NASCAR announced The Clash will come to Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, North Carolina, for the first time as the opening exhibition event for the 2025 season on February 2.

The event will mark the first NASCAR Cup Series event at the racetrack in 54 years. The racetrack hosted 29 NASCAR Grand National, now NASCAR Cup Series, races from 1958 to 1971.

In 1949, NASCAR brought motorsports to the facility, and it became the first weekly racetrack and first paved racetrack that NASCAR competed on. Earlier this year, NASCAR took over the long-term management of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium in partnership with the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

For more information on The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, visit NASCARClash.com.

The Vermont-based Dirt Midget Association has aligned with Concord, North Carolina-based World Racing Group's Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series in an effort to support local Midget racing in the Northeast.

Now known as the Xtreme Dirt Midget Association (XDMA), the group was founded in 2011 and operates bi-weekly from its home track, Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Vermont.

Drivers in the group utilize a package consisting of Ford Focus, Chevy Ecotec or Quad 4 engines, Stealth, Spike or Beast chassis and Hoosier Racing Tires. 

In 2024, the organization continues its home operation at Bear Ridge while also making special trips to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vermont, and the SIG Sauer Academy Dirt Duels at The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the track’s NASCAR Cup Series weekend in June.

For more information, visit the XDMA Facebook page or xtremeoutlawseries.com.

Meyer Distributing, Inc., the Indiana-based parts distributor, is opening a new crossdock in Plattsburgh, New York. The crossdock will have a direct feed from Meyer's Pennsylvania distribution hub, which houses an inventory of automotive accessories, crash and collision, 4x4 and off-road, and RV and trailer parts.

"Meyer is your source for automotive accessories in the Northeast," said Jeremy Schnaus, Meyer's automotive accessories sales manager. "Our experienced, customer-centric sales staff is ready to help take your business to the next level by increasing your profitability allow you to service your customers quicker."

For more information, visit meyerdistributing.com.

PRI member Magnuson Superchargers is nominated for the prestigious "Coolest Thing Made in California" award. The "Coolest Thing Made in California" award, hosted by the California Manufacturing and Technology Association (CMTA), celebrates the most outstanding products manufactured in the Golden State, highlighting the vital role of California's manufacturing sector in driving economic growth and technological advancements.  

Voting runs through Thursday, August 22, after which the top 16 vote-getters advance to a bracket-style competition to decide a final winner. 

Cast your vote here. You may vote up to five times per day, per device.  

These nominations affirm the innovation and craftsmanship that the motorsports industry is renowned for and further underscore the importance of PRI members to California's economy.

For more information, contact Christian Robinson, PRI's senior director for state government affairs and grassroots, at christianr@sema.org.   

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Haas Factory Team has hired Aaron Kramer to be the crew chief for driver Cole Custer and the No. 41 NASCAR Cup Series team in 2025. Custer will drive the No. 41 Ford for the Haas Factory Team in 2025 after the dissolution of Stewart-Haas Racing’s four-car NASCAR Cup Series operation at the end of the season.

Kramer will come to Haas Factory Team after the 2024 season from RFK Racing, with whom Haas Factory Team will have a technical alliance. The 35-year-old from Wellsville, New York is currently the lead race engineer for Cup Series driver Chris Buescher and the No. 17 team.

Kramer has been with RFK since 2016, rising from an electrical and data systems engineer who oversaw the team's advanced track simulator rig to lead race engineer on RFK's No. 60 NASCAR Xfinity Series team in 2018. Kramer was promoted to Cup in 2019, working as the secondary race engineer for two years with the No. 6 team and driver Ryan Newman before moving to the No. 17 team in 2021 with Buescher.

For more information, visit nascar.com or the Haas Factory Team website.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca's third annual Corkscrew Hillclimb during the 2024 Monterey Pre-Reunion set new records and drew significant attention from legendary drivers eager to prove their mettle on the iconic turn. The Pre-Reunion is a special event leading up to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, this year August 14-17.

This year's event marked the North American debut of the '22 McMurtry Spéirling and the return of the '24 Drako GTE with professional racer Andy Pilgrim behind the wheel, solidifying the impressive performance of electric vehicles. Fans were also thrilled by the appearance of a new crowd favorite, the brand-new Case IH Steiger 620 Quadtrac tractor, which brought a unique and entertaining twist to the competition.

A new Corkscrew Hillclimb record was set after the McMurtry's first practice run with Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Max Chilton.

The top three in the 2024 Monterey Pre-Reunion Corkscrew Hillclimb shootout were:

Chris Locke held the previous record in his '76 Lotus Type 77 Formula One car that set the fastest time in 2023 at 34.69. While the McMurtry shattered the record, the starting line was slightly farther back in 2023, making an identical comparison difficult.

Since its inception in 2022, the Hillclimb has attracted a mix of serious competitors and vehicles entered purely for exhibition and entertainment.

For more information, visit the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca website.

Images courtesy of Scoot Bloomquist, Facebook.

The well-known dirt late model racer Scott Bloomquist, known for his popular No. 0 late models, has passed away following a plane crash, according to published reports. He was 60.

From Fort Dodge, Iowa, Bloomquist of Scott Bloomquist Racing was a longtime competitor with a racing career spanning more than 40 years. He frequented various touring series, including the World of Outlaws Late Models and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, as well as stock car series like the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series.

Bloomquist holds nine national championships and several special event titles, including winning the Dirt Late Model Dream eight times and the World 100 four times at Eldora Speedway.

Bloomquist was elected into the Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2002. He also owned the Team Zero Race Cars chassis building business.

PRI extends its condolences to the Bloomquist family.

Registration and tickets for MotorTrend's HOT ROD Power Tour West, scheduled for October 7-11, 2024, are now available.

The five-city, five-day event will include thousands of cars and trucks that will go on display for enthusiasts across California and Arizona. Expanding after its debut in 2024, Power Tour West will feature nearly 1,000 miles of driving, as well as drag racing, autocross and live entertainment.

For more information, to register or to purchase tickets, visit hotrodpowertourwest.us.

See the full 2024 HOT ROD Power Tour West schedule below:

• Day 1–Monday, October 7: In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona, California (feat. drag racing)
• Day 2–Tuesday, October 8: Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California
• Day 3–Wednesday, October 9: Riverside County Fairgrounds, Indio, California
• Day 4–Thursday, October 10: Windsor Beach, Lake Havasu, Arizona
• Day 5–Friday, October 11: Radford Racing School, Chandler, Arizona (feat. autocross)

Forgeline Motorsports, the Dayton, Ohio-based wheel manufacturer, has sold a majority stake of the company to Lacks Enterprises, a tier-one supplier to the automotive industry with headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Lacks Enterprises is an ISO-certified vendor to global automakers, providing Forgeline with new access to the original equipment market, according to the company.

The Schardt family will retain minority ownership of Forgeline and all operations will continue in Dayton, Ohio, with no disruptions to current customers or employees. Dave and Steve Schardt will continue as president and vice president of sales, while Sherri Schardt will continue in her administrative role.

To read the full announcement, visit forgeline.com.

Jacob Canter has been named director of competition for Legacy Motor Club, the Statesville, North Carolina-based NASCAR Cup Series team.

Canter has more than two decades of motorsports engineering experience, and most recently served as the engineering manager of vehicle performance at GM Motorsports.

Additionally, Bobby Kennedy, the longtime motorsports executive, joined the team in July in the newly created general manager role. Both Canter and Kennedy will report to CEO Cal Wells III.

Canter will oversee the competition department including all crew chiefs and pit crew, while Kennedy will oversee the day-to-day operations of the team.

For more information, visit legacymotorclub.com.