I had first learned of “F1: Drive to Survive” while flipping through Netflix during the pandemic lockdown. I put it in my to-watch list, but in all honesty, I ignored it for months. Sure, it’s racing, and I should be looking at all things racing, but it never really appealed to me. Perhaps, like you, I was aware of Formula 1, but I never had a reason to be connected to the wealthiest form of racing on the planet.

Then, a funny thing happened—people started telling me I should be watching this three-season series. (The show covers the 2018–2020 Formula 1 racing seasons.) It was SEMA Board Member Melanie White who finally put me over the edge. She had just watched the series with her family, and she asked me to give it a look, suggesting that PRI should consider a closer relationship with this class of racing. So, for about two weeks, my wife Tina and I committed our evenings to watching a couple 30-minute episodes. 

It was amazing! The access the producers were given is unprecedented, and you are suddenly sucked into the storytelling, completely forgetting that you are in the world’s fastest reality show. Where once I couldn’t tell you one thing about this form of motorsport, I found myself thinking about qualifying order, pit strategy (they only take 3 seconds), parts failures, and racing in the rain at 200 mph. 

And then it happened—about two weeks into our F1 experience. Tina was busy reading something on her iPad, and she suddenly announced to me that there was a rule change in F1 that was going to affect the aerodynamic package the cars could run. What? Just to let you in on a family secret, I am usually the one announcing rule changes and motorsport class information in a random-thought manner. 

It was at that point that I realized this show was far more powerful than I had imagined. Its appeal is more than the racing action. It is the excitement, the competition, the grandeur, the world-traveling adventure, and the fact that at any time your ride can come to an end. There is an emotional connection with F1 that had never before existed. Good job, Netflix! You have done what every major sanctioning body has been trying to do since the 1980s. 

Because of this Netflix series, F1 is enjoying a rebirth. It has become quite apparent that, candidly, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t care much about the motorsport, and this strategic marketing move has allowed something wonderful to happen—people care about F1 racing again. Once you realize this, the next question is just how big F1: Drive to Survive is, and how can it affect you?

Better than any form of consumer print or social media to date, this TV show is drawing attention to racing. It’s the big brand pull that many of you have been looking for. Again, we haven’t seen the average citizen care about racing in this way for decades, and you have an amazing opportunity to take advantage of this momentum in the market. 

What can you learn? Well, great storytelling comes to mind. Watch the show, and think about how you are positioning your race track, talking about your race parts, explaining the challenges involved in your racing series. Really think about how people are being entertained by racing right now, and get your brand in that story. Make the racer and the oft-forgotten fan the hero of this story, and find a way to get in front of them. 

Remember, not all of us can afford a week-long trip to Monaco on our $50 million yacht to take in the Grand Prix, but we can head to the circle track or road course on a Friday or Saturday to see what’s going on. Find ways to tell that story. You don’t need a Netflix producer to get your story out there. Find a capable social media expert and work with them to share your product, whether it’s a race night, a race part, a racer, etc. 

For an example of how PRI is doing just that, go to any of your favorite social media networks and check out what the PRI Road Tour looks like. As this issue goes to press, we had just left the 99th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and we’ll be in the Midwest next to take in some of the region’s best circle track racing, drag racing, rally racing, and even a tractor pull. That’s right, PRI is telling your story, and sharing with the world what the racing industry is all about.

What impact is it having? Over the last 365 days, PRI has garnered 85 million impressions for you, with more than 65 million unique individuals learning about the racing industry on our Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn channels. These aren’t inflated numbers, either…or fabricated to impress you. This has been done as a service to you—to tell your story and bring exposure to your businesses, and our industry, in ways no one has ever done before.

Should the PRI Road Tour be the next big Netflix series? We’re working on it….

With the amazing growth our industry has enjoyed over the last 18 months, you might think racing is untouchable. Many established, old-school brands are up 50% to 100% in revenue over this time period. And while they are dealing with massive back orders and staffing issues, the racing industry is on a heater the likes of which we have never seen before. 

Venture capitalists describe the motorsports parts manufacturing industry as “COVID-resistant,” although “COVID-proof” seems more accurate. It’s almost as if there is nothing stopping us. 

