Administrator Lee Zeldin's speech marked the first time a member of the President's Cabinet has spoken at a SEMA and PRI Washington Rally.  

Nearly 120 advocates––including SEMA and PRI members, content creators, industry partners and a few automotive celebrities––brought action to our nation's capital last week to advocate for the automotive aftermarket, motorsports parts and off-road industries. 

The 2026 SEMA & PRI Washington Rally was the organization's largest ever advocacy event, uniting manufacturers, influential voices, builders, racers, retailers, track operators, industry leaders and more from across the country to advocate for policies that protect automotive customization, innovation, motorized access to public lands and provide tax certainty to race tracks. 

The Washington Rally continues to be motorsports' most important advocacy event, underscoring the value of direct engagement between industry leaders and policymakers. Rally attendees participated in more than 110 meetings on Capitol Hill and met with key executive branch agencies, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

During their Hill meetings, SEMA and PRI members provided congressional staffers with firsthand perspectives on important bills that would positively impact both their companies and the automotive aftermarket, off-road and motorsports parts industries. Participants discussed topics ranging from protecting the right to modify vehicles and legislation preserving access to public lands to creating long-term tax certainty for motorsports facilities  and supporting small businesses that drive innovation throughout the industry. 

The kick-off dinner featured remarks from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who discussed his priorities, the EPA's efforts to eliminate EV mandates and the agency's support. Administrator Zeldin's speech marked the first time a member of the President's Cabinet has spoken at a SEMA and PRI Washington Rally.  

The dinner also featured noted automotive personalities Chris Jacobs and Cristy Lee, who led a conversation with Eric Schmitz, the Coalition's director for speaker of the House Mike Johson (R-La.), and Katie Phillips, executive director of the House Blue Dog Coalition. 

Between House and Senate meetings, SEMA and PRI Rally attendees had lunch at the exclusive Capitol Hill Club, with Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, serving as the keynote speaker. 

For more information, visit semahq.org.

Tri-County Racetrack in Brasstown, North Carolina, is returning to action in 2026 with new promoter Randy McCoy, according to local reports.

McCoy signed on to serve as promoter of the high-banked clay oval on April 18. It reopened for the year on May 1.

McCoy has pledged to prioritize consistent scheduling and fan-friendly events, according to a report from The Mountain Buzz. Details on the track's full schedule will be released at a later date.

Click here to read the full story.

Image courtesy of Tri-County Racetrack.

A hearing on a proposed race track in Warren County, Missouri, has been postponed to a public hearing on May 14, according to local reports.

The proposed 1/6-mile dirt track was before the Warren County Planning and Zoning Commission on April 30, which rejected the conditional use permit application for the race track. The proposal also calls for 754 parking spots and a 1,050-ft.-long entrance road, according to reports.

According to the Warren County Record, county commissioners voted to continue the matter to May 14 after hearing public comments and review the appeal. Supporters said the race track could provide recreational opportunities and attract visitors to the area, while opponents raised concerns about increased traffic, noise, and the impact the facility could have on nearby rural properties and residents.

To read the full report on the proposed speedway, click here.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock | Shayne T Wright

PRI is reminding companies planning to exhibit at the 2026 PRI Show, taking place December 10-12, 2026, Indianapolis, to submit their Exhibit Space Rental Applications (ESRAs) by Friday, May 15, to be included in the initial booth selection process.

Submitting an ESRA by May 15 ensures companies will be part of the initial booth selection process, giving exhibitors the opportunity to secure exhibit space among the businesses and brands that drive innovation, technology and commerce throughout the global racing industry.

The PRI Show is the racing industry's premier business event and a global gathering point for the motorsports community. Each year, the Show brings together manufacturers, suppliers, buyers, race teams, engine builders, fabricators, retailers, distributors, track operators, sanctioning bodies, media and industry leaders from across every segment of motorsports. For exhibitors, the event provides a powerful platform to conduct face-to-face business ahead of the racing season.

"The PRI Show is the global marketplace for motorsports, bringing together the people, products and businesses that shape the future of racing," said PRI Managing Director Doug Bresnahan. "For exhibitors, it is a strategic opportunity to launch products, build relationships, strengthen distribution and engage directly with qualified buyers. Submitting an ESRA by May 15 ensures companies are included in the booth selection process and positioned to plan a successful Show."

ESRAs will continue to be accepted after May 15; however, companies that apply by the deadline will be included in the booth selection process. Businesses interested in exhibiting are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible.

