Photo courtesy of Speedway Motorsports 

Ollen Bruton Smith—the founder and executive chairman of Speedway Motorsports and Speedway Children’s Charities—has passed away at 95.

Smith founded Speedway Motorsports in December 1994, and in February 1995, he made it the first motorsports company to trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Today the company owns and operates 11 motorsports entertainment facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Kentucky Speedway.

Speedway Motorsports also owns and operates subsidiaries SMI Properties, U.S. Legend Cars International, Performance Racing Network, and zMAX Micro Lubricants.

A member of the NASCAR and International Motorsports Halls of Fame, Smith also founded Speedway Children's Charities in 1982 in memory of his son, Bruton Cameron Smith, who passed away at a young age. Chapters work with organizations to offer support for issues ranging from learning disabilities and broken homes to hunger and childhood cancer.

In 1997, Smith founded Charlotte, North Carolina-based Sonic Automotive, a Fortune 300 automotive retailer company with over 160 retail dealerships in over 23 states, representing 25 automotive brands.

For the complete biography of Smith, visit the Speedway Motorsports announcement here.

National Performance Warehouse (NPW)—the warehouse distributor of performance parts and accessories—has opened its new corporate headquarters in Hialeah, Florida. Prior, NPW was based out of Miami, Florida.

The facility, which will also serve as a distribution center, is located at 5801 E 10th Avenue in Hialeah, Florida. The company held a lunch and ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured Hialeah Mayor Steve Bovo, State Representative Alex Rizo (R-FL), and Hialeah City Council President Carl Zogby.  

NPW management that took part in the ceremony included founder and CEO Larry Pacey and his family including his wife Hilda Pacey; son and company executive VP/COO Chris Pacey; son and VP of Purchasing John Pacey; along with department heads and staff members.  

For more information, visit npwcompanies.com.  

US Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a longtime automotive enthusiast and motorsports ally, is running in the Republican primary of a special election for US Senate, as the winner will fill the remaining four years of the Senate seat held by retiring Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK). Voters in Oklahoma can voice their support during Oklahoma’s congressional primary on Tuesday, June 28. The general election will take place on November 8. 

Current polls put Rep. Mullin as the leading candidate in the Republican primary of the special election for US Senate, although it should be noted that the Sooner State requires the winner to garner over 50% of the vote. If no one receives a majority, the top two candidates will compete in an August 23 runoff election to determine who will be their party’s nominee for Senate.  

Rep. Mullin has been a top advocate for passing the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), H.R. 3281 and S. 2736, serving as an original co-sponsor of the bill that would guarantee the right to modify street cars, trucks, and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles. The bill would also help safeguard the industry’s right to offer parts that enable racers to compete.

Growing up, Rep. Mullin was the youngest of seven children on his family’s farm in Westville, Oklahoma, where he learned the value of hard work. He later would attend Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri, although he left at 20 years old to run the family business Mullin Plumbing after his father became ill. At the time, the company employed six and was $500,00 in debt, but Rep. Mullin and his wife, Christie, worked for three years to turn the business around. Today, Mullin Plumbing is one of the largest service companies in the region, employing over 150 workers. 

Rep. Mullin went back to college and graduated from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in 2010, before opening and operating several businesses, including Mullin Environmental, Mullin Plumbing West Division, Mullin Services, Mullin Properties, and Mullin Plumbing New Construction. It was around this time in 2012 when Rep. Mullin first decided to run for office—as a result of government overreach that threatened his business. In 2015, he served as the lead sponsor of the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act,” which created a simplified regulatory system for small automotive businesses looking to manufacture classically styled replica vehicles. 

When Rep. Mullin is not meeting with his constituents in eastern Oklahoma or advocating for their interests in our nation’s capital, he could be found with his wife Christie and their six children; coaching wrestling; working cattle on his ranch; or engaging in one of many hobbies including snake hunting, working out, or hitting the backroads for a drive. His vehicle collection includes a ‘67 Shelby Cobra, ’72 Chevy C-10, and a 2021 Mustang. Before running for Congress, Rep. Mullin competed in rock crawling and mixed martial arts (MMA). 

To learn more about the upcoming elections in your state and how to register to vote, visit PRI’s Vote Racing page here. 

Eric Tingwall, left, and Mike Galimi, right. Photos courtesy of MotorTrend Group

MotorTrend Group Head of Editorial Edward Loh has announced two automotive media industry veterans, Eric Tingwall and Mike Galimi, have joined the company as a testing director and HOT ROD network director, respectively. 

As testing director, award-winning journalist Eric Tingwall is responsible for leading MotorTrend’s vehicle testing team and overseeing all testing, data collection, and related reporting. Most recently, he led a content marketing program for Capital One Auto Finance, managing more than 20 freelance writers and editors. Prior, Tingwall served as technical director and print director over a span of eight years for Car and Driver. He will be based at MotorTrend’s Detroit office.

Mike Galimi, HOT ROD’s network director, will guide the editorial direction of HOT ROD including video content and online, print, and social media platforms. Galimi most recently served as the director of content and marketing at ProMedia, the parent company of the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA). He will be based in New York.

MotorTrend Group, which specializes in enthusiast brands including Motor Trend, Hot Rod, and Roadkill, has its global headquarters in El Segundo, California. 

For more information, visit motortrendgroup.com. 

Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, and Utah will hold their 2022 primary elections on Tuesday, June 28, and it’s important to know which candidates support racing when going to the polls or voting early. Visit PRI’s Vote Racing page for information on voting in the primary, including absentee and early voting, registering to vote, and identifying your lawmakers and the candidates running in 2022.  

The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), H.R. 3281 and S. 2736, enjoys strong support from Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, and Utah members of Congress. The bipartisan RPM Act guarantees the right to modify street cars, trucks, and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles and safeguards the industry’s right to offer parts that enable racers to compete. For more information on the RPM Act, visit performanceracing.com/rpm-act. 

Below is a list of federal lawmakers who have co-sponsored the RPM Act in the 2021–2022 session of Congress and are running for re-election in 2022. 

For more information, contact erics@sema.org.  

COLORADO: 

Rep. Lauren Boebert [R-CO-3]*  
 

ILLINOIS: 

Rep. Mike Bost [R-IL-12]  

Rep. Rodney Davis [R-IL-13]*  

Rep. Darin LaHood [R-IL-18]*  

Rep. Mary Miller [R-IL-15]  
 

NEW YORK: 

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney [D-NY-18]  

Rep. Elise M. Stefanik [R-NY-21]  

Rep. Claudia Tenney [R-NY-22]  
 

OKLAHOMA:  

Rep. Markwayne Mullin [R-OK-2]*  - Running for U.S. Senate 
 

UTAH: 

Rep. John R. Curtis [R-UT-3]  

Rep. Blake D. Moore [R-UT-1]*  
 

*Original RPM Act co-sponsor 
 

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) has opened the application process to award its second IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship.

From now through July 22, qualified drivers can submit applications to be considered for the scholarship. Benefits include a prepaid full-season entry fee for the recipient into either the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, or IMSA Prototype Challenge for 2023 and 50% of the full-season entry fee into one of those series for 2024. Added benefits of the scholarship bring its value to more than $250,000.

To be eligible for the scholarship, candidates must be female or a member of an ethnic minority classification, have outstanding previous race results or proven on-track potential and have the ability to compete in an entire season of one of the three IMSA-sanctioned series mentioned above.

Jaden Conwright is the first recipient of the scholarship. The 23-year-old Californian has used it to drive in the WeatherTech Championship in the 2022 season, with a best finish thus far of sixth place in the GT Daytona (GTD) class at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as co-driver of the No. 42 NTE/SSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3.

For more information, visit imsa.com/diversity.

The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America has announced it raised more than $1.8 million after completing its 26th Anniversary Ride. The amount marks the most funds raised during a single ride since 2006. 

The funds will directly benefit Victory Junction, a camp in Randleman, North Carolina servicing children with chronic and serious medical illnesses. Donations will support summer camperships, building projects and maintenance programs, including upkeep with the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Water Park.

The 26th installment of the event followed two postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 30, Petty and the riders left Phoenix, Arizona, riding more than 1,500 miles through Arizona and Utah over seven days before returning to Phoenix on May 6.

For more information about the 26th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America or to donate, please visit kylepettycharityride.com. 

Bosch Engineering GmbH—the manufacturer of electronics for automotive and more applications based in Abstatt, Germany—has announced plans to acquire MoTeC Group, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. 

Following approval, MoTeC will become an integral part of Bosch Motorsport, a business unit of Bosch Engineering GmbH, but will continue to operate as a separate entity under its own brand. The acquisition will allow Bosch Motorsport to extend its product portfolio and distribution.  

MoTeC specializes in developing, manufacturing, and distributing motorsport technology for teams in numerous racing series. MoTeC’s portfolio includes vehicle and engine control units, displays, data loggers, and onboard power supply control units for conventional and electrified racing series. The company serves its customers in Australia, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the United States, and Japan through a global network of around 250 dealers. 

Bosch Engineering GmbH is a subsidiary of Bosch. 

For more information, visit bosch-engineering.com and motec.com.au. 

Ahead of the testing phase for the LMDh prototype for the 2023 season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, BMW M Motorsport has announced the name, the design, and livery its new prototype car. 

The BMW M Hybrid V8 will sport a look designed by BMW Group Designworks and celebrates the history of BMW M Motorsport in North America while “defining a dynamic hybrid electric future.”

Highlights of the design for the BMW M Hybrid V8 include the “wide kidney,” the 50th-anniversary logo on the hood, twin NMW icon lights, dynamic body sides, Hofmeister kink window graphic, plus “hook” mirrors and taillights.

In addition, the livery includes many elements from BMW’s five decades of motor racing history, including images of iconic race cars, including the 1976 BMW 3.0 CSL, the 1981 BMW M1/C, the 1978 BMW 320i Turbo, the 1986 BMW GTP, the BMW M3 E36 GTS-2, the BMW Z4 GTLM and the BMW M8 GTE. 

For more information, visit bmwgroup.com.

Martin & Company (M&C)—the full-service marketing solutions firm specializing in national automotive aftermarket brand building based in Whites Creek, Tennessee—has announced Melanie Henry as the company’s new communications & traffic manager.

Prior, Henry was creative marketing manager for Red Goat Marketing, an automotive marketing company. 

A self-proclaimed car enthusiast, Henry is the founder of Mel’s Car Shows and, in 2022, was named Ms. Motorama and honored as WTAJ’s Remarkable Woman of Central Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit martincoadvertising.com.