Performance Racing Industry (PRI) will open its new 42,500-square-foot Membership Headquarters in Speedway, Indiana, on May 26 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration.
The exclusive, invite-only celebration comes just in time for this year’s Indianapolis 500, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The ribbon cutting will begin at 4 pm, followed by festivities that will include an IndyCar helmet display, silent auction, show cars, driver appearances, live paintings, and private tours throughout the newly renovated building and Bryan Herta Autosport race shop.
“PRI is dedicated to the preservation and growth of the motorsports industry, and our new Membership Headquarters and presence symbolize that commitment,” said Dr. Jamie Meyer, president of PRI. “Our new home is a hub for the entire motorsports industry, where everyone is welcome.”
Located at 1255 Main St., within walking distance of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the facility will serve as PRI Membership Headquarters and offer a broad range of programs and services to benefit the motorsports community.
The first phase of the build-out includes office space for dedicated staff and areas to host motorsports gatherings and Membership meetings. Phase two will add a Content Factory, where garage space will be transformed into a content-generation machine and allow for live and virtual educational opportunities.
“PRI is focused on advocating for the future of the racing industry,” said Meyer. “Through our new PRI Membership program, Road Tour, legal advocacy efforts, and the world’s premier racing trade show, the PRI Show, we’re creating a unified voice for the motorsports community and providing opportunities for the industry to succeed.”
Following the successful return last year of the world’s largest in-person event for motorsports professionals, exhibitor support for the 2022 PRI Trade Show is strong. Taking place Dec. 8–10 in downtown Indianapolis, this year’s PRI Show will be the most influential business event in the motorsports industry, bringing together more than 50,000 attendees—buyers, media, influencers, enthusiasts, and professionals—looking to conduct business, network, and learn about the latest products and technology. For more information, visit performanceracing.com/tradeshow.
“We encourage everyone—business owners, track operators, racers, and fans—to become PRI Members and join the fight to protect racing and preserve its future,” said Meyer.
STEAM Sports Foundation is accepting applications for its “Women of Color” scholarships for the 2022–23 academic year. Each scholarship will be a $10,000 grant ($5,000 per year) and come with an internship between the first and second year of the award.
The grants target female engineers and technicians striving for a career in the automotive and motorsports industries. Those seeking a two-year technical degree, or have two years remaining at a four-year university, can apply. An emphasis on electric vehicles (EVs) or autonomous vehicles (AVs) is preferred.
Applications are due no later than June 15 and will be awarded by July 1.
STEAM Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, with a focus on scholarships and educational summits that involve both students and corporations. It launched its inaugural “Women of Color” scholarship in automotive engineering last year, awarding a $5,000 grant to Kimberly Betty of Kettering University. This summer, she will complete a NASCAR internship at the General Motor’s Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Race Winning Brands (RWB), a portfolio company of MiddleGround Capital, has announced the acquisition of Haltech Engine Management Systems based in New South Wales, Australia, and with offices in Lexington, Kentucky, and Lake Forest, California.
Haltech specializes in electronic engine management systems for performance and racing applications, including a wide range of domestic and sport compact engine platforms. Haltech will continue to operate and serve its customers from its existing locations in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Austria.
“Haltech’s mission is to empower automotive passion, and through joining RWB, we can now bring our technology to so many more people,” Haltech Chief Operating Officer Nathan Clark said.
This acquisition represents the thirteenth add-on for Race Winning Brands.
Cahaba Media Group has announced the acquisition of The Shop’s assets—the automotive aftermarket print magazine, website, podcast, and more based in Broomfield, Colorado—from National Business Media.
Previously the editor of Cahaba Media Group’s Pumps & Systems magazine, Jennifer King will lead The Shop team as the executive editor. Jef White will remain the editor, while AJ Hecht will remain the associate editor.
The acquisition also included the RV Pro brand, including a print magazine, website, and more for the RV market and related products.
“Going forward, RV Pro and The Shop will be in good hands,” CEO of National Business Media Bob Wieber said.
National Business Media first launched The Shop in 1998.
The Tuning School, the provider of high-performance tuning virtual education courses based in Odessa, Florida, has announced a live training on June 8–9.
Two five-hour sessions will take place online and will cover:
how to tune common modifications for GM, Ford, and Dodge platforms
engine systems fundamentals
VCM scanner operation
the TTS Tuning Checklists covering heads/cams, bolt-ons, and forced induction modifications
MAF & VE tuning
modifying airflow, fueling and spark tables
idle, part throttle, and WOT tuning
Students will also receive a printed course guide, live virtual dyno instruction, access to the HP Tuners prerequisite online course, a PDF workbook, and a certificate of completion.
Paragon Speedway, the dirt track in Paragon, Indiana, has new owners. Robert and Jennifer Woodward, and their business partner Darrell Helton, have purchased the facility that has hosted races since 1954.
Upgrades include updated concession stands and restrooms, while goals include securing partners to increase racer payouts and getting more fans in the grandstands.
