Former NASCAR driver and racing analyst Kyle Petty has announced the route for the 28th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America.

From May 4 to May 10, 2024, Petty will lead 150 motorcycles across nine states on a seven-day trip, covering more than 2,100 miles in an effort to raise funds and awareness for Victory Junction, the North Carolina camp for children with serious and chronic medical conditions.

The ride will begin in Deadwood, South Dakota, on May 4 and conclude in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 10.

For more information or to donate, visit kylepettycharityride.com.

The International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS), an organization focused on medical knowledge and technology in motorsports, will be hosting its Race Track Safety Program Fire Rescue Training at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana.

The program provides eight stations of hands-on training using state-of-the-art techniques for fire suppression, driver extraction, emergency vehicle maneuvering, and more. Participants will gain expertise in using hydraulic and non-hydraulic cutting tools, managing airway obstructions, and executing rapid driver extrication methods. This program is essential for those who face the unique challenges of motorsport emergencies, equipping them to handle high-pressure situations with precision and care.

The course is SFI Certified, and the participants are eligible for a three-year SFI Fire Rescue Certification.

For more information, visit icmsmotorsportsafety.org/events.

Grassroots Motorsports, the Florida-based motorsports publication, is now accepting entries for its $2,000 Challenge.

Scheduled for April 6-7 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, the autocross and drag-racing event will feature cars built for $2,000 or less racing against each other, as well as over-budget builds.

The race will offer multiple classes and be divided into sub-classes: cars built for less than $2,000 and cars built without budget limitations.

For more information, visit 2000challenge.com.

While the engines have quieted, the reverberations of the 2024 Motorsports Day at the West Virginia Capitol persist. 

Held on Friday, February 23, the event brought together industry professionals, elected officials, and state agencies, serving as a platform for collaboration, education, and the celebration of motorsports' significant contributions to the Mountain State. 

Left to Right: Erik Hubbard, Back Roads of Appalachia; Delegate Gary Howell; AK Whatley, Chaos Motorsports; Delegate Wayne Clark; Maria Whatley, Chaos Motorsports.
 

In the State Capitol Rotunda, over 30 businesses and vendors, including SEMA and PRI, showcased the diverse landscape of West Virginia's motorsports scene. Meanwhile, outside the Capitol, more than 30 racing vehicles displayed the pinnacle of motorsports engineering and design. Notably, Chaos Motorsports' AK Whatley received legislative recognition for completing the grueling 2024 King of the Hammers event. 

Throughout the day, attendees engaged in open discussions and networking, fostering collaboration and identifying avenues for growth with government officials and peers. 

"Participating in West Virginia Motorsports Day is vital for SEMA and PRI," said Christian Robinson, SEMA senior director of state government affairs and grassroots. "It afforded us direct connections with industry-driving businesses. Through events like these, we can foster collaboration, advocate for the future of motorsports, and celebrate its positive impact on communities in West Virginia." 

PRI Senior Editor/Social Media Manager Christen D'Alessandro attended the 24 Hours of LeMons at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, California, last weekend, and she's giving PRI News readers an exclusive peek into what it was like to cover--and participate in!--the budget endurance road racing series designed for cars bought and race-prepped for just $500.

D'Alessandro attended the race for content from the iconic race for PRI's hundreds of thousands of social media followers, but little did she know that she would be recruited to drive behind the wheel of a race car before the weekend would wrap.

"This was my first time at a 24 Hours of LeMons event, but I had heard about them and thought it was a great concept, so I wanted to check one out. My goal was to capture video and photo content from the event for PRI's social channels and PRI Magazine, but to my surprise, I ended up driving in the race! The guys from the Flavor Town team who were driving the K24 Mini sponsored by Permatex let me borrow the proper safety gear and hop in the car for about 30 minutes on the second day of racing.

"It was such an amazing experience! I was super nervous because I have no prior racing experience, but once I got out there and felt more comfortable with the course after a couple of laps, I pushed it a bit harder and actually did okay. The car finished the race, which is a win in itself with budget endurance racing."

See more of D'Alessandro's first-hand insights below, and be sure to follow PRI on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

The 24 Hours of LeMons holds various events throughout the U.S. each year, and the premise behind this one was to purchase and build a car for just $500 maximum (safety gear not included). However, they are fairly loose with enforcing the rules, and teams can even bribe the judges during tech inspection to look the other way (all part of the fun of the race). It's a very grassroots style of racing, which is the main appeal. You don't have to spend a bunch of money or be an experienced racer to participate in these events. Nearly anyone can dip their toe in the water and try it out… and once they get a feel for it, they might want to continue racing and move up the ladder!

This event is an endurance race but doesn't actually last 24 hours. They raced seven hours on Saturday, and then another seven hours on Sunday, but reversed the track and drove it backwards the second day. The fun thing about this event is that everyone has a theme for their car and team, so the visuals are awesome! The series lets you dress up your car however you want, so you get some clever-looking race cars.

My main takeaway from the 24 Hours of LeMons is that anyone can participate and get their racing fix without breaking the bank! I'm still on a high from being in the race car last weekend and feel like I'm a real race car driver now!