But the reality is that there is a threat out there that has already rocked several companies in our industry.

Government overreach, specifically in the form of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s misinterpretation of the Clean Air Act—and their subsequent raids and fines on race parts manufacturers—has put many of us on high alert. PRI’s and SEMA’s response to this activity has been our efforts to pass the RPM Act. This bill would allow for a very clear interpretation of the Clean Air Act: It would provide certainty that street cars can be modified into race cars and protect the manufacturing of race parts for just such activities. If you are just tuning in, you might realize that the street car-to-race car path represents the vast majority of our industry.  

This has been a five-year battle to gain attention in Washington, DC, and align ourselves with lawmakers who support racing.

Although there were previous versions, the RPM Act that was recently reintroduced in the 2021–2022 Congress is different this time around. For one, the racing community has already sent 1.25 million letters to lawmakers urging its passage. And nearly 60 Representatives (as of press time) have cosponsored the bill. A Senate version of the RPM Act will be introduced by the time you read this.  

We simply have to get attention for this bill amongst the other 10,000 pieces of legislation this Congress will see during its term. Here’s why: If we do not get the RPM Act passed, we will continue to be victimized by EPA agents and their individual interpretation of the Clean Air Act. And that is unacceptable. 

Racers are a tough breed. We pull together when threatened. And I cannot think of a bigger threat to small business owners or individual racers than the one we now face.

These are important times for the racing industry, and we need to keep our collective eye on the future. Do your part by contacting your lawmakers in Washington at www.saveourracecars.com. I ask that you send our form letter, then send a personal letter, then send a picture of your company and your employees, then send a picture of your race car, then send a picture of your children learning life lessons at the race track. This is going to be a long campaign, and we need you in this fight until we win it.  

Stay tuned to PRI Magazine, as well as our digital and social media platforms, for updates on the RPM Act, along with daily updates on our progress.  

Indianapolis 500 Takeaway

The 105th running of the Indy 500 was a big deal—and not just because the race itself was pretty phenomenal. Indianapolis is leading the nation back to a normal state of person-to-person interaction. 

This year was my first time attending this “spectacle of racing,” and it was exactly that, with parades, national pride, and colorful pageantry. Racing, celebrated for its pure excess, was put in the spotlight as it has been for over a century. It was an almost religious glorification of speed, and I was completely taken in by the 135,000 other fanatics in attendance.

In fact, the 2021 Indy 500 was the largest sporting event to be held in the United States since the pandemic was first identified in March of last year. Again, as I have written in this column before, the motorsports industry is leading all other sports back to “normal.” Congratulations to the Penske team, IndyCar, the sport of racing, and the city of Indianapolis.

Of course, all of this plays to your advantage as you make plans to attend the PRI Trade Show on December 9–11. Get your hotel arrangements in order early, because it’s going to be a really big Show!

Welcome to another great issue of PRI Magazine, and thank you for joining us. Just like your business, there is a lot happening at PRI. Our social media channels have never been busier, the PRI Membership program has launched with great success, and we are seeing very, very positive signs from early PRI Trade Show registration. So, yes, tell your friends to make plans for PRI 2021—December 9–11, in Indianapolis. 

By the time we arrive it will have been two full years since the racing industry was all together in one place. Thankfully, we continue to see more and more positive signs as big racing events are being held, face-to-face trade shows are coming back, and life is starting to return to a version of normal.

All of this is great news for the racing industry, and it’s only adding to our enthusiasm as we continue preparations for our long-awaited return to Indy. In future issues of PRI Magazine, we’ll be rolling out all the new innovations, exhibits, and parts manufacturers you can expect to see in December. As always, PRI will help bring you the latest from the racing industry—and beyond—so your business can take advantage of the opportunities to succeed and win.