For more information or to submit an ESRA, visit PRI2026.com/Attend. 

Rottler Manufacturing has promoted Nick Jenkins to general sales manager, the company announced.

Previously serving as applications engineer for high-horsepower diesel applications, Jenkins worked with OEM customers, optimizing processes, improving machine up-time and improving equipment.

Jenkins takes over for David Bianchi, who was recently promoted to president of Rottler. In his new role, Jenkins will serve as a company ambassador and assist with customer support, solving unique machining problems and ensuring facilities are running at peak efficiency, the company said.

For more information, visit rottlerdynamics.com.

Vintage road racing is having a moment. It's probably an overstatement to call it a groundswell, but here and there, coast-to-coast, vintage road racing organizations are expanding schedules and classes to meet demand, adding venues, and seeing steadily growing car counts.

Veterans of the sport can attest that conditions weren't always so rosy for racecars of a certain age.

"I'm a former IndyCar mechanic going back over 50 years ago with two 500-winning teams, both Parnelli Jones and Patrick Racing," said Michael Lashmett of Vintage Indy, Indianapolis, Indiana. "There wasn't a lot of interest in those old cars then. There was really no collector market for them. They just got pushed aside. Maybe some lower-budget team would buy them and continue to try to campaign them, or maybe they just get parked or turned into a supermodified or something. But there was no collector market for them. That's totally changed now."

Vintage Indy is a member of the Vintage Motorsports Council, and the organization is "dedicated to the history and preservation of Indianapolis cars." The Indy cars have to be at least 20 years old to qualify, and Vintage Indy has added venues to satisfy demand and keep members engaged. "For 2026, we added two new tracks," Lashmett said. "We're going to the Milwaukee Mile with INDYCAR, which we're really excited about because the Milwaukee Mile is steeped in history. It's also the oldest racetrack in the United States, possibly the world, that's been in continuous use since its inception. Plus, we're also going to Laguna Seca with INDYCAR for the season finale. And the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is going to have a special run group for vintage Indy cars."

The Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts (SOVREN) in Lakebay, Washington, keeps the vintage racing flame alive on Pacific Northwest road racing circuits. While traditionally holding at about 200 members, "we did pick up 22 people last year who never raced with us before. So that's over 10% of potentially new racers who, because we got the word out, decided to come race with us," said Craig Larsen of SOVREN.

In Southern California, the Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA) in Chino Hills, California, has witnessed a surge of interest in small-bore, entry-level sports cars, such as Triumph Spitfires and Mazda Miatas, said Benjamin Kuhl. "We're seeing a lot of growth in people who are getting into it for the first time or getting a new car for the first time."

Vintage Appeal

The reasons for the uptick of interest in vintage road racing vary, but one factor is a relatively laid-back atmosphere. "I think there are a lot of people who want to go racing but don't want to have an 'every weekend' sort of race schedule," Larsen said. "Also, vintage racing for the most part is no-contact racing, right? We're racing hammer and tong and pushing it as hard as we can, but there are significant penalties for crashing into other cars, having incidents, and causing safety problems. So you can go racing, have a lot of fun, but protect your investment in your racecar."

Another factor is the steady supply of perfectly good older racecars that hit the secondary market every year. "There are a lot of racecars that age out of being at the pointy edge of the pack in whatever racing they're doing with SCCA or whatever else. But they're still completely legit racecars, and people are looking for a place to race them," Larsen explained. "The more professional version of racing churns out a lot of used but real decent racecars that just are no longer competitive in their class. But, depending on the race organization, you can go into vintage racing with the same car and have a ton of fun. So the threshold is really low to get into it. And there's a ton of enjoyment. I love it."

Enthusiasm for vintage racing comes from both ends of the financial spectrum. It is increasingly a grassroots entry point into racing. But it also attracts big-money heavy-hitters.

To read the full article, plus hundreds of other articles like it for free, sign up for a digital subscription to PRI Magazine on Zinio here.   

Once you download the Zinio mobile app or are logged into Zinio on a desktop browser, you will gain immediate access to more than a year's worth of content, including "Vintage Yet Vital: Shifting Into Expansion Mode " here and additional coverage in the May/June 2026 issue here.

Pam Miller has always been a sports fan, but the self-described "stick-and-ball" person is now the producer of INDYCAR coverage for the FOX Sports network. She's also an accomplished and award-winning producer of documentaries about women in racing. Her coverage includes biographies of Betty Skelton, Paula Murphy, and Shirley Muldowney, as well as documenting the revivals of Winchester and North Wilkesboro Speedways. The list of awards for each program is impressive.

