Holley Performance Brands, the Bowling Green, Kentucky-based parts manufacturer, has named Jordon Musser as its new senior vice president of safety and electronics product categories.

Musser will lead a team to develop and implement a strategic growth plan for Holley's portfolio of safety brands, including Simpson, Stilo, Hans and Racequip. He will oversee all aspects of these brands, including managing site locations, product development and manufacturing, quality and engineering. In addition, he will oversee all aspects for Holley's electronic parts brands, including Holley EFI, MSD, Edge, Superchips, ACCEL, AEM, DiabloSport, Range, Powerteq, Dinan and APR.

Musser most recently served as chief product officer and global head of research and development for Fluence Bioengineering.

Fore more information, visit holley.com.

Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA), the organization dedicated to supporting and creating resources that enable women drivers, will again offer $200,000 in contingency money supporting women pursuing racing careers in NASCAR-sanctioned racing series.

The program utilizes a points system for women drivers 21 years and older with monetary rewards based on race results throughout the 2024 racing season.

In 2024, the points system will reward drivers based on merit and race results throughout the season. The system incorporates several factors, including the different lengths of races, the size of the fields, the level of competition, and the cost of competing in NASCAR-sanctioned races. Eligible participants in the program will accumulate points during the 2024 season.

At the end of the year, the top three-point earners will be rewarded $125,000, $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, based on their best 14 races. Julie Jorgenson of Lakeville, Minnesota, Taylor Goldman of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and Jennifer Hall of Tucson, Arizona, received the awards in 2023.

For more information on the program, visit womeninmotorsportsna.com.

The NHRA U.S. Nationals will celebrate its 70th anniversary this year when the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series visits Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Aug. 28-Sept. 2.

The anniversary event will include a host of special events and celebrations to be announced in the coming weeks, in addition to a recently released 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals logo.

On-track events will include action from Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, as well as the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge race of the season, the Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout, and the special Dodge Hemi Challenge. The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown, and NHRA Holley EFI Factory will also be featured.

For more information, visit nhra.com.

The PRI Team was in Long Beach, California, last week for Formula DRIFT (FD) media day ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix, and PRI's own Jack Haworth, coordinating editor, is giving PRI News readers an exclusive peek into what it was like to cover the event--and join the on-track action--on the streets of Long Beach.

The iconic street race includes action from six different race series--NTT IndyCar, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Formula DRIFT Super Drift Challenge, SPEED/UTV Stadium SUPER Trucks, GT America, and the Historic Indy Car Challenge--but on the day of Haworth's visit, Formula DRIFT cars were taking their first runs on track ahead of the season-opening event.

In addition to some time in the paddock and an update from Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian, Haworth had the opportunity to strap into the passenger seat of an Acura NSX pace car and FD Pro driver Jhonnattan Castro's Toyota GR86.

Read some of Haworth's first-hand observations below, including what it's like to be between the concrete walls on the streets of Long Beach:

Upon arriving at the track, we were greeted with the welcomed sound of roaring engines and screeching tires, with Formula DRIFT cars getting their first runs on the track in anticipation of their season-opening FD round this weekend--Round 1: Streets of Long Beach.  

We made our way to the FD paddock, where teams were tuning and adjusting their cars after the initial shakedown runs. Seeing the cars and teams up close in the paddock is a spectacle for any racing or car enthusiast. These cars are pushing 1000 horsepower or more, but how they get those numbers varies wildly. You’ll see different car platforms, unique engine swaps and power adders, endless modifications, and drivers from around the globe with plenty of personality. Beyond the variety of unique builds, I also noticed how the teams would help each other—freely sharing both advice and tools with their on-track competitors. The FD paddock is a great atmosphere that anyone remotely interested in motorsports would appreciate.

Following lunch, I had the opportunity to strap in an Acura NSX pace car and get a taste of what the 1.97-mile, 11-turn street course feels like--between the walls. Upon leaving pit road, the professional driver mashed the gas, and I was thrown back in the seat, quickly surprised by the sense of speed and how fast that turn one wall was coming at us. Of course, the driver smoothly navigated that turn and explained how he was attacking the track throughout the lap. Use some curb here, swing out wide there--it was a fascinating new perspective of the track I’ve watched races at since I was a kid.  

Once back in the pits, it was time for another new experience in the form of a high-adrenaline ride-along in a Formula DRIFT car. After putting on a helmet, I got in a Toyota GR86 driven by FD Pro driver, Jhonnattan Castro. After warming up the tires by sliding the car around and doing donuts, Castro lined up and waited for the starter’s cue to launch into the drifting portion of the track--the technical complex of Turns 9, 10, and 11. Once it was our turn, Castro dropped the hammer and slammed through the gears as we launched toward Turn 9--a 90-degree right-hander. Within moments, Castro pulled the handbrake to put the car into a slide and modulated the throttle to get the rear wheels spinning. As we drifted through that turn, our view out the windshield was a concrete wall. With the engine roaring and the wall approaching, Castro expertly swung the car back left at the last moment, setting us up to drift through the sweeping left-hander at Turn 10. A final pull of the e-brake swung the Toyota GR86 back to the right, as Castro navigated and accelerated out of the Turn 11 hairpin to complete the run. My eyes were burning from the tire smoke, but there was a huge smile across my face.  