Super stocks, 410 sprints cars, Modifieds, Bombers, and Hornets appear on the 2022 schedule, which also includes visits from the Schaeffer’s Oil Indiana RaceSavers sprint cars on June 25 and September 24. The season ends on Saturday, October 1.
Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas has announced that Michael Graber has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp., the aftermarket sales unit for Toyo branded tires. He was promoted from the position of vice president of sales.
In his new position, Graber will lead a team and will be responsible for replacement market sales, strategic sales planning, pricing, marketing, product planning, and consumer affairs.
“It is an incredible honor to have the opportunity to lead this organization,” said Graber.
The S&W Performance Group—the drag racing and performance street vehicle chassis and components manufacturer—has been acquired by Ken Wible and Jay Lankford’s private investment firm.
“I have decided to step away from ownership and into retirement. It was a difficult decision, as I have devoted my life to our family business and thoroughly enjoyed piloting S&W into its sixth successful decade,” said S&W President Terri (Weney) Gdowik.
S&W will continue to operate out of its Spring City, Pennsylvania headquarters, which first opened in 1959.
Photo courtesy of WV Legislative Photography/Perry Bennett
Protecting the right to modify cars involves complex legislative persuasion, and advocates are confident that with ongoing lawmaker contact from PRI and SEMA members, this critical bill will ultimately pass.
Given the stakes involved for racing enthusiasts, and the law’s potential impact on the very basis of their lifestyle, it’s almost unseemly that the process of turning ideas into law is most often likened to producing sausage or other processed meat. Not everyone’s thrilled with the analogy, but it’s still hard fact that making laws—even ones whose outcomes seem basic and broadly consequential—is a gradual process that involves persuading lawmakers to accept your viewpoint through consistent, but unrelenting, persuasion.
It’s that patient, logic-focused job of convincing that has the professionals of PRI’s Action Center laboring in the nation’s capital to make the RPM Act part of American law. The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2021, to use its full title, would override the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current interpretation that the Clean Air Act prohibits enthusiasts from disconnecting or otherwise modifying federally mandated emissions controls on street vehicles, even if they’re being permanently converted into racing cars for on-track use only. The RPM Act would not only allow such tinkering but would also guarantee the $50 billion American automotive aftermarket’s right to produce, market, and install dedicated racing equipment.
US Representative Bob Latta (R-OH) recently toured the Fostoria, Ohio, headquarters of Callies Performance Products, where he took the opportunity to interact with employees and observe them manufacturing and assembling crankshafts, connecting rods, and camshaft cores. Latta is pictured here, at left, with Callies Vice President Heath Norton.
It’s an outwardly simple construct, but given the slow-motion process of creating legislation in Congress, and the bill’s direct effect on what virtually every racer does, getting the RPM Act passed into law has required years of effort already, on a lot of people’s part. Since the EPA stated its belief in 2015 that competition vehicles must still remain emissions-compliant, Americans who love racing have sent over two million letters, emails, and phone calls to their elected representatives in Washington, DC, urging the RPM Act’s passage. They’ve also joined the campaign on social media using the hashtag #SaveOurRacecars. But as any political pro knows, the lobbying process doesn’t end when the polls close on Election Day. To get lawmakers to come around to your way of thinking, it’s crucial to sell, sell, sell.
“If you want to modify your vehicle to convert it into a race car, it’s no longer a street vehicle. It should no longer be subject to emissions requirements because it’s not being used for general transportation,” said Eric Snyder, PRI’s director of Congressional affairs, who is deeply involved in lobbying to make the RPM Act into law.
The PRI- and SEMA-backed RPM Act of 2021 was introduced in the House of Representatives by US Representatives Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) in May 2021. Since then, more than 120 members of the House, from both parties, have signed on as co-sponsors of the act, designated as H.R. 3281. Quite a few of the co-sponsors represent states that are home to numerous race tracks, even more racers, or plenty of companies that produce racing equipment. So it should not surprise anyone that many of the Congressional sponsors hail from Indiana and North Carolina, with California, Ohio, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania also significantly represented, according to Snyder.
Late last year, US Representative Jake Ellzey (R-TX) visited Summit Racing Equipment in Arlington, Texas, for a tour of its retail super store, order fulfillment center, and distribution center. The Congressman, whose district is located just south of Dallas, served 20 years as a Naval aviator prior to running for elected office. He is pictured here in the jacket, at front left.
“Indiana and North Carolina are synonymous with motorsports and have really strong representation on the bill,” he explained. “The US Senators in both states are co-sponsors, along with a number of their House members. People might not think California is the lifeblood of racing, but it’s home to a ton of race tracks. Wherever there’s racing, chances are you’ll find lawmakers who are supportive of the bill. California leads the way with 15 members of Congress from the state’s Congressional delegation serving as RPM Act co-sponsors.
That, collectively, is the opening gambit, one that requires continual massaging—which is probably the right word for it—as the bill moves forward gradually. The next step for PRI and SEMA members is to keep the act in the forefront of lawmakers’ consciousness. They’re busy people, dealing with thousands of bills, most of which will never make it to a final vote. As Snyder explained it, a continuous campaign of persuasion—by keeping the calls and emails coming, folks—is essential to getting the RPM Act passed by Congress. Some of that cajoling explains the overall size of the performance market. Other discussions remind lawmakers how many constituents in their districts run race cars or racing facilities.