As all of this is taking place at PRI headquarters, it got me thinking about all the great memories I have of past PRI Shows. My own relationship with PRI started in 1998. I was a full-time scientist, but I was quickly leaning toward a major career change that would take my freelance writing, race promotions, marketing strategy, and drag race announcing to the forefront of my life. Those early days were simply amazing for me. I had helped James Lawrence (currently SEMA/PRI Chairman of the Board) and Steve Wolcott (still the principal at ProMedia) form the initial elements of the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA), and I was proud to help them host their annual awards banquet each year at PRI. What an honor it was for me to help celebrate this young, sometimes reckless group of racers. I still have deep friendships with most of you that attended those shows.

New rule sets were always released at PRI, and I remember that news running through the Indiana Convention Center like wildfire as racers worked our combinations and hustled for parts hook-ups right there on the trade show floor. Manufacturers who had helped orchestrate those rule changes enjoyed strong sales. And new racers, inspired by a fresh new race or class, would pull together combinations with engine builders and chassis gurus. Fun stuff!

One of the biggest parts launches for me while I was at Chevrolet Performance was the Camaro Body-In-White (BIW) and the COPO Camaro. Years before we ever got approval to move on these projects, I looked at what archrival Jesse Kershaw was doing at Ford Performance. Backed by Brian Wolf, Jesse was changing the very fabric of sportsman drag racing with the Ford Cobra Jet program. It was wild, obnoxious, and obvious—if you worked outside of Detroit. Yes, a factory-backed NHRA Stocker program hadn’t been seriously done for 50 years. But Kershaw had forced Detroit’s hand, and Chevrolet (and Dodge) finally got around to supporting the effort maybe five years after. But during that time, I had loyal, crazed Chevy fans all over us at PRI helping with the combinations and dreaming of national championships.

The COPO came after the BIW, and the story that no one knows is that I had told my Program Manager Micah Kern that we were launching the Camaro BIW at PRI before he had ever figured out how to get it out of the plant, on a pallet, and ready to ship to the dealers. He had maybe four months to pull it off. That sounds like no big deal for you independent operators, but it was a mad scramble to get the thing ready. Micah delivered the goods, and the BIW sales (fueled by sportsman racers around the country) helped push Chevy into releasing the COPO a few years later.

I remember my first few years at PRI fondly as a complete spectacle of horsepower, creativity, and imagination. Parts I had only seen pictures of were right there to be touched, and super-intelligent representatives gave me insights that I would share with my many readers and network of racers. It was before the Internet-on-your-phone, so I can remember calling my friends from the hotel room to share with them what I had seen during the day. I have countless PRI stories of new parts, killer race cars, bench racing sessions that ran late into the night, and maybe a story about a rental car that was rumored to be going too fast on the way back to the hotel. But, like most stories, they tend to get a little exaggerated over time.

We want the PRI Show to always feel special for you—whether it’s your first one or your 33rd. It’s where the industry brings its A-game: the best parts, the best cars, and the best people. 

Got a great PRI memory that you’d like to share with me? Or how about a suggestion on what you’d like to see at the PRI Show this year? Please, feel free to send me a note: president@performanceracing.com. 

Until next time, stay safe…and stay in the winner’s circle.

As we speak, the motorsports industry is being recreated in real-time. Monster no-prep races are drawing record crowds and car counts; NASCAR is running on dirt; and new business-to-consumer distribution models are being established with great efficacy. And it’s all happening faster than a Top Fuel dragster firing down a 1,000-foot straightaway.

Here at PRI, we’re evolving, too. Last month I shared with you the three big initiatives that will pace the racing industry into the future: the PRI Trade Show’s return to Indianapolis on December 9–11, 2021; the launch of PRI Membership to unite all racers; and the PRI Road Tour headed to a race track near you this summer. 

That said, we have more updates—significant ones—to share once again. Here we go…

PRI Show Update

As this issue goes to print, the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Final Four will have just concluded, which means the city of Indianapolis has successfully pulled off the largest sporting event in the US in over a year. This was accomplished with substantial and diverse crowds, and all were kept safe. The PRI team has remained closely aligned with these activities, giving us a great opportunity to monitor the health and safety strategies that made it all possible.

Area hotels, restaurants and transportation systems served the NCAA crowd magnificently, and the Visit Indy team took whatever steps were necessary in order to keep guests happy and safe. Hoosier Hospitality at its finest.

