DirtFish, the Washington-based rally school, has launched its new Women in Motorsport Driver Program, an initiative focused on furthering the transformation of women's participation in motorsport.

The program expands on the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Summit, which returns again in May, and will be led by Women in Motorsport Coordinator Josie Rimmer.

Drivers Michele Abbate and Aoife Raftery have been selected as the first drivers to participate in the program, who will be tasked with sharing its message of inclusivity, accessibility and opportunity. They will also attend the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Summit as key panelists.

The DirtFish Women in Motorsport Summit is scheduled for Saturday, May 25, at the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.

For more information, visit drive.dirtfish.com/wim-summit-2025.

Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, is home to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, and PRI Individual Members can claim discounted tickets in their PRI member portal.

Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio, has added Alissa Wortman to its team in the newly formed position of content creator.

Wortman previously worked for Race Winning Brands, where she held various roles in shipping, customer service, manufacturing, international sales and marketing.

For more information, visit summitmotorsportspark.com.

Patrick Lindsey has been named senior vice president and general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Lindsey, who has an extensive background in sports management and event operations, will be stepping into the role following the retirement of Chris Powell, who has served as the speedway's leader for more than 26 years. Powell will retire after the upcoming March 14-16 Pennzoil 400 NASCAR race weekend.

Lindsey served as the executive director of the Shriners Children's Open PGA Tour event in Las Vegas since 2015. In this role, he was responsible for the event's operations, growth and community impact. Prior to his work with Shriners, Lindsey spent nine years with the PGA Tour in multiple roles.

In his new role, Lindsey will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the speedway, working closely with key stakeholders, enhancing fan experiences and driving the speedway's long-term growth and success.  

For more information, visit lvms.com.

Allison Melangton, senior vice president of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway parent company Penske Entertainment Corp., will serve for the second consecutive year as the honorary chair of the Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA) Women With Drive V summit, set to be held ahead of the 2025 PRI Show on December 9-10, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

The Women With Drive summit, which was also held in Indianapolis in conjunction with the 2024 PRI Show, aims to bring together motorsports professionals, offering new pathways for individuals to explore career opportunities, discuss current industry challenges and provide mentorship and resources for future growth in the motorsports industry.

Melangton is also recognized for her contributions to the Indianapolis community, serving on boards for major sporting events, including the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game and 2024 NBA All-Star Game. Additionally, she has won five Emmy Awards for her work with NBC during nine Olympic Games.

For more information, visit womeninmotorsportsna.com.

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has announced the recipients of the 2025 Wendi Allen Scholarship, an annual $1,500 scholarship presented to three women to support their travel to Tire Rack National Solo events and the Tire RacK SCCA Solo National Championships.

The 2025 recipients are Juliana Brava, Meredith Bunsawat and Em Huneycutt.

The annual award honors multi-time SCCA Solo National Champion Wendi Allen, and aims to encourage women everywhere to become more successful drivers and contributing members of the SCCA.

In addition to the $1,500 in scholarship funds, the SCCA will waive entry fees for the scholarship winners to all National Solo events attended during the year, and work with community and commercial partners to seek other forms of support for the recipients, such as driver training, mentoring, products and logistical assistance.

While two Wendi Allen Scholarships are funded via the SCCA Foundation, one comes courtesy of Mazda Motorsports. In 2025, Mazda’s scholarship goes to Brava, a San Francisco Region member.

For more information, visit scca.com.

A PRI- and SEMA-opposed bill in Arkansas that threatened to impose severe restrictions on local race tracks, has been withdrawn by its author.

This marks a significant victory for PRI, SEMA and the community of grassroots racing enthusiasts in Arkansas. To generate opposition to the bill, PRI and SEMA issued an urgent legislative alert to Arkansas motorsports businesses, race tracks and fans regarding House Bill (HB) 1564, which generated more than 7,000 letters to lawmakers. Additionally, SEMA and PRI worked with automotive celebrity Alex Taylor, an Arkansas native, on an Instagram reel promoting the letter-writing campaign, which garnered more than 400,000 views.

