It’s time to start preparing for the 2022 PRI Trade Show, the three biggest days in the racing business! The PRI team is planning for one of the best Shows yet, and we’re looking forward to seeing the entire racing industry back together under one roof. 

Taking place at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, the PRI Show is the annual event where motorsports businesses, professionals, racers, media, and influencers gather in one single location. It’s also the best place to network in person with the industry, discover new products, attend cutting-edge educational business and technology seminars, and conduct business with quality buyers. 

Here are some important dates and reminders as you start preparing to head back to Indianapolis this December:

1.)   The PRI Trade Show is December 8–10, 2022.

2.)   Housing opens on Tuesday, June 14 at 10 a.m. EDT. Book your rooms through the Visit Indy Housing Bureau, the only official housing partner for the PRI Show. The new housing link goes live at 10 a.m. EDT on 6/14/22, at performanceracing.com/hotel-travel/reservations.  

3.)   Attendee Registration opens on Tuesday, July 12. This is when qualified attendees and buyers will be able to register to receive credentials for the Show. 

4.)   Just like last year, PRI Membership is required to attend the 2022 PRI Trade Show. Individual programs start as low as $40 per year and grant access to all three days of the Show along with exclusive benefits while contributing to PRI’s mission to build, promote, and protect the racing industry for many years to come. Learn more about the benefits and advocacy efforts—and secure your membership—at performanceracing.com/membership/individual.

For a list of participating exhibitors for 2022, visit performanceracing.com/trade-show/2022exhibitors. To stay up to date on the 2022 PRI Show, check PRI emails and the PRI eNewsletter, follow the PRI social media accounts, or visit performanceracing.com/tradeshow.

We’ll see you in Indy this December! 

The FIA has announced the departure of Peter Bayer, who served as secretary general for Motor Sport since 2017 and as F1 Executive Director since 2021. He will initially be replaced on an interim basis by Shaila-Ann Rao, formerly Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff’s special advisor. 

As well as fulfilling his role as F1 Executive Director, Bayer headed the FIA’s Motor Sport Division, facilitating the current single-seater structure, creating the World Rally-Raid Championship, and working on safety and sustainability. 

In a statement, the FIA said: “The FIA warmly thanks him for the achievements he has contributed to the development of Motor Sport over the last five years. The FIA wishes him all the best for the future.” 

Rao was the FIA legal director from 2016–to 2018 before joining Mercedes as general counsel and then special advisor to Wolff. 

For more information, visit fia.com.  

Photo of José Abed courtesy of FIA

The Mexican Organization of International Automobile Sport (OMDAI) has announced the passing of José Abed, the honorary FIA Vice President, Formula One promoter, and OMDAI president. 

Abed was a former motorcycle and race car driver, and a longtime advocate for motorsports in Mexico and Latin America. He also worked with Adrián Fernández, the Mexican driver who participated in IndyCar and endurance racing. 

“Deeply saddened to learn that José Abed has passed away. The FIA family pays tribute to him, and our thoughts are with his loved ones,” said FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem in a social media post. 

PRI Members are invited to take advantage of a 50% off discount for the 2022 Virtual Motorsports Sponsorship Summit led by Alex Striler, the host of “Meet the Sponsors” and bestselling author of “Motorsports Marketing and Sponsorships–How to Raise Money to Race, and Give Sponsors What They Really Want,” available on Amazon.

The event will be hosted by Striler and content creator Megan Meyer of Driven By Social. Among speakers scheduled to participate is PRI Editor Dan Schechner, who will go over magazine coverage. Additional speakers and panelists include Kevin Miller of USAC; Ritchie Lewis of E3 Spark Plugs; Joe Parsons of Monster Energy; Jim Beaver of The Jim Beaver Show; Lawson Mollica of AEM; Eric Nelson of Permatex; Marty Fiolka of RACER Magazine; Don O'Neal of Racers in Rental Cars; Patrick Shelton of MPG Group; Nicole Johnson of Nicole Johnson's Detour; George Hammel of The Dirt Like Show; Julian Gill of Eibach Springs; Jason Coleman of Eibach Springs Trophy Truck; Matt Martelli of Mint 400; Dave Cole of King of the Hammers; Joe Bricky of Virtual Racing School; and Rich Houseman of Hookit. 

PRI Members, be sure to use this link, or use the case-sensitive code “PRI50” upon checkout, to receive 50% off (just for being a PRI Member). More details on this exclusive virtual program are below. For more information on the 2022 Motorsports Sponsorship Summit, visit the event website here.