Building on these positive developments, the NFL has expanded its schedule and promised full stadiums when the 2021 season kicks off in fall. Naturally, that includes Lucas Oil Stadium, which plays a key role in PRI’s expanded footprint when the Trade Show comes to town.

In addition, Indianapolis is in the midst of several hotel expansion projects, along with completely new construction, guaranteeing you a great place to stay during the PRI Show. Closer to the racing industry, this month’s Indianapolis 500 is on track for a full 250,000 spectators—truly American’s Race! 

In fact, the entire live events world is watching Indianapolis. The city is set to host several significant trade shows this summer that will pave the way for continued success and lead to a thriving PRI Show in December. We can’t wait to see you there. 

PRI Membership Update

PRI has now officially launched a first-of-its-kind membership for the racing industry. With a limited offering to PRI Show exhibitors in mid-March, the program is now fully available to businesses throughout motorsports. What’s more, by mid-July our PRI Individual Membership will be open to every single member of the racing community—racers, fans, and all supporters of this lifestyle we care so much about. Racing industry folks can learn more about PRI Membership at performanceracing.com/membership.

You may be wondering why an organized membership program for the racing industry is so important…and why now. The answer is simple: Threats to our industry are real, and growing. This is not hype or conjecture. We are seeing government agencies impacting the operation of race tracks, expanding their enforcement of federal clean air regulations, and penalizing companies with huge fines for making and selling race parts that end up on street cars. These actions have forced some companies to halt production of race parts to avoid potential risk, while others have shuttered operations altogether. 

PRI Membership is the first and best chance for this industry to truly band together as a community. Through organization, education and advocacy, we’re in a position of strength to help defend racing and safeguard our future. As we build up our war chest and lobby our elected representatives, the term “strength in numbers” has never been more relevant. Or critical.

So, if you make your living in motorsports, I hope you’ll give this opportunity to join PRI Membership serious consideration.

Until next month, I wish you and your family well. And I hope your race car takes you to victory lane!

I am bullish on the racing industry—very bullish—and you should be, too. Despite all the setbacks, our industry survived 2020, and through the first quarter is doing quite well overall. Race tracks are opening for the season, and racers, who worked on their cars during the lockdown, are ready to get after it.

At PRI, we’ve been hard at work for the industry providing the latest on COVID-19 relief and best safety practices, expanding our educational services, providing you with the best content the racing industry has ever seen, and planning for our collective return to the trade show environment. 

With that as the backdrop, it’s time to get to the big news. Here goes: 

PRI Show in Indy is a Go!

There are great things happening in Indianapolis, and like Texas and Mississippi, the state of Indiana is on the fast track to a return to normal. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Visit Indy (the marketing team for the city of Indianapolis), Indy landed the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Not just the Final Four, but the entire tournament will be played out in Indianapolis. This creates incredible momentum for the city, as larger groups of people are coming together in what will eventually be the culmination of all their hard work: the 2021 PRI Show on December 9–11. 

We cannot wait to get back to Indy, open the doors to the Indiana Convention Center, and bring the entire racing industry back inside. With the COVID vaccine being administered to more folks every day, and our understanding of how to mitigate the spread of disease, a viable trade show is now possible. And, with the rapid growth of the PRI brand and the health of the racing industry, it is shaping up to not just be a comeback year, but perhaps the biggest and most important PRI Show ever. 

PRI Membership Launches

In light of the many threats and challenges facing the racing industry, plans for a racing industry membership were put into motion by then-SEMA Chairman Wade Kawasaki a little more than two years ago. I am proud to report that at the February SEMA/PRI Board strategy session, the Board (under the leadership of Chairman Tim Martin and Chair-Elect James Lawrence) voted unanimously to move forward with a PRI Membership for all businesses in the racing industry. You can join PRI during your booth registration process, or you can go directly to performanceracing.com/membership to get signed up today. 

Your decision to join PRI is a clear message that you stand with the millions of other racing industry members and racing fans around the world to protect and grow the lifestyle that we all love so much. Coming together to unite the racing industry is our best chance to work together to defeat those challenges that our industry faces right now. With your membership, your company will receive discounts on PRI booth space, PRI advertising, and additional benefits as the program grows. Together, we will continue to build, promote, and protect the racing community. 

