Nancy Edelbrock, the wife of Vic Edelbrock Jr. of Edelbrock Group, has passed away. She was 86. 

Along with raising their three daughters, Camee, Christi, and Carey, Nancy Edelbrock would join Vic at the SEMA Show and at races to promote the company. She was an integral part of Edelbrock, even if she didn't have an official title. Referred to as "the Real Boss" by Vic, she played an essential role in supporting and nurturing the growth of the iconic Edelbrock brand. 

Vic often asked Nancy for her opinions, making her an integral part of the Edelbrock legacy. She was fluent in Spanish and would translate Vic's speeches during celebrations to make everyone feel welcome. Nancy's grace, elegance and commitment to excellence were instrumental in shaping the company's success.

Edelbrock Group consists of brands Edelbrock, COMP Cams, FAST, TCI Automotive, Russel and Lunati. 

For more information and photos, visit Edelbrock's announcement here or visit edelbrockgroup.com.

Arnold "Arnie" Kuhns--the motorsports safety pioneer and founder of SFI Foundation--has passed away. He was 83. Kuhns was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2002 and the SEMA Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) Hall of Fame in 2016.

In 1984, Kuhns was approached by his peers in the automotive industry to lead the newly formed SFI Foundation to address the increasing concern of inferior parts that posed a risk to safety at the race track. He developed what was, at the time, an innovative system to create minimum performance testing standards for race products.

Initially, SFI had only two employees managing four product standards for one sanctioning body. Now, SFI testing and certification has grown to more than one hundred quality assurance specifications utilized by hundreds of international sanctioning bodies.

During his career, Kuhns served as president of the International Council of Motorsports Sciences (ICMS) and was an active member of the NFPA 610 Committee for Safety at Motorsports Venues and the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.

Kuhns was honored with several accolades, including the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) George Snively Award for Outstanding Contributions to Motorsports Safety (1995); the United States Auto Club Jack O'Neal Award for Motorsports Safety (1996); awarded an NHRA Wally for Valued Personal Contributions to the Sport of Drag Racing and High Performance Industries (2002); British Drag Racing Hall of Fame's Lucas Oil Global Achievement Award (2018); and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) John Melvin Motorsport Safety Award (2021). 

Ford has unveiled the Mustang GT3 race car, based on the all-new 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, during a special ceremony as part of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 10-11. 

The automaker also announced plans to enter the GT3 into the iconic endurance race's FIA GT3 category in 2024, along with an entry in the 2024 World Endurance Championship season under Proton Competition, the German team led by team principal Christian Ried.

"Ford and Le Mans are bound together by history. And now we're coming back to the most dramatic, most rewarding and most important race in the world. It is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone," said Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Co. 

Multimatic will build and support the GT3s, while M-Sport will assemble the Ford Performance-developed 5.4 L Coyote-based V8 engines. It features a bespoke short-long arm suspension, rear-mounted transaxle gearbox and carbon fiber body panels and an aero package developed to meet GT3 targets.

In addition, the automaker announced a new Ford Performance branding described as a "cleaner, simplified look" that will be integrated across its racing vehicles.

Racers and teams interested in acquiring a Mustang GT3 to enter into competition can visit ford.com/performance/mustang-gt3.

UIM E1 World Championship--the world's first all-electric powerboat racing championship--has unveiled the venues that will host its inaugural racing season, which opens January 2024.

The season will launch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, followed by a to-be-determined location in the Middle East in February 2024. Two events--set for April and May 2024--will take place in the waters of Venice, Italy. Then, competitors will visit Monaco in July 2024, followed by Rotterdam, Netherlands, in September 2024.

Teams will race RaceBirds boats near the shore, allowing fans to view the action from land.

E1 events will be held over two days with practice sessions, qualifying and knockout races. Pilots will go head-to-headseveralr of heats to determine who progresses to the next stage. The fastest teams and pilots will advance to the final to decide the winner.

For more information, visit e1series.com.

The AAM Group--the automotive aftermarket program distribution group and specialty marketing firm based in Piney Flats, Tennessee--has announced the hiring of Alan Stevenson and the promotion of Steven Perrotta to expand the program's product management and marketing capabilities.

As product manager for AAM Group's Engine Pro, Stevenson will work to stabilize margins, work with existing and new global suppliers and negotiate terms of sale. He brings 30 years of experience specializing in high-performance internal combustion engines (ICE). He most recently worked at JE Pistons for 17 years and held roles such as product manager, sales manager and senior technical manager.

As the marketing leader, Perrotta will work to bring Engine Pro into the existing AAM Group marketing programs portfolio, integrating tools and services and devising new solutions. Perrotta, who previously served AAM as a marketing specialist, will also create and execute an ongoing strategy to generate exposure and influence for Engine Pro supplier partners and the program's private label brand.

For more information, visit theaamgroup.com.