Arkansas lawmakers were considering HB 1564, which proposed onerous restrictions for race tracks, including new insurance requirements, limitations on noise levels, hours of operation and types of events that could be held. The bill, introduced by State Representative Wayne Long (R) and Senator Ronald Caldwell (R), sparked significant debate among legislators, community members and racing enthusiasts.

In a letter to the Arkansas lawmakers, Christian Robinson, SEMA and PRI's senior director of state government affairs, highlighted that the proposed restrictions could have led to job losses and reduced economic activity in the regions where race tracks are located.

"We believe that this legislation creates unnecessary regulatory burdens that could stifle motorsports events and related businesses, risks job losses and revenue declines in communities that rely on motorsports tourism and events [and] sets a concerning precedent for government overreach into private business operations without clear justification," stated Robinson. The specialty automotive aftermarket industry contributes more than $3.42 billion in economic impact and supports nearly 15,000 jobs.

"HB 1564 threatened to undermine the positive impacts of motorsports on Arkansas's economy and community," said Robinson. "We are pleased that the bill has been pulled and urge lawmakers to work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop policies that support both motorsports and local communities."

The decision to pull HB 1564 before the committee hearing is a significant win for the entire industry. The swift mobilization and the overwhelming response from the racing community played a crucial role in this outcome.

PRI and SEMA remain committed to protecting the racing community's interests and will continue to advocate for policies that support the industry and local economies. This victory demonstrates the power of collective action and the importance of standing up for the motorsports community.

For more information, please contact Victor Muñoz, SEMA's senior manager for state government affairs, at victorm@sema.org.

Dean Kessel, a 25-year veteran of senior executive leadership in sports marketing and sponsorship strategy, is joining NASCAR Cup Series team Legacy Motor Club as its chief marketing officer (CMO).

Kessel most recently served as CMO of the American Legion, where he spearheaded an INDYCAR sponsorship with Chip Ganassi Racing. Prior to his role at The American Legion, Kessel served as director of Sprint's $100 million annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series sponsorship, managing all marketing, promotions and communications activities. Additionally, Kessel previously led Lowe's sports marketing efforts across NASCAR, NFL, MLB and NBA properties, and played a significant role in securing the naming rights for Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In his new role, Kessel will oversee all marketing initiatives, sponsorship activations and brand strategy to elevate Legacy Motor Club's footprint in the motorsports industry, the team said.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dean to Legacy Motor Club," said team co-owner Jimmie Johnson. "Dean's extensive experience in motorsports, brand development and corporate partnerships will be instrumental in driving our marketing and fan engagement initiatives to new heights. I had the pleasure of working with him through the Lowe's, Sprint, and American Legion partnerships, so to say Dean is the perfect fit for this role is an understatement. His track record of building strong, lasting partnerships and innovative marketing strategies aligns perfectly with our vision for the future."

For more information, visit legacymotorclub.com.

• At a Glance: SEMA and PRI continue to fight to stop unfair automotive technology mandates. Industry members are encouraged to join the cause.
• Get involved: To join the fight, visit SEMACRA.org to send a letter to your lawmaker.
• Use our tools: Amplify our messages with our toolkit, featuring social media assets you can deploy on your channels. 
  
   

SEMA Hits The Hill, Throws a Haymaker in Fight to Stop ICE Ban

Working on a tight deadline to stop California's ICE ban, SEMA and PRI mustered a crack team of advocates to urge lawmakers to prevent California from enacting laws and mandates for the entire country. Congress is in the midst of a CRA-enabled examination of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Air Act waiver to California for the state's Advanced Clean Cars II regulation.

To amplify the message of technology-neutral government and vehicle choice, a team of 31 advocates, comprised of SEMA members and automotive content creators, descended on Capitol Hill for meetings with lawmakers and their staff members. Over the course of seven hours, members impressed upon Congress why California's ICE ban should be struck down, furthering our position on this critical matter.

SEMA and PRI have published a new toolkit of posters and social media assets to help spread the word on the fight to stop the internal combustion engine (ICE) ban. (Find more on those resources at sema.org/advocacy/cra and below).

