America, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Safety-Kleen, Inc., the largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil in North America and a leading provider of parts cleaning and environmental services.  

Under terms of the agreement, Clean Harbors will purchase Safety-Kleen in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.25 billion.  

The acquisition is subject to approval by US and Canadian regulators, as well as other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to be completed by year’s end.  

Based on the current operating and anticipated future performance of Safety-Kleen, Clean Harbors expects the acquisition will be immediately accretive, excluding one-time fees and acquisition-related expenses.

Clean Harbors has received a financing commitment from Goldman Sachs Bank USA, but is currently considering several financing options for the transaction that may include a combination of existing cash, debt and equity.

The transaction will enable Clean Harbors to:    

* Penetrate the small quantity waste generator market
* Broaden its waste treatment capabilities to include re-refining waste oil and expanded solvent recycling capabilities
* Drive substantial increase in waste volumes into its existing waste disposal treatment network
* Capitalize on the growing demand for recycled products including re-refined oil
* Enhance its commitment to sustainability
* Leverage the combined sales forces to maximize cross-selling opportunities
* Add an immediately accretive business to accelerate growth
* Leverage operating efficiencies through the combined company
* Add to its strong cash flow generation

With more than 200 locations throughout North America, Safety-Kleen services commercial and industrial customers in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.  

Safety-Kleen currently employs approximately 4200 employees and operates a sizeable service fleet of more than 2300 vehicles and 1000 rail cars.  

Safety-Kleen’s portfolio of assets include the largest oil re-refinery in the world at its East Chicago, Indiana, location and the largest re-refinery in Canada at its Breslau, Ontario location.  

Currently, the company collects approximately 200 million gallons of used oil annually, the majority of which it returns to the marketplace as reusable motor oil.

In 2011, Safety-Kleen managed hazardous and non-hazardous waste volumes equivalent to approximately 680,000 55-gallon drums. Safety-Kleen generated revenues of $1.3 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $161 million in 2011.

For more information, visit www.cleanharbors.com.

After completing another successful season in 2012—where Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tennessee, won his second consecutive LOLMDS National Championship—series officials have announced the 2013 schedule.

The premier national touring dirt late model series has 44 confirmed dates in 20 different states on the schedule for 2013.

The series completed forty-three (43) events in 2012, with an average of forty-four (44) cars per event. There were fifteen different (15) winners in 2012 with Don O'Neal leading the series with eleven (11) wins.
 
Heading into 2013, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will have twelve (12) events paying more than $10,000 to win, including several marquee events on the schedule again in 2013.

The 2013 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series national tour will kick off at the "Clay by the Bay" on February 11 with the six consecutive nights of action-packed racing during the 37th Annual Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will again sanction some of the sport's biggest events such as the Commonwealth 100, Show-Me 100, Silver Dollar Nationals, North/South 100, COMP Cams Topless 100, Hillbilly Hundred, Jackson 100, Knoxville Late Model Nationals and the season finale Dirt Track World Championship.
 
Several events on the schedule have increased their purse monies for the 2013 season. The 21st Annual Show-Me 100 on the Memorial Day Weekend will add $10,000 to the overall purse for the feature event including increasing the start money to $1,500 to start the main event. Drivers failing to transfer into the feature event will now receive $250 up from last years $100.

The 21st Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 held at Batesville Motor Speedway will again pay $40,000 to win. Moonie Starr is pleased to announce a new sponsor has come on board for the event, Crop Production Services, an agricultural retail supplier doing business in 48 states.

With the added sponsorship to the COMP Cams Topless 100 there will be two additional starting positions added to the 100-lap feature event. Moonie Starr will also add an additional $15,000 in cash monies to the B-mains to give racers more chances to earn money at next year's event setting up what should be a great field of cars for the COMP Cams Topless 100 in August.
 
For complete schedule information, and to learn more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, visit the official website at www.lucasdirt.com.

Not long ago we came across an organization that’s been doing some good work on behalf of racing.   

Founded by drag racer Joe Bilancio (Division 2, Super Comp-SC2052) and based in West Palm Beach, Florida, the nonprofit American Youth Motorsports Team (AYMT) provides seminars and outreach for kids on motorsports safety, career opportunities, drug and alcohol prevention, and more.

Over the years its all-volunteer staff has visited youth groups, schools and critical care children’s hospitals throughout the Southeast.

