NASCAR has announced the 2023 schedules for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. During the organization’s 75th anniversary season, NASCAR’s national series will visit a mix of history-rich venues, short tracks, and road courses, including the already announced Chicago Street Race (overseen by Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese).
“As we prepare to celebrate our 75th anniversary season, we are committed to delivering a schedule that acknowledges the deep history and tradition of our sport while establishing a bold future that brings the best racing in the world to new markets and new fans,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy.
The 2023 Cup season will get underway with “round two” of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, which will take place in East Coast primetime on Sunday, February 5. Two weeks later, on Sunday, February 19, will be the 65th annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Additional highlights to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule include:
NASCAR will head west for the final race on the two-mile version of Auto Club Speedway (Sunday, February 26) before visiting Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sunday, March 5) and Phoenix Raceway (Sunday, March 12).
As previously announced, NASCAR’s annual All-Star Race (Sunday, May 21) will be hosted by North Wilkesboro Speedway—the first time the track will welcome the Cup Series since 1996.
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will once again begin at Darlington Raceway (Sunday, September 3), with the NASCAR Championship Race set for Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 5.
For the complete series schedules, visit the NASCAR announcement here.
Officials from Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, have announced numerous track upgrades since the Koretsky family—including veteran NHRA racer Kenny Koretsky and his sons Kenny Jr. and current Pro Stock driver Kyle—purchased it five months ago.
Updates include complete renovations to towers, including the VIP suites and the timing tower, as well as the completion of the first phase of a new track audio system. In addition, officials have also started adding new LED lights and have begun repaving the upper lot, the starting line, and the turn-off at the top end—which has also been widened to 35 feet.
Track officials have also created 11 new RV spots for camping with plans to add 30 more next season. In addition, officials have added new air conditioning, new fencing, fresh paint, improved the overall look of the facility, and recently completed renovations to the bathrooms. The concession menu for race fans has also been revamped.
“It’s taken a lot of work to get it to our standard, and it’s going to continue to take work. We’re not done yet,” Koretsky said.
The announcement comes ahead of the 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, September 15–18. This year’s race will feature all four professional categories, as drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle will look to start their world championship bids with a win.
To purchase tickets to the 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, visit here. For more information, visit maplegroveraceway.com.
The Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame has honored eight of its latest inductees with a special banquet at the Hoffman House Restaurant in Rockford, Illinois.
The eight inductees included drivers Dick Trickle, Frank Reaber, Bob Dotter, and Joe Ross Sr.; track promoter Joe Fabrizius; track official Roger Smith; car builder Bob Novy; and race car artist Dan Colyer.
Former stock car racer Dave Watson served as the evening’s guest speaker.
The Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame—which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2022—is based out of the Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois, and is operated by former stock car racer Art “Fireball” Fehrman.
Foley Lewis Racing (FLR)—the NHRA Top Fuel drag racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina and headed by Doug Foley and Tim Lewis—has announced Antonio Williams as its news director of Business Development. Williams is the current running back for the New York Giants.
“We feel like having Antonio as our new director of business development will really bring in a totally different perspective,” said Foley.
“It’s a great combination because the racing season in most leagues starts right when our season ends in football, so it never really overlaps,” said Williams, who had experience in the NASCAR world through a strategic partnership with NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Joe Graf Jr. in 2021. “I think they intertwine if you allow them to. There’s a huge fanbase from the NFL and a huge motorsports fanbase. My goal is to figure out a way to combine those two. If we can find that balance, I think that will be huge for us.”
The Foley Lewis Racing team will race next at the 38th annual Pep Boys Nationals, September 15–18, at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pennsylvania.
Shopmonkey—the provider of cloud-based auto shop management software based in San Jose, California—has appointed Travis Bickham as its new senior vice president of Marketing.
Bickham’s experience includes stints with The Economist, Fisher Investments, Tradeshift, Concord Worldwide, BirdEye, and, most recently, Latch. There, he served as the vice president of Marketing & Growth, where he oversaw demand generation, sales development, product marketing, and more.
ProMedia has released the 2023 schedules for the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals series and the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals series.
The Holley NMRA Ford Nationals series will celebrate its 25th year in 2023, with several special features and celebrations planned to mark the occasion.
“From kicking off our silver-anniversary season by returning to Orlando Speed World, where we can offer automotive excitement on the drag strip and beyond, to the season finale at Beech Bend Raceway, the 2023 NMRA schedule is action-packed from start to finish,” Holley NMRA Ford Nationals General Manager and National Event Director Rollie Miller said.
The NMCA slate, meanwhile, features one new track and five familiar venues.
“As the second-largest sanctioning body in the world of drag racing, NMCA has a storied history of putting on events that serve up crazy-fast performances for fans of Detroit muscle cars to enjoy,” Steve Wolcott, President and CEO of NMCA said.
Hoosier Racing Tire—the Lakeville, Indiana manufacturer of motorsports tires—has introduced the purpose-built National Late Model Tire (NLMT) program designed to supply dirt super late model teams with new options for the 2023 season.
The NLMT program consolidates Hoosier’s current selection of dirt super late model tires to just three 90' tires and three 92" tires. Each are designed as a no-groove, no-sipe offering. Subsequently, the former four-digit numbered compounds will now be represented by “1, 2, 3, or 4.”
“Consolidation of Hoosier’s current offerings is expected to significantly reduce both the time and labor costs typically associated with tire preparation. Teams will now be able to carry a lower inventory and will decrease their supply of wheels kept on hand,” a company official stated in a release.
“Another key benefit of the NLMT program focuses on the less aggressive compounds utilized, which should allow teams to consume fewer tires. Hoosier firmly believes all of these factors will provide a winning experience for the teams, drivers, and our valued partners.”