PRI Road Tour Returns

Canceling the 2020 PRI Show was gut-wrenching, but in response the PRI team late last year launched a very ambitious project called the PRI Road Tour. By now, you have been enjoying the images and videos our PRI creative team captured while on the road for 77 straight days. In all, the team visited close to 90 different shops, manufacturers, and race tracks. This content has been shared on our social channels, website, eNewsletter, and in the pages of PRI Magazine. In retrospect, the PRI Road Tour was just what the racing industry needed.

Which is why I am so excited to announce that the PRI Road Tour will return in 2021! While the team is still putting together its list of stops, I will tell you that it is very race track-heavy. We want to be there when you are setting records and competing against the best in the industry. Above all, PRI wants to tell the story of racing—as only our content creators can. As I have written about before, we are in competition with all other industries for consumers, their time, and their disposable income. Our mission is to capture your stories, your challenges, and your victories. Only then can the world possibly understand how amazing the racing industry is, and why it means so much to so many people. 

You’ll be hearing much more about the PRI Road Tour in the weeks and months ahead. Consider this your invitation to tell us where we can find you. And look for the PRI Road Tour van at a race track near you this summer. Heck, you might even see the Road Tour van at the PRI Show. Wouldn’t that be fun!

PRI is changing. Known for more than 30 years as the world’s leading motorsports trade show and media company, PRI is now a community of racers and experts from across the racing industry. And because none of this is possible without you, I promise to always have your best interests in mind as the PRI team navigates the future. With the PRI Show set to return, the PRI Road Tour on the road, and a membership that will bring our community together, PRI is serving the racing industry like never before. So, please, come join us, and let’s win together.

Racing is open for business, and PRI is here to help. We have been helping the business of racing since 1986, and now more than ever, PRI has heard your calls for help. More than the world’s best racing Trade Show, PRI now offers an entire suite of services to help you with your racing business—and the best is yet to come.

Most of you connect with the racing industry through PRI Magazine, this award-winning publication that has covered the racing industry, shared the latest news, and provided valuable insight to the racing world even before the Show began. Now, PRI has expanded our efforts. The magazine is bigger, better, and more refined than ever. We have coupled this content factory to an ever-growing social media presence. Basically, if you want your racing news on a social media platform, PRI is there. If you ever miss an issue of PRI Magazine, or you cannot find the story your customer just told you about, you can find it on our website (performanceracing.com). The website has been completely reimagined, and hundreds of new videos and thousands of new images from our recent PRI Road Tour are being added to the site daily. As a reminder, our sales team is standing by to help you advertise your company and your products as needed.

In addition to all of this, every week our PRI eNewsletter reports the latest happenings in the racing industry. It’s filled with just the racing industry news that you need to know. It is also the best way to keep informed on all of the advocacy work that PRI is doing thanks to our dedicated DC-based Governmental Affairs office, as well as multiple state and local programs supporting the safe operation of your local race track.

***

As I write this, the Super Bowl is less than two days past, and I can’t help but compare this sports spectacle to the racing industry. Our Super Bowl hits every February in the form of the Daytona 500 (or in May for the Indy 500, depending on your preference), and dozens of small, local tracks are already off and running their 2021 schedules. The racing industry has shared an interesting relationship with pro sports. At the very top of motorsports, we play together, scheduling events to not get in each other’s way. But, at a sportsman level, we are very much in competition with stick/ball sports.

In a local market, race tracks are in competition for the attention of consumers. Think of the choices that a typical American family has on a Friday night. Granted, some of us have been quite limited during this pandemic, but for others they can choose to go out to eat, go to the mall, take in a movie, go to a sporting event…or go to the race track.

Using the business development techniques that PRI has shared through our PRI Education series as well as industry best practices that we have shared through our race track outreach program, track operators are starting to compete with the big boys.

What can you learn from other big sporting events? Learning how larger sporting events are bringing people together safely may be the most important lesson currently. Beyond that, think about how the major leagues reach their community, share their story, and give back to their fans. Study how other sports are marketing and selling to their fan base, and you’ll be far ahead of your competition.