Yet even after all that success, Miller remains a learner and a seeker, looking for new ways to convey the personal side of racing. Calling the drivers heroes, she strives to tell their stories on and off the track, to humanize the people putting their lives on the line to win a big race. It's that human aspect that allows fans to identify with and develop a deep attachment to the people in the sport. We caught up with Miller as she was arriving in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the kickoff of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR Series.

PRI: To begin with, can you tell us what a TV producer does? What do your workdays look like?

Miller: It's a little bit of everything. There's the creative side, or what the storylines are going to be for the week or for the year, depending on what time of year it is. There's working with the director on equipment and camera placements, and working with the on-screen talent on storylines. Then there's what type of creative features we're going to do with our graphics people, meaning what's going to be designed and how we're going to design it. I have my fingers in every bit of every corner of the telecast and the INDYCAR property, whether it's communication with the league, communication with teams, communication with drivers, talent, other leagues, you name it. It's pretty much all-encompassing. And it never stops.

The season may stop, but you're always working toward the next season or the next Indy 500. I love it; it's a lot of fun. But we've got a lot of things going on at one time, and then during the live event, I'm responsible for working with the director to put the show together. We decide what features are going in, how the coverage moves, what on-track battles we put on the air, how the show flows, getting your commercials in. We make decisions on when you roll in tape, when you go to commercial, when you come back from the break, what you're going to do, what you're going to follow up on. We do all kinds of things live. Those are all split-second decisions.

Then we do the postmortem afterwards, where we're reviewing the tape, we're seeing areas that we want to improve on, places we maybe want to change cameras, or how the next week is going to progress. We look at the storylines that were created from the week before, and we're constantly looking for story arcs, whether it's season-long or within the race. We look for personal story arcs for each team or each driver. It's a full-time, all-encompassing rhythm once we're in the season.

PRI: How did you get to this job? What was your career path?

Miller: Growing up, I always seemed to be participating in, or watching, or enjoying sports. Sports have always been part of my family life, and I was always interested in writing or putting together plays for my friends and family. I would make them all participate! I did a lot of things as a kid that I didn't really understand were correlated to things I would do in the future.

In college, I realized that TV work could become a possibility, so I dove in and went to college in upstate New York, but I never really thought I would get into racing. I was stick-and-ball because I understood football and baseball. I produced a lot of those sports when I ended up at ESPN after college. I worked for a gentleman named Terry Lingner, who was in charge of racing, but I was actually working on NHL hockey and football.

Then one day we lost the NHL property. I had never been through that before, but Terry had some very sage advice and an opportunity. He said, "I know you would love to produce a live event." He told me that at that point in time—and this was a long time ago—the opportunity for a woman to produce a live sporting event at ESPN was going to be pretty slim. However, motorsports might be a way for me to get that opportunity, and would I consider going up to Watkins Glen to watch the NASCAR race. I said, "Sure, why not? I don't know where the oil goes in my own car, but I'll go up there." His advice was spot-on. Within a year and a half, I was on the road producing Formula 1 and working on all the motorsports properties across the board. That was some of the best advice I ever got, so I took a chance and pivoted and learned. It was brand new and out of my comfort zone, and here we are now.

PRI: Somebody out there is going to read this interview and think, "I would love to have her job." What advice would you give a young person today about going into sports TV?

To read the full article, plus hundreds of other articles like it for free, sign up for a digital subscription to PRI Magazine on Zinio here.   

Once you download the Zinio mobile app or are logged into Zinio on a desktop browser, you will gain immediate access to more than a year's worth of content, including "Industry Insights: Pam Miller" here and additional coverage in the May/June 2026 issue here.

Kyle Loftis, the founder of racing media brand 1320Video, has passed away. He was 43. His cause of passing is not known at the time of publication.

1320Video made the following social post to announce his passing:
 

We are extremely saddened to share that Kyle Loftis, the founder of 1320Video, passed away last night. We are in a state of shock.

Kyle's passion for motorsports inspired millions of people around the world and we will never forget what he has done to grow our beloved sport. Kyle was a beam of light at every gathering… his enthusiasm, kindness, and creativeness was contagious.

Let us pray that Kyle is in a better place.
 

