The 63-acre property that houses Southern California’s Irwindale Speedway & Events Center (IS&EC) has been purchased by the IDS Real Estate Group. Home to both Irwindale Speedway and Irwindale Dragstrip, the property at 500 Speedway Drive has been leased by IS&EC since 2018, according to Speedway President Tim Huddleston. In that time it has promoted over 100 events per year including stock car racing, drag racing, burnout box, drifting, and the annual Santa’s Speedway Christmas Lights Drive-Thru.

“The feedback and support we have received from [IDS] throughout the process has been great,”  Huddleston said, “and we look forward to our continued operation of the Irwindale Speedway and Irwindale Dragstrip for years to come”

IDS specializes in “the acquisition, development, asset management, and property management of industrial, office, retail, and land assets throughout California, Arizona and Washington,” according to the Orange County, California-based company.

“Events are what we live for at the Irwindale Speedway,” Huddleston added, “and we are excited IDS Real Estate Group has joined the team!”

More than 100 aftermarket and motorsports advocates descended on the nation’s capital last week to participate in SEMA’s 2022 Washington Rally. Industry leaders used the occasion to remind lawmakers of the cultural and economic importance of racing and the automotive specialty-equipment industry.
 
During the event, PRI and SEMA members urged Congress to pass H.R. 3281/S.2736, the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act. The bipartisan bill would protect Americans’ right to modify street vehicles into dedicated race cars and the industry’s right to sell the parts that enable racers to compete. The RPM Act currently has 132 co-sponsors in the House and 33 co-sponsors in the Senate; that number continues to grow.

Members also raised awareness for other issues facing the industry including the REPAIR Act, harmful tariffs, and zero-emissions vehicle mandates.
 
This year’s event marks the 16th time representatives from SEMA—and PRI—have held a fly-in on Capitol Hill. The event raises the two organizations’ profile in Washington, DC, and plays a pivotal role in advocacy efforts in Congress.

For additional images from this event, visit our gallery here.

PRI and SEMA members who couldn’t make it to the Rally can still get involved by hosting their local lawmakers at their business. To learn more, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

Wichita Region member Kellie Barker has joined the SCCA National Office Staff as the Road Racing Department’s Assistant Manager, where she will be responsible for providing support for the overall SCCA Road Racing program, including the U.S. Majors Tour, Hoosier Racing Tire Super Tour, National Championship Runoffs, and Regional racing initiatives.

Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Barker graduated from Newman University with a Criminal Justice and Paralegal degree.

“[I] have been involved with road racing since I was 10 years old, “Barker noted. “My love and passion for racing comes from my father, and we love spending time at the track together. I have autocrossed, crewed, worked tech, registration, and served as the Chief of Grid at many SCCA events.”

“We’re excited to have Kellie join the Road Racing Team,” says Deanna Flanagan, SCCA’s Director of Road Racing. “Her experience as an SCCA worker and specialty chief, combined with her passion for the Club, is a valuable addition to the SCCA Road Racing program.”

Barker will report directly to Flanagan in the Topeka, Kansas, office, assisting in the formation of department operational goals and supporting strategies and tactics.

Officials from Central Arizona Raceway—the 3/8-mile dirt track based in Casa Grande, Arizona, formerly known as Central Arizona Speedway—have announced Brad Whitfield as its new promoter. The facility, which sits on the Pinal County Fairgrounds, regularly hosts IMCA Modifieds/Sport Mods, IMCA Stocks, ASCS, and more. 

Whitfield has signed a five-year lease to run the facility after the previous promoter decided not to renew the contract. He is also the current promoter at Cocopah Speedway in Yuma, Arizona. 

“We’re reshaping the race track to be what it was in the 1990s and early 2000s by putting the banking back into it, widen[ing] the race track back up, and I’m putting a wall around it in December,” Whitfield said in a release, who also said more details will be announced at a later date.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller
 

Mooresville, North Carolina-based Dale Earnhardt Jr. has announced a series of executive-level promotions, the most significant being Kelley Earnhardt Miller’s appointment to the CEO role. Earnhardt Miller will oversee all Dale Jr. companies, including the Dale Jr. brand, JR Motorsports, Dirty Mo Media, DEJ Management, and The Dale Jr. Foundation.

Already the backbone of the entire Dale Jr. enterprise, Earnhardt Miller has managed the career of her NASCAR Hall-of-Fame brother since 2001 and built JR Motorsports into a multi-championship-winning organization with more than 100 victories, company officials stated. In addition, she is the recipient of sports business achievements, including Charlotte Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business honor, the Lyn St. James Foundation’s Opportunity Award, and Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers. Earnhardt Miller also recently authored the book “Drive: 9 Lessons to Win in Business and in Life.”