Seminars usually last at least two hours, and after some education, kids are allowed to test out an actual junior dragster and pro go-kart, as well as simulators, helmets, jackets, gloves and collars; AYMT also hands out goody bags with hats, T-shirts and stickers.

“[AYMT’s] program provides time for our patients to escape their illnesses and enrich their lives,” wrote Dr. Robert Pettignano in a 2010 letter on behalf of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding.

“The children have been able to see and sit in miniature racing cars, giving them a taste of the thrill of racing all while hearing about safe participation in motorsports. I have seen patients who were suffering from the effects of an illness have an immediate positive change in personality all as the result of the enjoyment, laughter and diversion this organization has brought to our hospital.”    

In addition, AYMT volunteers make regular appearances at car shows and fund-raisers, and the Team’s super comp dragster competes in different series, including Lucas Oil and NHRA events throughout the region.

For more information or to help support the AYMT, call 772/285-7208 or visit www.aymt.org.

Pirelli World Challenge/WC Vision President and CEO Scott Bove has announced the hiring of Greg Gill as Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

Gill was most recently Vice President of Marketing with the National Auto Sport Association, where he managed the expansion and growth of their membership publication Speed News.

His corporate experience has been in the automotive media with senior management roles at Racer / SportsCar magazines and Primedia Enthusiast group.

“The Pirelli World Challenge Championship Series is committed to offering the best, most innovative and relevant road racing in North America. Greg joining our team is a reflection of that commitment to the growth of our series and development of its partners.” Bove stated. “Greg will head up our expanded marketing team as we build on our success of the past year.”
 
The Pirelli World Challenge is one of North America's top production car-based racing championships. Divided into four separate categories (Pirelli World Challenge GT, Pirelli World Challenge GTS, Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car and Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B-Spec), each race features thrilling standing starts, adrenaline filled door-to-door action and world-class drivers.

The Pirelli World Challenge features cars from the world's most popular manufacturers—race-prepped versions of the cars driven on the streets. Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, the series races at North America's premier road and temporary street courses.
 

The board of directors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation convened a special meeting Sunday, October 28, and has announced that Randy Bernard will relinquish his position as CEO of INDYCAR effective immediately.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation President and CEO Jeff Belskus was appointed as interim CEO of INDYCAR.

"We are very grateful for the tireless effort that Randy has invested into learning, understanding and working to grow the IndyCar Series over the last three racing seasons," Belskus said. "As both Randy and our organization have reflected on the past season and as we look toward the opportunities ahead and how to best take advantage of them, we agreed that the timing was right to pursue separate paths."

Bernard, who joined INDYCAR in March 2010, said he believed he is leaving INDYCAR in a better position than when he arrived.

"I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with the entire INDYCAR community, its teams, drivers, loyal partners and fans," Bernard said. "The last three years have produced some exciting, and some difficult, times. But we have created a foundation for INDYCAR that positions it to grow over the next several years, and I am proud of what everyone at INDYCAR has been able to accomplish since I came on board."

Bernard was also grateful for the support of the Hulman-George family during his tenure.

"I want to thank the Hulman-George family, especially Josie (George), for giving me the opportunity and privilege to work with the organization and to help set a course and direction for INDYCAR," Bernard said. "With the family's firm commitment to the betterment of the sport and the dedication of our teams, drivers, partners and fans, INDYCAR is better poised for success than it has been in many years."

Belskus credited Bernard with successfully navigating INDYCAR through a challenging and important time period that included the development and rollout of the first new chassis rules in nine years and the introduction of a new engine platform and multiple engine manufacturers after six years of a single-supplier format.

Belskus added that Bernard would still provide input into the overall operation of INDYCAR through an ongoing advisory capacity with INDYCAR. Bernard said he was looking forward to staying involved.

"I have developed a passion for the sport of INDYCAR, and I look forward to being involved at a strategic level as an advisor to the INDYCAR leadership," Bernard said. "As INDYCAR fans, we need to unify behind the sport in order to move it to the next level, and I look forward to providing input and being part of that unified voice along the way."

Belskus, who served as CEO of INDYCAR from July 2009 through February 2010, will continue in his current roles in addition to being named interim CEO of INDYCAR.

Belskus said a specific timeline had not been established for announcing a permanent replacement, but added that future INDYCAR leadership structure will be addressed as part of a current strategic planning process that includes assistance from global business management firm The Boston Consulting Group and would incorporate consultation with INDYCAR stakeholders.