1320Video was formed in 2003, beginning with a single automotive enthusiast (Loftis) shooting photos and sharing them on message boards before the age of social media. In 2012, 1320Video gained popularity on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and more platforms. Over the years to follow, 1320Video made a name for itself as a reputable media brand covering some of the highest caliber vehicles and biggest events, including the SEMA Show, but also events like Hot Rod Drag Week, TX2K, FL2K, Cash Days, Street Car Takeover and more. The company also organized one of the Midwest's biggest car shows called the Ice Cream Cruise.

For more information, visit 1320video.com.

Photo courtesy of 1320Video, background courtesy of Shutterstock | Buntoon Rodseng

Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA) has named racing team owner and former INDYCAR driver Sarah Fisher O'Gara as the honorary chair of its Women With Drive VI Summit, which is annually held during the lead-up to the PRI Show in Indianapolis.

"A trailblazer both on and off the track, Sarah made history as one of the most recognized female drivers in the NTT INDYCAR Series and went on to break new ground as a team owner and business leader," WIMNA leaders said. "Today, as co-owner of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, she continues to shape the sport through innovation, leadership and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Her journey—from driver to entrepreneur—embodies the very spirit of Women with Drive: evolving, leading and opening doors for others along the way."

“Women With Drive is an event that has the ability to connect so many great individuals in the racing community," Fisher O'Gara said. "When asked to step into this role, I was excited about the potential to see and scale the hands-on visibility of our talented members.”

Fisher O'Gara replaces Allison Melangton, an executive at Penske Entertainment who has served as honorary chair for the past two years.

"Allison’s impact on Women with Drive—and the industry as a whole—has been nothing short of extraordinary," WIMNA representatives said. "From her leadership at Penske Entertainment to her deep roots in the Indianapolis community, she has helped elevate the Summit’s voice, reach and relevance. Her passion, presence and belief in the power of this community have left a lasting mark, and we are incredibly grateful for her continued support and advocacy."

“Allison helped take Women with Drive to the next level—her leadership, energy, and commitment to this community have been instrumental in shaping what the Summit has become today,” said Cindy Sisson, executive director of WIMNA. “We’re equally excited to welcome Sarah as honorary chair. She brings a unique perspective from every side of the sport, and her passion for growing the next generation makes her the perfect person to help lead us forward.”

The Women With Drive VI Summit is scheduled for December 7-9 in Indianapolis ahead of the 2026 PRI Show. Registration for the Women With Drive VI Summit opens in June.

The 2026 PRI Show will be held in downtown Indianapolis December 10-12.

For more information, visit womeninmotorsportsna.com.

LIQUI MOLY USA has promoted Eva Tran to vice president of marketing, the company announced.

The promotion recognizes her exceptional leadership, strategic vision and instrumental role in the company's sustained growth across the United States and Canada, the company said.

Tran joined LIQUI MOLY USA eight years ago and has been a driving force behind the company's expansion and brand development in North America. Being in charge of the marketing department, she successfully built the entire marketing team from the ground up, establishing a high-performing team that has significantly elevated LIQUI MOLY's brand presence and market position, according to company executives.

In addition to her marketing leadership, Tran also played a critical operational role during a key phase of the company's growth. She led operations including overseeing the successful launch of LIQUI MOLY's first domestic warehouse, which LIQUI MOLY says strengthened the company's infrastructure and distribution capabilities. After transitioning that responsibility in 2024, she has been fully dedicated to leading marketing strategy and further accelerating brand growth.

In her new role, Tran will continue to focus on long-term strategic initiatives, brand positioning and team development, working closely with CEO Sebastian Zelger and the executive team to drive the company's vision forward.

"Eva has been a cornerstone of our success in North America," said Zelger. "Her leadership, deep understanding of our brand and ability to scale both teams and strategy have made a lasting impact on our business. This promotion reflects not only her past contributions but also the critical role she will play in our future growth."

Tran is widely respected within the industry and actively involved in professional associations, contributing to conversations around marketing, leadership and brand development, company representatives said. She is a passionate advocate for women in leadership and is committed to fostering growth, mentorship and stronger representation--both within LIQUI MOLY and across the industry. She also maintains close relationships with LIQUI MOLY's headquarters and international partners, strengthening collaboration and driving global alignment.

"I'm incredibly proud of what we've built over the past eight years," said Tran. "What started as a one-person marketing effort has grown into a dynamic team that plays a central role in shaping our brand and driving our business forward. I'm excited to continue this journey, working alongside our leadership team to take LIQUI MOLY to the next level."

For more information, visit liqui-moly.com.

Images courtesy of LIQUI MOLY and Shutterstock | Phillip Wittke