For more behind-the-scenes insights from Long Beach, look out for Haworth's upcoming article in the June issue of PRI Magazine, which will take a detailed look at the overall planning, execution, and logistics involved with putting on a successful street race. It will highlight select street races including the Long Beach Grand Prix, NASCAR Chicago Street Race, and Grand Prix of St. Pete--and explore the different approaches and challenges each team must overcome at these different locations.

The CW Network will be the exclusive broadcaster of the final eight races for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series this fall.

Live coverage will begin on September 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway and will continue through the final seven Xfinity playoff races. All broadcasts will be produced by NBC Sports, with Rick Allen as lead announcer, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte as analysts, and NBC Sports' Vice President of Motorsports Jeff Behnke overseeing production.

Starting in 2025, the CW Network will become the exclusive home to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, extending through the 2031 racing season. The CW will broadcast 33 live NASCAR Xfinity Series races annually, along with practice and qualifying events each weekend.

For more information, visit nascar.com.

NASCAR has hired former ESPN executive John Dahl as its new senior vice president, content.

Beginning May 1, Dahl will oversee all content generated by NASCAR Studios and NASCAR Digital Media across multiple business areas, including production, programming and operations. His scope will cover the full spectrum of long and short-form storytelling, ranging from features, documentaries and branded content to social media, NASCAR.com and in-app executions for NASCAR's platforms. Dahl will report directly to Tim Clark, NASCAR senior vice president and chief digital officer, and split his time between New York City and NASCAR's newly constructed productions facility in Concord, North Carolina.

A winner of 11 Emmys and three Peabody Awards, Dahl was one of the original executive producers on ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series and was also a lead executive producer on "The Last Dance" series, which chronicled NASCAR 23XI Racing team owner Michael Jordan's final championship season with the Chicago Bulls. Dahl also served as a consultant on the first season of Netflix's 2024 docuseries, "NASCAR: Full Speed."

For more information, visit nascar.com.

Prema Racing, the junior formula racing team based in Italy, will join the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2025 with two full-time entries.

The Prema Racing INDYCAR effort will operate out of a "state-of-the-art" facility located in Indiana. The team's two full-time entries will be powered by Chevrolet's 2.2L, twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid power units.

More details, including drivers, partners and sponsors, will be released at a later date.

For more information, see the full announcement on indycar.com.

Holley Performance Brands, based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, has named Chet Baker as its new senior vice president of sales as part of an overall expansion of its sales team.

In his new role, Baker will lead the company’s sales team, developing and executing strategies to drive growth across Holley’s portfolio of brands, the company said, and will work closely with Holley’s business and marketing teams to cultivate relationships with key distribution partners.

In addition to Baker’s new role, Holley Performance Brands has named four new sales leaders who will be responsible for overseeing sales for the company’s target consumer vertical groupings:

• Dan Waters has joined the organization as senior sales director for safety and racing.
• Scott McLaughlin, previously director of sales, has been promoted to the role of senior sales director for domestic muscle. In this new position, he will have sales accountability for classic truck, classic muscle and modern muscle.
• Mae Salehi recently joined Holley Performance Brands as sales director for national retailers. She will also be responsible for sales in the modern truck and off-road, and Euro and import verticals.
• Brent Morgulec joined Holley in late 2023 as sales director for the OE and export business.

For more information, visit holley.com.

The United States Auto Club (USAC), the Speedway, Indiana-based sanctioning body, has appointed Jason Smith as president of the organization.

The newly formed president position of USAC Racing will report to USAC CEO Kevin Miller and work alongside the executive team reporting to the USAC Board of Directors.

In his new position, Smith will oversee the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of USAC Racing, working closely with stakeholders to ensure the continued success and growth of the organization, the sanctioning body said. His vision for USAC includes enhancing the fan experience, fostering innovation in racing technology and cultivating a diverse and inclusive racing community.

For more information, visit usacracing.com.

Total Seal Piston Rings, located in Phoenix, Arizona, has conformed to the Quality Management System Standard ISO 9001:2015 for design, machining, fabrication and assembly of piston rings.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification establishes credibility and trust among consumers, clients and other business partners, according to the organization, and validates that an organization adheres to global standards of quality assurance, manufacturing and business.

"Congratulations to the team at Total Seal for their hard work and dedication in achieving this significant ISO milestone," said Matt Hartford, CEO of Total Seal. "It is a testament to their skills and commitment to quality, and it reflects the high standards upheld by the employees, managers and workers at the company. This accomplishment will surely bring about continued success and growth for Total Seal in the future."

For more information, visit totalseal.com.