2022 Virtual Motorsports Sponsorship Summit

Date: June 17, 2022

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3 p.m. PST

Where: Online (via Zoom)

Agenda:

• Never Offer Exposure
• Why Brands Sponsor
• How Sponsorships Have Changed
• The Difference Between Decks And Proposals
• What Goes Into A Deck
• What Goes Into A Proposal
• Valuing Tangible And Intangible Assets
• Return On Investment
• Getting Into Magazines
• How To Post Consistently On Social Media
• Valuing Social Media
• LinkedIn Is Where The Money Is
• Creating Value With Podcasts & YouTube
• How To Activate At Events
• Sim Racing And Virtual Sponsorships
• Sponsorship Success Story
• What To Expect In 2023
   

PRI is proud to offer its Members several exclusive benefits while protecting the racing industry by advocating on our collective behalf. Remember: PRI Membership is required to attend the PRI Trade Show on December 8–10, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana. For more information, visit performanceracing.com/membership.

VP Racing Fuels, the provider of racing, performance fuel products, and branded retail based in San Antonio, Texas, has announced Karen Madden has been promoted to chief operating officer. Most recently vice president of Branded Retail, Madden will assume responsibility for VP's three manufacturing, warehousing, and shipping facilities in Texas and Tennessee.  

Assuming the role of Vice President of Branded Retail is Ben Dolan, most recently VP's vice president of Marketing.  

In addition, Bruce Hendel has been promoted to senior vice president of Global Sales. In his career of nearly 30 years at VP, Hendel has held several leadership roles, including director of Sales, Consumer Products, and Western regional manager.  

Most recently serving as the division manager of Consumer Products, Andy Deel has been named director of Consumer Products.

Richard Glady, meantime, has been promoted to director of Sales for the Lubricants Division. He was previously sales manager for Lubricants Division.

For more information, visit vpracingfuels.com.  

NASCAR has announced that its NASCAR Championship Weekend will return to Phoenix Raceway in 2023, while the track in Avondale, Arizona, also announced that grandstand tickets for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (Nov. 6) are already sold out. 

Due to high demand, Phoenix Raceway has created a waitlist for 2023 NASCAR Championship Weekend tickets, which will be available for sale later this year.  

“This historic achievement wouldn’t be possible without the outpouring of support the community and our fans continue to show for events at our facility,” said Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese.  

The 2023 NASCAR Championship Weekend is scheduled for Nov. 3–5 and will include championship races for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series West. 

For more information, visit phoenixraceway.com.  

Jim Browning, left, and Jim Browning Jr., right during the 2020 PRI Road Tour

Ultimate Headers, the performance headers manufacturer based in Berea, Ohio, has announced Jim Browning Jr. as company president.  

Browning previously oversaw products and customers as vice president, when he also helped with Ultimate Headers’ move to a new 12,000-square-foot facility in Berea. Prior, he worked in the oil and gas industry for six years, and before that, he was with CORSA Performance Exhaust in Berea, Ohio, for over 20 years.  

Ultimate Headers was founded in 2012 by former company president Jim Browning.  

For more information, visit ultimateheaders.com.  

This latest initiative is among Performance Racing Industry’s expanded services aimed at uniting industry professionals, enthusiasts and fans in the fight to protect and preserve motorsports.  
 

Performance Racing Industry (PRI), the leading industry organization supporting the interests of racers, enthusiasts, builders, tracks, sanctioning bodies and businesses, has expanded its advocacy efforts to further promote and protect one of America’s oldest pastimes and hobbies: motor vehicle racing.

PRI’s enhanced Save Our Racecars initiative features a redesigned website (SaveOurRacecars.com) that streamlines the process for industry professionals, enthusiasts and fans to join the fight to preserve racing. Included is an all-new “Vote Racing” program to help facilitate voter registration while highlighting pro-racing candidates in the November midterm elections. Visitors to the site also will find PRI-created template letters, phone scripts and other resources designed to streamline outreach to lawmakers.  

“PRI has a long history of advocating for and protecting the racing industry, and the expansion of the Save Our Racecars campaign is our latest effort,” said PRI President Dr. Jamie Meyer. “Bringing together industry, enthusiasts and fans will be critical to driving awareness and support for an American passion that is under fire. The resources and access available on SaveOurRacecars.com make it easy for anyone to get involved, show their support, and demonstrate that support at the polls.”

Critical to the industry’s future—and central to PRI’s advocacy efforts—is the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act of 2021 (H.R. 3281/S.2736), which must be enacted into law to protect the right to modify street cars, trucks and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles. Supported by both PRI and SEMA, the RPM Act aims to protect Americans’ right to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars and the motorsports-parts industry’s ability to sell products that enable racers to compete.