And I'll end with this: you should follow PRI on social media because we offer a wide variety of motorsports content. Many race fans have their favorite series that they love (i.e. NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA), but PRI puts in our best efforts to cover those popular motorsports as well as other niche markets. And I think all racing fans/gearheads can appreciate all types of motorsports, even if it's not their favorite to watch. At PRI, we highlight our manufacturers and exhibitors as well, and what better way to do that than to show all the types of race engines that use their products?! Follow PRI on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

WyoTech, the Laramie, Wyoming, automotive, collision, diesel and welding trade school, recently reported an increase in enrollment, graduation and job placement rate.

In five years, the size of WyoTech's graduating class has increased from 370 in 2017 to 804 in 2022. Additionally, WyoTech's overall graduation rate improved from 76.2% in 2017 to 84% in 2022, which now outpaces the average graduation rate of U.S. colleges overall (62.3%) and all individual college types.

After graduation, 76.8% of graduates landed jobs in 2022, up from 76.2% in 2017.

For more information, visit wyotech.edu.

Turn 14 Distribution has awarded thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America, the suspension parts manufacturer with U.S. headquarters in Hamilton, Ohio, with its Collaborative Supplier Award for 2023.

Turn 14 Distribution's Collaborative Supplier Award is presented to a supplier with whom the company collaborated prominently over the last 12 months, the distributor said, and presented the award in recognition of the company's mutual support with Turn 14 Distribution in capitalizing on opportunities in sales and marketing to bolster both companies' status as leaders in the industry.

For more information, visit turn14.com or bilsteinrocks.com.

IMSA is currently accepting applications for the 2025-26 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship.

With a potential worth of more than $300,000, scholarship benefits include a full-season premium prepaid entry fee for the first year to drive in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, or IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, and 50% of the prepaid entry fee for the second season in one of those series.

Additionally, a series of learning modules will again be made available to candidates selected from the application pool to bolster off-track skills. Subjects include IMSA marketing and sponsorship resources, business development, social media best practices, networking and enhancing interviewing skills.

A new element, supported by Skip Barber Racing School, will provide a scholarship recipient who enters into an agreement to drive for the Skip Barber Racing team with a $50,000 seat credit for the first year of the scholarship.

IMSA is accepting applications until March 22.

For more information or to submit an application, visit imsa.com/diversity.

Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH), owner of the SpeedTour brand of racing events, has acquired International GT.

The North American racing series includes three different championships for late-model Ferrari and Porsche GT3-spec sports cars--the Stuttgart Cup, Maranello Cup, and Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy--and joins the PMH portfolio alongside the Trans Am Series, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, Formula Regional Americas, Formula 4 United States Championship and more.

"We're thrilled to officially welcome International GT to the Parella Motorsports Holdings family," said Tony Parella, CEO of PMH. "They have been part of the family for years, participating in our SpeedTour events since 2015. Ken Fengler has been pivotal to the success of IGT and will continue as president. We look forward to supporting him as he drives IGT into the future." 

For more information, visit internationalgt.net or speedtour.net.

“Don’t take ‘no’ for an acceptable answer” was a valuable lesson I learned years ago under the tutelage of PRI founder Steve Lewis. I had been tasked with finding information from a company that could help Steve’s No. 9 midget team. I had to find a way to make it happen.

Along my journey to get that “yes,” I dealt with people who didn’t understand the purpose of my request, others who were apathetic, and one who was just plain incompetent. But I persevered, and finally the gates opened and I spoke with the correct person who granted the request.

My joy was short-lived because as a result of that initial success, I was then tasked with obtaining that golden “yes” from other people for various reasons. Along the way, I learned a valuable lesson. Just like a driver determined to finish first at the end of a race, if I was blocked, then I would try to go left to get around. If that didn’t work, I would maneuver right. In racing, we find ways to get by the car in front for the win, even if some contact occurs during the pass.

In this month’s Special Report, the same theme applies as we explore adaptive race cars. These drivers experienced some shut doors in terms of overcoming physical challenges, including paraplegia, loss of limbs, and even blindness. (Yes, several blind race car drivers compete, and they are doing quite well with the help of advanced technology.)

In fact, 2005 ADRL Pro Nitrous world champion Dan Parker, who became blind after a testing accident in 2012, was so distraught fearing that he could never drive a race car again that he considered ending his life. However, he dreamt about being able to race again. Dan reached out to a friend who worked at Boeing who then developed a guidance system specifically for this purpose. Dan’s determination to not accept the challenges he faced allowed him to earn the distinction of setting the “Fastest Speed for a Car Driven Blindfolded,” by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2022. Although he wasn’t blindfolded, this is the closest available category from Guinness.

Robert Wickens, an IndyCar phenom, faced a similar challenge after he suffered a spinal cord injury from a racing accident in 2018. His battle to regain his ability to walk is well-documented, and he was even able to dance with his bride at their wedding reception the following year. In 2023, Robert and codriver Harry Gottsacker won the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR championship in their Bryan Herta Autosport No. 33 Elantra N TCR. Established technology combined with custom engineering allowed Robert to use hand controls on the steering wheel to drive. You can see this technological marvel on page 28 of our Special Report.

Whether at a race this weekend or facing an important business decision, make sure to move around those obstacles to achieve the “yes” you seek.