The Funny Car Chaos (FCC) Championship Drag Racing Series has announced a new partnership with Maryland International Raceway (MIR). The five-year agreement names MIR as the exclusive East Coast facility for FCC through 2027.

“There are dozens of Funny Car teams on the East Coast who are held back only by travel expenses inherited to participate in our Midwest- and Southwest-based series. This [race] will give those teams a local Chaos event, and we look forward to making welcoming lots of new Funny Car teams to the Chaos family,” FCC Founder Chris Graves said. 

Officials announced the date for the 2023 FCC event will take place August 25–26. The race will serve as a heads up, “run whatcha’ brung” exhibition, non-points event. MIR and FCC will also feature a Nostalgia car show and Nostalgia sportsman racing.

“We are excited to host the exclusive East Coast Funny Car Chaos event at MIR. [It] will have the largest field on Funny Cars ever held at MIR,” MIR Owner Royce Miller said. 

For more information, visit goracemir.com and funnycarchaos.com.

NASCAR has announced the creation of the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, the sanctioning body’s fourth international series and first in South America. The series, which will begin competition in 2023, is a partnership between NASCAR and the GT Sprint Race series in Brazil.

“Brazil is a vibrant country, rich in motorsports culture and community, and the perfect location for our first series in South America,” said Chad Seigler, NASCAR Vice President of International. “NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race will allow us to showcase the exciting side-by-side racing that defines NASCAR while giving Brazilian race fans a series to which they feel connected. It is our hope and intention that this series also opens more pathways for the country’s best drivers, mechanics, and engineers to advance to NASCAR’s national series in the United States, the worldwide pinnacle of stock car racing.”

GT Sprint Race was founded in 2012 by Thiago Marques, a former standout stock car driver in Brazil, with the goal of balancing high levels of competition, performance and safety. The 2022 schedule included 18 sprint races over nine weekends at road courses across Brazil, including Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) in São Paulo. The 2023 schedule will be released at a future date.

NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race joins the NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada) and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series as the fourth international series racing under the NASCAR banner. In 2023, NASCAR racing will take place in 12 different countries on three continents.

For more information, visit nascar.com.

Holley—the platform for performance automotive enthusiasts based in Bowling Green, Kentucky—has announced Brian Appelgate as the interim chief operating officer (COO). He has advised Holley since 2018 as the head of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). 

As Interim COO, Appelgate will be focused on driving near-term improvement in the end-to-end supply chain, manufacturing, and engineering functional areas.

“Over the last two quarters, supply chain constraints have prevented us from building and shipping our products in the volumes needed to satisfy the demand we’ve seen from our enthusiast consumers and resellers. Supply chain driven production inefficiencies along with inflationary pressures on many of our costs are further depressing our margins. Brian is a performance aftermarket industry veteran with a wealth of operating experience. He is a known quantity to our team and we are excited to partner with Brian to drive near-term improvement in our operating performance,” Holley President and CEO Tom Tomlinson said.

As a performance automotive industry veteran, Appelgate has experience in branded enthusiast consumer products, manufacturing, and distribution in private, private equity, and public market environments. He has served on multiple boards in the industry and is a former chairman of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). Prior to advising Holley, he was president and CEO of Driven Performance Brands.

For more information, visit holley.com.

The 2022 midterm election has been an exciting and somewhat puzzling one for political prognosticators as votes are still being counted in many key U.S. House of Representatives races. It is clear, however, that the motorsports industry is well positioned for success during the next two years because of our support for lawmakers who have stood with the hobby. 

From grassroots advocacy, to digital advertisements for our strongest allies, to highlighting all the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act co-sponsors who were on the ballot this November, PRI and the automotive community did our part to help shape the 2022 elections.

Republicans are on the cusp of regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives. At present, Republicans have won 217 of the 218 seats needed to control the House, while Democrats control 205 seats. A total of 13 races are still too close to call. Republicans will control at least 49 Senate seats in the next Congress, and Democrats will control at least 50 Senate seats. Democrats will lead the Senate in 2023–2024 regardless of the outcome of the December 6 runoff election in Georgia since the Vice President is the tiebreaker vote in the Senate.

In addition, 110 RPM Act House co-sponsors were up for re-election, and 15 RPM Act sponsors either ran for re-election to the Senate or competed for a Senate seat this year. The results have been overwhelmingly positive for lawmakers who have supported the bill. In addition, 13 RPM Act sponsors won their Senate races, while the Alaska race is still being decided. Over 100 RPM Act co-sponsors in the House were re-elected; three lost, and four RPM Act co-sponsors are up in their races where votes are still being counted.

A closely divided Congress in 2023–2024 increases the chances that the final month and a half of the current legislative session will be productive, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have priorities that they will seek to have enacted before the end of the year. 

Looking forward to next year, we are encouraged that the narrow margins in the House and Senate will prevent extreme policies that would be detrimental to the hobby (such as aggressive federal efforts to favor ZEVs over ICE vehicles, closing roads and trails for motorized recreation, etc.). One cautionary note regarding divided government is that it will encourage President Joe Biden to rely on his executive powers to implement partisan policy changes, particularly from his environmental activist base.

PRI will continue to monitor these efforts closely. We are grateful to everyone who has supported our advocacy efforts to make incredible strides to boost the industry’s political horsepower in Washington. To learn more and get involved, visit SaveOurRacecars.com.

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and NASA Texas have announced that Marie and Scott Adams have assumed ownership of the NASA Texas Region.

In addition to her current role as NASA National Project Manager, Marie Adams will serve as the NASA Texas Regional Director. She takes the reins from Will Faules, who has owned and operated the NASA Texas Region since 2013. Faules will retain an active role in NASA Texas through the beginning of 2023, working with Adams to ensure a smooth transition.