Meyer Distributing—the automotive specialty products marketing and distribution provider based in Jasper, Indiana—has acquired Performance & Electronics (P&E) Distributors headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
P&E, a family-owned and operated business for over 55 years, is the distributor of wholesale automotive aftermarket accessories and a two-time SEMA Warehouse Distributor of the Year.
The announcement strengthens Meyer Distributing's position in 12-volt automotive and more markets.
In more Meyer Distributing news, the provider has also announced a new Albany, New York location. The cross-dock will have a direct, next-day feed from Meyer's East Hanover, New Jersey distribution hub which houses one of the largest inventories of automotive accessories, exhaust, and RV parts in the region.
Extreme E—the all-electric SUV racing series that aims to raise awareness about environmental issues—has launched a new Racing for All initiative to create opportunities for new mechanical and engineering talent to join the series.
Extreme E teams are limited to five mechanics or engineers each, but the Racing for All initiative provides an additional position for a sixth member to gain hands-on experience. This position is open to those with less than one year’s professional motorsports experience to learn what it takes to be part of a professional race team. This will help provide the first step on the career ladder in a competitive industry.
Women, people of a minority ethnicity, and people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds are encouraged to apply if interested in this opportunity.
The program aims to remove the “barriers of opportunity and bias throughout the motorsports talent pipeline from primary school age to those already in the industry.” These barriers have been identified in The Hamilton Commission’s report—Accelerating Change: Improving Representation of Black People in UK Motorsport—and programs such as FIA’s Girls on Track.
“We know from the findings of The Hamilton Commission that our industry is a tough place to break into, particularly for those from underrepresented backgrounds, which is why it’s so important that the Racing for All program will be creating genuine opportunities for the next generation,” said Extreme E Team Owner Lewis Hamilton.
Just days after winning the prestigious NHRA U.S Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana, Antron Brown made his way to Washington, DC, to urge Congress to pass the SEMA-supported Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act. On Wednesday, September 7, the three-time Top Fuel world champion, who began his racing career building cars with his family nearly 40 years ago, appeared before Congress to share personal stories about the need for federal law to protect grassroots racing and tens of thousands of jobs in the motorsports parts industry.
With his wife, Billie Jo, and two sons, Anson and Adler, at his side, Brown shared how motorsports taught him to set goals, work hard to achieve them, and other important life lessons. Representing a four-generation family of racing professionals, Brown talked about how he began building motorcycles with his family at the age of 4, has enjoyed a successful career with 70 NHRA wins, and became a team owner earlier this year. He continues to support and promote the NHRA to the community and youth groups, relaying the origins of the organization that was formed in 1951 to get hot rodders safely off the streets and onto the track.
“Americans all over the country enjoy the hobby of modifying vehicles into race cars,” said US Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. “The bipartisan Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act would clarify that vehicles to be used solely for competition are not to be treated like the cars that drive on our nation’s roads. This legislation would ensure small businesses that help hobbyists who transition vehicles into race cars, which are not driven on the roads, are not unfairly punished or targeted through EPA enforcement. It was a pleasure to welcome champion driver Antron Brown today and hear his life’s story, which reinforces how the RPM Act would protect the future of motorsports by making clear those who want to pursue their passion can affordably do so without fear of Washington bureaucrats.”
Ranking Member Capito is amongst the 31 bipartisan co-sponsors of the RPM Act. First introduced in 2016, the bipartisan bill would enshrine in Federal law that it is legal to modify street vehicles into dedicated race vehicles.
“Racing is much more than just a pastime for me,” said Brown. “I have countless fond childhood memories and have learned many life lessons at the racetrack. I have built a life on the track and am building a business through AB Motorsports. I feel strongly that we must keep the path to entry into motorsports accessible to future racers.”
Brown explained that for amateur racers, modifying production vehicles is the only cost-effective way to get into racing. He testified that the converted motorcycle that he began racing cost about $5,000; a purpose-built vehicle would have been 10 times that amount.
This practice of converting street vehicles into dedicated race vehicles had gone unquestioned until 2015 when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft ruling stating that it is not legal to convert production vehicles into dedicated race vehicles. Although the ruling was never finalized, the EPA maintains its position that such conversions are not legal and continues to enforce against the production and sale of high-performance parts.
Brown emphasized during his testimony that the RPM Act is focused solely on dedicated race vehicles that are trailered to and from the racetrack. Opponents to the RPM Act acknowledged during the Senate hearing that such vehicles do not have a measurable or meaningful impact on the environment.
“Racing is important to many Arizonans – and it’s a part of our state’s legacy,” said US Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ). “The RPM Act will help provide certainty to Arizona’s amateur racers and auto mechanics from EPA regulations, which could harm their ability to enjoy the hobby of motorsport.”
The RPM Act would not impede on the EPA’s ability to enforce clean air laws. Vehicles driven on public streets would continue to be governed by the federal Clean Air Act.
“For nearly 45 years, the Clean Air Act did not apply to dedicated race vehicles. The EPA’s recent interpretation of the law has thrown the motorsports industry into a state of uncertainty,” said Mike Spagnola, President and CEO of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). “Now that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has held a hearing on the RPM Act, we urge the committee to schedule a vote on the bill. SEMA is urging all racers, motorsports businesses, and fans to ask their elected officials to support and pass the RPM Act.”
“Racers and small businesses that manufacture, distribute, and sell race parts have waited long enough. It’s time to pass the RPM Act and give the racing community the clarity it needs and deserves,” said Spagnola.
The SaveOurRacecars.com website has resources to help identify and contact the appropriate policymakers about the RPM Act.
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