Power Automedia--the media and automotive digital publishing company based in Temecula, California--has announced the official launch of "Electrified," a cutting-edge digital brand focused exclusively on electric vehicles (EVs).

"Electrified" is designed to deliver entertaining and informative content to EV enthusiasts worldwide through feature articles, industry news, reviews, EV swaps, editorial videos and related content. 

"Electrified will utilize our multi-platform approach to digital media with vibrant, active social media, custom newsletters, email alerts to new content, videos on YouTube, and of course, our freshly designed website with new content daily," said Scott Parker, the chief content officer of Power Automedia.

For more information, visit powerautomedia.com and electrifiedmag.com. In addition, enthusiasts can follow "Electrified" on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

WyoTech--the U.S. automotive, diesel, and collision trade school based in Laramie, Wyoming--has announced its inaugural Hall of Fame class, with alumni including the late trailblazer known as "The Fastest Woman on Earth, a John Deere master tech whose YouTube videos have garnered 8 million views, a custom car builder who returned as an instructor and more.

"Each of the six alumni has achieved tremendous career success and demonstrates WyoTech's capability of training students to succeed across the entire spectrum of the trade industry," said Jim Mathis, president and CEO of WyoTech. "We're honored to recognize them as the first inductees of WyoTech's Hall of Fame and to show the public the kind of impact our graduates have on the trade industry and the world."

To be eligible for the WyoTech Hall of Fame, alumni must be five years post-graduation and established in the industry.

The inaugural WyoTech Hall of Fame Class is (in alphabetical order):

John Alonzo is the Racing Operations-Marketing Director for the race shop at Scoggin Dickey Parts Center in Lubbock, Texas, one of the world's leading dealers of high-performance engines and GM parts. 

Jessi Combs (1980-2019): The late Combs broke stereotypes and records by joining the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger team and, in 2013, became "The Fastest Woman on 4-Wheels" at 398 mph, with a top speed of 440 mph. In 2019, she set a new Women's Landspeed World Record at 522.783 mph before the accident that took her life. That feat and her career were memorialized in the HBO Max documentary "The Fastest Woman on Earth."

Dave Gilley is the founder and owner of Gilleyfab Enterprises, near Salt Lake City, Utah, known for top-tier, fine-quality fabrication in the UTV industry.

Levi Green is the owner and instructor of HammerFab near Austin, Texas, which specializes in handcrafting upscale turnkey customs and industry-leading fabrication tools and parts.

Zeth Key is a Master John Deere Service Technician at a Sloan Implement location in Illinois. In April 2008, he launched a YouTube channel in honor of his late friend, Jake, to promote the trade they loved and to "inspire a younger generation to pick up a wrench and start a great career" keeping agriculture running. In two years, the channel grew to 63,000 subscribers and 8 million views.

Randy Svalina is a WyoTech Specialties Instructor who teaches students a curriculum and a way of life that helps their families and communities. "As a part of WyoTech, we help others reach their goals, their dreams, raise their families, and succeed in their journey," he said.

For more information, visit wyotech.edu.

McLaren Racing--the British organization with teams in Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula E, Extreme E and esports teams--has announced the appointment of Rob Marshall as technical director, Engineering & Design, for its Formula 1 team. He joins after 17 years with Red Bull Racing, most notably as CEO.

Supporting Marshall will be Neil Houldey in the newly created role of deputy technical director, Engineering & Design. The pair will collaborate to assess and establish the highest technical standards required to design winning F1 cars.

Marshall and Houldey's roles will sit within Mclaren's F1 technical executive team, alongside Peter Prodromou and David Sanchez, and reporting directly to Team Principal Andrea Stella. 

Marshall will officially join the team in 2024.

For more information, visit mclaren.com/racing.

Officials with Extreme E--the off-road racing series featuring electric SUVs and founded by the same team behind Formula E--have announced the appointment of Mark Grain in the newly created technical director role.

Grain's arrival coincides with the upcoming launch of Extreme H, set to be the world's first hydrogen motorsports championship. He will have an integral role in shaping the technical direction of the championship and ensuring the teams' compliance with regulations.

"Having experienced Extreme E firsthand as a competitor and loved every minute, when the chance came to join the Championship, I jumped at it," said Grain.

For more information, visit extreme-e.com.

Radford Racing School--the premier driving and racing school based in Chandler, Arizona--has named Kim Wolfkill as its vice president of sales and marketing. 

Wolfkill will manage the sales and marketing functions and play an active role in creative campaigns, strategic partnerships, special events, group sales and expanding the school's industry presence.

Wolfkill has 25 years of automotive industry experience across multiple fields, including print and digital media, strategic partnerships and professional driving. He previously competed in pro sports car series, including the Grand-Am Cup, SPEED World Challenge, Rolex Sports Car Series and Porsche Michelin Supercup.

For more information, visit radfordracingschool.com.