“I am beyond excited for this next chapter of my motorsports career,” said Marie. “My experience working with Will and the NASA Texas team, as well as my team at the National Office, has provided me the opportunity of a lifetime,” Adams said. 

For more information, visit drivenasa.com.

Officials have announced the 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) schedule, its biggest to date. 

The nation’s premier tour for dirt late models will bring 56 events to 32 tracks across 16 states from January to October, with over $5 million in purse money up for grabs. 

As usual, the 2023 campaign will launch with 13 events during Georgia-Florida Speedweeks and conclude with the 43rd Annual Dirt Track World Championship.          

The 2023 schedule is highlighted by 18 races that pay $25,000 or more to the winner, including the return of 11 crown jewel events that boast a $50,000 or more top prize.

The complete Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule can be viewed below or at lucasdirt.com/schedules. For more information, visit lucasdirt.com.

FASTRAK Companies International LLC has announced hiring of Bill Lupinos as the company vice president. According to a series release, Lupinos’ appointment will allow FASTRAK Founder, Owner, and President Stan Lester to concentrate on his health. Lester will continue to be involved on a limited basis, consulting for the company and working on additional marketing to increase purses and point funds.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity; it’s an honor to be chosen by Stan to come in and keep the legacy going and hit the ground running,” said Lupinos in a release. “It’s time to get some tracks on board and get the touring series back up and running. It’s just going to take a lot of time and work, but I am up for the challenge.”

FASTRAK is the governing body that oversees the Ultimate Super Late Model Series and the Heart of America Ultimate Super Late Model Series. 

Lupinos, officially beginning on December 3, will work remotely from Kentucky with visits to the FASTRAK corporate office in Carnesville, Georgia. He currently works for Associate Distributors and also owns and operates Richmond Speedway in Richmond, Kentucky; the Heart of America USLMS; and a super stock series. 

For more information, visit fastrakracing.com.

Performance Racing Industry (PRI) has announced the hiring of Daud Gonzalez as its new coordinating/projects editor. He joins PRI following stints as a contributing writer with Internet Brands in El Segundo, California, and TopSpeed.com in Quebec, Canada.  

In his new role, Gonzalez will be responsible for a number of creative, organizational, and administrative initiatives, including content generation, story and source development, and oversight of outside contractors for PRI media; program and talent management for PRI Education and the PRI Trade Show; and more. He will be based out of PRI’s Aliso Viejo, California, office.  

“Daud’s addition further strengthens our first-class content team,” said PRI Editor Dan Schechner. “His deep knowledge, understanding, and experience in the performance space will help PRI continue to develop and expand our growing media empire. We couldn’t be more pleased to have him join the operation.” 

Gonzalez said he is looking forward to working at a world-class organization like PRI. 

“I’m thrilled to join the PRI team because I’ve been in the automotive space for a while, and although I love all things consumer cars, my genuine interest is in motorsports and competition,” he said. “I geek out about the technical side of things, and that should really help me as I go into this new position.”   

Gonzalez describes himself as a lifelong auto enthusiast, first introduced into the community by his father, Marco Gonzalez. 

“My peak interest began with my dad and his NA Mazda Miata. He would let me shift it when there was low traffic, and as a kid, that’s super entertaining, even if it’s just moving it from third to fourth,” Gonzalez said. “He’d also take me to slot car tracks on the weekend. Those were really popular back then. But my obsession took off with those fun arcade video games like Need For Speed, Gran Turismos, Forza, what have you.”  

The digital fascination later turned to the real world when Gonzalez purchased his BMW 335i in 2015. What began as a daily driver quickly became competitive as part of the University of California Irvine’s car club, REV@UCI, formerly known as Imports@UCI.  

“UCI was a turning point for me. I was modifying my car and learning all the technical aspects of it. I actually did about 15 events during my busiest year. I was road racing, drifting, doing the half-mile, and autocross,” he said.  

Officials with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series (WoOLMS) have announced plans for 2023, which includes more than $3 million in purse money through a 53-race schedule across 30 different tracks, including six events with a weekend purse worth more than $200,000.

In addition, 11 new tracks have been added to the tour: 

• 411 Speedway in Seymour, Tennessee (April 20)
• Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama (April 21–22)
• Stateline Speedway in Busti, New York (May 23)
• Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, Kentucky (June 3)
• Off Road Speedway in Norfolk, Nebraska (June 25)
• Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa (June 27)
• Red River Valley Speedway in Fargo, North Dakota (June 28)
• Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Kentucky (July 14)
• Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, Indiana (July 15)
• 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa (October 6)
• I-75 Raceway in Niota, Tennessee (October 13)
   

Officials have also announced two regional swings, including a mid-May swing featuring seven consecutive races through Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. A seven-race swing through five states is also on tap in June and July, highlighted by a $30,000-to-win race at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kansas.

For the complete 2023 event and purse schedule, visit the WoOLMS announcement here. For more information, visit worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels. 

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has announced its 2023 Hall of Fame inductee class. 

Costa and Wilma Dunias (SCCA leadership and advocates); Robert “Rocky” Entriken Jr. (SCCA racer, administrator, writer, and historian); Jim Jeffords (racer, team manager, and Road America Vice President); Kent and Kathy Prather (SCCA leadership, and car and engine builders); and Bill Scott (racer, driver/coach, Summit Point Raceway co-owner, and SCCA Board member) will be honored during a virtual ceremony on January 20 as part of the 2023 SCCA National Convention, a yearly gathering of SCCA members.

The new inductees join a distinguished group of SCCA members, including Roger Penske, Brigg Cunningham, Jim Hall, Bobby Rahal, Walt Hansgen, Phil Hill, and more.

For the inductee bios, visit the SCCA announcement here. For more information, visit scca.com.