The RPM Act reverses the EPA’s interpretation that the Clean Air Act does not allow a motor vehicle designed for street use to be converted into a dedicated racecar. This American tradition was unquestioned for 45 years until 2015, when the EPA took the position that converted vehicles must remain emissions-compliant, even when they are no longer driven on public roadways. The RPM Act does not interfere with the EPA’s authority to enforce against individuals who illegally install race parts on vehicles driven on public roads and highways and companies that market such products.

Converting street vehicles into dedicated race vehicles is an American tradition dating back to the 1800s. Motorsports competition involves tens of thousands of amateur and professional participants and vehicle owners each year at more than 1,300 race tracks across the United States. Retail sales of racing products make up a nearly $2 billion market annually helping drive the larger $49B high performance aftermarket industry. The RPM Act will provide the racing community with certainty and confidence in the face of an EPA interpretation of the Clean Air Act that threatens to devastate an American pastime and eliminate jobs in our communities.

To date, more than 150 federal lawmakers and candidates on both sides of the aisle have either signed on as co-sponsors or expressed support for the RPM Act. PRI has compiled a database on SaveOurRacecars.com that allows individuals to “Vote Racing” in November’s midterms by researching and identifying those elected officials and candidates that share their passion. The site also provides resources to register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot, and access election resources through sites such as USA.gov.

Additionally, visitors to the site can join PRI’s Membership to show their support for the industry and stay up to date on critical developments. 

For more information and to get involved, visit SaveOurRacecars.com.

Racers and dignitaries joined hundreds of motorsports professionals for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Membership Headquarters in Speedway, Indiana, on May 26. 

Located at 1255 Main St. along the pathway directly to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the new 42,500-square-foot facility is among the recent attractions added to the revitalized town. The facility, which includes event space, a 25,000-square-foot garage, and office space for race-related businesses and organizations, will continue to evolve and become a one-of-a-kind gathering area for the motorsports community. Dedicated to building, promoting, and protecting the racing industry, the PRI Membership Headquarters will include a content creation and podcast studio, as well as a Members Lounge, in the near future. 

“We’re excited to provide the racing industry with a place to call home,” said Dr. Jamie Meyer, PRI President. “For years, the industry has gathered at the PRI Trade Show to conduct business and celebrate all things motorsports. For the first time, the racing industry has a dedicated place where they can connect all year long.” 

Invited guests at the Grand Opening were treated to an IndyCar helmet display, silent auction, current and historic race cars, driver appearances, live paintings, and private tours of the newly renovated building, including the Bryan Herta Autosport race shop and Bell Helmets workshop. 

Cars on display included Antron Brown’s 2022 Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster, John Force’s Camaro SS Nitro Funny Car, Graham Rahal’s 1990 March Porsche IndyCar, and more. Amongst those in attendance were U.S. Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN), three-time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, ACCUS-FIA President George Silbermann, Speedway Council President Vince Noblet, former IndyCar driver Lyn St. James, Beth Paretta of Paretta Autosport, PRI Founding Member and Top Fuel champion Antron Brown, motorsports influencer Alex Taylor, “Donkmaster” Sage Thomas, and much more.

“PRI plays such a critical role in the motorsports industry, and the opening of the Membership Headquarters is both significant and historic,” said Brown, the owner/driver of the AB Motorsports Matco Tools Top Fuel team. “Being able to connect in a centralized location will strengthen our advocacy efforts. I look forward to visiting the PRI Membership Headquarters whenever I am in town.” 

PRI Membership debuted over a year ago to give businesses and individuals a way to support the motorsports industry while gaining exclusive benefits. As members of PRI, all attendees of the 2022 PRI Trade Show will be able to visit the PRI Membership Headquarters during the event December 8-10, 2022. Qualified existing members will be able to expedite the approval process for the trade show when registration opens in July. 

To learn more about PRI Membership, or to join, visit PerformanceRacing.com/Membership. To learn more about PRI, visit PerformanceRacing.com. 

Trackhouse Entertainment Group has announced the creation of PROJECT91, a program designed to expand its international reach by fielding a NASCAR Cup Series entry for renowned international racing drivers. 

Trackhouse’s PROJECT91 will enter the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at least once during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, with 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Raikkonen set to race on the road course at Watkins Glen (New York) International on August 21.

“Kimi Raikkonen is the driver I first had in mind when we created PROJECT91,” said Trackhouse Founder and Owner Justin Marks. “We now have a race vehicle with international technological relevance where world-class drivers from other disciplines can compete at NASCAR’s highest level without the steep learning curve that the previous generation cars required... With the formation of PROJECT91, Trackhouse has opened the door for global champions while beginning the process of scaling into an internationally recognized racing brand.”  

Trackhouse Racing is a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group and fields the No. 99 and the No. 1 Chevrolets with drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series.  

For more information, visit trackhouse.com/racing.