“Right now, the bill is in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Based on everything we know, through our communications with [Congressional] aides, we think it’s more likely to move through the House E&C Committee first,” Snyder said in March. “We are having high-level conversations right now with the key people on Capitol Hill, but we must continue to apply pressure on the principal decision makers by harnessing the power of our grassroots. We don’t want to wait until the next Congress. It has to happen now.”
Explaining further, Snyder pointed to the fact that a million-and-a-half people who support racing, and earn their livelihoods from it in many cases, have already created a wall of momentum behind the law thanks to their outreach over the last year. “For a whole lot of lawmakers, the RPM Act is one of the top issues that they’re hearing about. They’re familiar with the bill and are noticing the uptick in enthusiasm for the RPM Act thanks to all of the outreach from the racing community. We are focused on leveraging this enthusiasm and excitement into Congressional action.”
US Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC), whose district stretches from Mooresville up to the Virginia border, is the lead sponsor of H.R. 3281, the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2021 (RPM Act). McHenry is pictured here, at left in the blue shirt, during a recent tour of Hotchkis Sport Suspension.
Part of the process of getting the RPM Act passed is ensuring that the right people in Congress hear the lobbying efforts most loudly. “There are 535 members of Congress, and the reality is, they’re not all equal when it comes to policymaking on certain issues,” Snyder said. “We’re focused on committees with jurisdiction on this issue, as the members on these committees have a greater voice on our efforts to protect racing. And the reality is, the voices of lawmakers who are going to have competitive re-elections count a bit more as well. That’s just the nature of the legislative process. You can’t divorce the politics from the policymaking.”
Which is why letters, emails, and calls, in addition to buttressing the RPM Act via social media, still count for a great deal in the ongoing legislative process. Nevertheless, Snyder is cautiously confident that the bill will indeed become federal law. “If they put this bill up, we have the votes to pass it through committee, both in the House and the Senate,” he confirmed. “It would easily pass in the House, and it would definitely pass in the Senate.”
As a pure matter of law, any differences or discrepancies between the legislation that passes in the House, and separately clears the Senate, would have to be tuned for final passage so that the bills essentially match one another. “We’d like to get the bill done either on its own, or as one part of a larger legislative package,” Snyder explained. “Today, Congress doesn’t do that many standalone bills. When I worked for the governor of New Jersey, their state Senate passed 50 standalone bills or more in a day. The US Senate doesn’t vote on 50 bills in a two-year cycle right now. The Senate is so deliberative that it seems like nothing gets done outside of large packages. But for us, the same players, the same policymakers on the committees of jurisdiction, are still the gatekeepers. They, and the House and Senate leadership, play an outsized role in what goes into big packages.”
Snyder identified some of those influential lawmakers as Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, plus its ranking Republican member, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). On the House side, PRI and SEMA are focusing most on Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
There’s still no specific timeframe for Congressional action on the RPM Act, but Snyder is confident that with ongoing lawmaker contact from PRI and SEMA members, it will indeed pass. “We’re playing a very strong hand,” he emphasized. “This bill has been around for a few years now, and we ramped up our efforts to get the word out. Lawmakers know the RPM Act and the passion behind it. They also know we’re not going away. The formula for success in Washington, DC, is to have that critical mass where you have a lot of voters behind you. Then you combine that with the fact that there really aren’t any super-strong detractors who are really dug in on a bill like this.
“Environmental groups are never going to enthusiastically support a bill like this,” he said. “But is this the hill they’re going to die on? It certainly shouldn’t be. Motorsports is not a major source of emissions, and thus the RPM Act hasn’t been a top priority for them. Ultimately, this is about education, lawmakers understanding how race tracks positively impact communities in their districts, and the people that they represent. So even if you’ve sent a letter in the past, we need to keep that pressure on until the RPM Act becomes law.”
The Automotive Hall of Fame (AHF), based in Dearborn, Michigan, has announced its first Women in Motorsports Symposium to benefit Women in Motorsport North America, the organization launched by Lyn St. James and Beth Paretta designed to foster growth for female motorsports professionals.
Set for June 1, the event will feature two panels of industry leaders, including:
Emmy award-winning “Michigan Matters” senior producer and host Carol Cain (Panel Moderator)
GSEvents Founder and CEO Cindy Sisson (Panel Moderator)
AHF President Sarah Cook
IndyCar Team Owner Beth Paretta
Seven-time Indy 500 starter and AHF inductee Lyn St. James
General Motor Sports Car Racing Program Manager Laura Wontrop Klauser
FOX NASCAR Cup producer and Emmy Award winner Pam Miller
Racer and law student Taylor Ferns
The event will feature a screening of “Boundless: Betty Skelton,” a documentary on the land speed and aviation trailblazer known as “The First Lady of Firsts.”
A “Hagerty Afterglow” meet and greet will take place following the event, where guests will mingle with the panelists while enjoying beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres.
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