“Kelley is one of the most prominent businesspeople in motorsports, and for [a] good reason,” Earnhardt Jr. said. 

In addition, the following appointments have been announced:

• Mike Davis has been named president and Executive Producer of Dirty Mo Media.
• Tony Mayhoff will expand his responsibilities to lead management of the Dale Jr. brand as vice president, Strategy and Development for DEJ Management. 
• Longtime motorsports licenser and marketer Joe Mattes has been promoted to senior vice president, Business and Strategy, for JR Motorsports. 
• L.W. Miller has been named Senior Vice President of Motorsports. He will continue to direct JRM’s competition department as he has done since 2011.

For more information, visit dalejr.com. 

The World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) announced the creation of the Sportsman Drag Racing Series for bracket racers competing at WDRA member tracks in 2023. 

WDRA member tracks will contest the Sportsman Drag Racing Series during local points races in 2023, and each member track will crown champions in eligible classes. Qualified winners will then advance to the Sportsman Drag Racing Series World Championships in October, where they will compete for their share of a $200,000 in payout money plus bonus prizes. 

Under the Sportsman Drag Racing Series umbrella, WDRA will also operate the WDRA Bracket Finals events at the end of the 2023 season. WDRA members will have the opportunity to qualify for the Sportsman Drag Racing Series Championships through these events. 

Participants that plan to compete at a WDRA member track can register for the Sportsman Drag Racing Series on January 1. Series organizers plan to release more details on racewdra.com in the coming weeks. 

LKQ Corporation—the Chicago, Illinois-based provider of specialty automotive parts and the parent company of Keystone Automotive—has announced new leadership appointments. 

Varun Laroyia, formerly executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), has been appointed as CEO and managing director of LKQ Europe. He succeeds Arnd Franz, who has joined MAHLE as CEO.

Prior to joining LKQ in 2017, Laroyia served in various roles at CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) business, Gateway, General Electric, and KPMG in Europe and North America. 

In addition, Rick Galloway has been appointed as LKQ’s senior vice president and CFO. He was formerly the CFO for LKQ’s Wholesale division, first joining in 2019. Prior, he held various positions with Alcoa Corporation, including CFO of its Engineered Products and Solutions division.  

For more information, visit lkqcorp.com. 

VP Racing Fuels—the provider of racing, performance fuel products, and branded retail based in San Antonio, Texas—has announced Kevin Temple as its Vice President, Branded Retail.

"The VP team prides itself in having star players leading every division," said Alan Cerwick, VP's President and CEO. "With over 35 years at Phillips 66, Kevin brings an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge in building, managing, operating, and merchandising for networks of both company-owned and licensee-operated convenience stores."

Most recently, Temple was the director of Business Development at Phillips, where he negotiated deals for over $500 million in sales, officials with VP stated. His career responsibilities have included leadership roles across the many disciplines of downstream petroleum sales and marketing operations, strategic sourcing, wholesale account management, and sales force excellence. 

Assuming the role of vice president of Product Management is Ben Dolan. Dolan was most recently VP's Vice President of Branded Retail. Dolan joined VP in 2020 following more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience across a broad range of industries. 

For more information, visit vpracingfuels.com.  

Formula 1 has announced the calendar for the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship, which the World Motor Sport Council has approved.

Kicking off in Bahrain on March 5 and concluding in Abu Dhabi on November 26, the season will feature a record-breaking 24 races, with China and Qatar set to return, and Las Vegas arriving as the penultimate round for a Saturday night race.

The traditional summer break will remain in August, though changes to race dates see Belgium move to the end of July as a back-to-back with Hungary, while the Netherlands is twinned with Italy after the restart.

The full 2023 F1 calendar can be viewed below. For more information, visit formula1.com.

*Subject to FIA circuit homologation

Arnd Franz, left, and Markus Kapaun, right

The MAHLE Supervisory Board has made two new appointments to positions on the Group Management Board. Arnd Franz will become CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of the MAHLE Group. 

Franz, who holds a degree in business administration, has been the CEO of LKQ Europe GmbH, Zug (Switzerland) since 2019 and is now returning to MAHLE, where he had previously worked for 18 years. Franz will take up his position as CEO on November 1. 

Michael Frick, a long-standing Member of the Group Management Board responsible for Finance (CFO), is leaving the company at his own wish and resigning on November 1. His successor is Markus Kapaun. Kapaun holds a degree in business administration and has worked for the Group for almost 20 years, most recently as Vice President Finance & Accounting Europe.

“I am pleased that we have been able to recruit Arnd Franz, an experienced general manager with a profound understanding of technology and proven expertise in the automotive industry, for the position of CEO,” said Prof. Dr. Heinz K. Junker, Chairman of the MAHLE Supervisory Board.

For more information, visit mahle.com.