Background on the Congressional Review Act

SEMA and PRI's efforts to overturn EV mandates enacted by California are at a significant moment. Federal lawmakers will use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to determine the legitimacy of Clean Air Act waivers for California's Advanced Clean Cars II policy, which would effectively ban internal combustion engines (ICE) and related technology and innovations. SEMA and PRI oppose these waivers and support their immediate repeal by Congress.

These proposed mandates will create a seismic shift in the automotive industry that will hurt small businesses that employ American workers with technical skills and create the often politically celebrated blue-collar jobs. The specialty automotive aftermarket has led to technological innovation, making vehicles more fuel-efficient, safer and appealing to consumers.

In addition, large automakers are losing billions a year in their electric-vehicle (EV) programs despite the massive financial infusion of taxpayer dollars they receive from the government and subsidies to purchase EVs.

Join the cause to end EV mandates and support automotive businesses by visiting semacra.org and sending a letter to your lawmakers. Be sure also to access the ready-to-print and ready-to-post assets available to industry members below.
 

SEMA and PRI Offer 'Stop the EV Ban' Toolkit of Assets; Join the Cause

SEMA and PRI's CRA Social Media Toolkit is designed to help industry members share their opposition to EV mandates across their digital channels and in their shops or businesses. This comprehensive toolkit provides a variety of ready-to-use assets, including printable posters, social graphics, carousel assets and sample post copy, making it easy to share key messaging with your customers and industry peers. 

Join the cause, let industry members know where you stand, and access the CRA Social Media Toolkit at sema.org/advocacy/cra.

Holley Performance Brands is growing its global footprint by expanding into Mexico.

The company is entering Mexico in a phased approach, beginning with its modern truck and off-road consumer vertical that encompasses Jeeps, Ford Broncos, mid-size pickups and other highly customized vehicle fitments in the region. Products and platform package solutions from Holley-owned brands like ADS, Baer, Edge, DiabloSport, Flowmaster, Superchips, Holley, ACCEL and MSD are already available in Mexico through authorized distributors, including Auto Zone locations, as well as through job shops.

Holley's entrance into Mexico officially kicked off on February 1 with an event in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, attended by distributors, job shops, enthusiasts and Holley Performance Brands leadership. To support its growing presence in the Mexico region, Holley has launched a dedicated website and social media channels, the company said.

Holley plans to launch its Domestic Muscle product portfolio in Mexico later this spring--including high-performance brands such as AEM, Mr. Gasket and Holley EFI--with its Safety & Racing brands to follow later this year, including Stilo, Simpson, RaceQuip and Hans.

For more information on Holley Mexico, visit holley.com/mexico.

Update on March 5, 2025:

HB 1564 was officially withdrawn as of March 5, 2025. SEMA and PRI thank industry members for their efforts supporting this important cause.
 

Original story:

PRI and SEMA are currently waging a significant fight to derail HB 1564, legislation that would create new restrictions for rural race tracks in Arkansas, including new insurance requirements, limitations on noise levels, hours of operation and types of events that venues can hold. 

What PRI and SEMA Are Doing:  

• We mobilized quickly, submitting testimony to the committee and activating the SEMA and PRI Action Network.  
• Because of our advocacy campaign, more than 6,000 letters have been sent to elected officials opposing the bill.  
• The SEMA Action Network released an explainer video, while noted racing celebrity Alex Taylor was compelled to create an Instagram post promoting our letter-writing campaign. Both videos have been viewed over 400,000 times. PRI and SEMA members are urged to share these videos to spread the message.  

Next Steps:  

• The PRI and SEMA Washington, D.C. office anticipates a hearing on Wednesday, March 5, in which the bill could be heard. This will be the third time HB 1564 is on the agenda. If the bill is not heard this week, it will be moved to the "deferred list," making it much more difficult to move the bill.  

How You Can Help:  

• PRI and SEMA have made it easy to get engaged. Please share the link to our letter-writing campaign on your social media accounts and share the videos, including the one below.

 

 

 

 

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