PRI is closely watching the coming March Madness tournament that will be taking place in Indianapolis this year. The entire tournament will be played in our Trade Show’s host city, and there is a lot to take in. How will they bring all of these people together in a safe environment? How will they be marketing and sharing this experience to drive confidence in the live audience? And, most importantly, what can we learn to make sure that the racing industry has a safe and productive event at the PRI Show?

We will be bringing more details in later issues of PRI Magazine. Please, stay tuned to these developments. And, as always, you can reach me at president@performanceracing.com if we can ever help you.

What will 2021 look like? We are all asking ourselves that very question right now. It’s a question that has more impact today than at any other traditional start-of-the-year strategy point. 

Last month, we shared with you some insights from the recently published SEMA Market Report. It showed, for the most part, that race parts manufacturers did rather well in 2020. Many of you had the best years in your company’s history as racers were locked down and they did what racers do—they built cars with your parts. Still, many shops and tracks struggled as local governments clamped down on crowd gatherings. 

The good news for 2021 is that the racing industry is stronger and smarter than ever before. And we have learned so much from the trials of 2020. 

Throughout the past year we have all been impressed with how the racing industry has adapted and evolved. NASCAR and others pushed the boundaries of sports with a quick shift to iRacing, limited crowds, and an aggressive return-to-work attitude. It paid off big, with more people watching racing than in several years prior. IndyCar got back to action, too, although the Indy 500 was historically impacted. And NHRA did whatever it took to keep their racers active, adjust to the changing world, and continue their long-storied history of racing. 

Through all of this, we could see the business of motorsports adjusting and growing right before our eyes. 

The 2021 racing season is already off to a solid start. This year’s Chili Bowl enjoyed a record turnout of race cars, even as many fans watched from their favorite streaming service. NHRA is adjusting its season schedule to ensure that races can go on while keeping their competitors and fans safe. And the off-road racing season is underway, although I am hearing that the Mint 400 and King of the Hammers dates may shift. Many smaller sanctioning bodies have set their schedules, and their racers are getting ready to put their cars to the test. 

We know there will be challenges for the racing industry, and we know that racers will adjust and find a way to…race. 

Elsewhere, PRI’s advocacy efforts on behalf of the racing industry continue at a very high level. You can expect regular updates from us on political challenges to the racing industry for the foreseeable future—just something for you to look forward to, and act on when appropriate. In the end, there is only so much we can control, but PRI is working to make sure that you—members of the racing industry—always have a voice and a chance to be heard. 

With that in mind, we are optimistic about resuming the PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis in December. It seems strange to already be looking so far ahead, but with last year’s cancelation of PRI, the industry is more than ready for the live event.

Besides, good things are happening in Indianapolis. The Visit Indy team is working with the NCAA to host the full March Madness men’s basketball tournament in ’21. And several other shows are on their schedule. The PRI team will be working closely with our partners in Indianapolis to learn from the promoters putting on these other events.  

So here we are, a month into 2021. Let’s get out there like racers always do, put our new combinations to the test, and see if we’re better than the competition. Or better than our previous best. All of us at PRI wish you success as this new season unfolds. Be safe, and we will see you real soon.

Six months have flown by since I started my term as President of PRI, and it’s certainly been an eventful time. While we are deep into planning for the year ahead, I’d first like to use this space to reflect a bit and recap the work that has been done for you at PRI. Then, I can give you an idea of where we’re going in 2021. Here we go…

The year 2020, for the racing industry, has been a mixed bag. We were all stunned in early spring when the impact of the pandemic started to take hold. By early summer, though, we were figuring it out. Aided by our PRI ambassador program, as well as generations of American grit, race tracks started to reopen, and some prospered with record-setting numbers of racers and fans. Race parts manufacturers, distributors, and retailers—the core of the PRI community—also turned it around in 2020.

In fact, a recently published report from SEMA (State of the Industry, fall 2020) showed that the majority of racing businesses actually did quite well in 2020. Of course, some suffered, but as the year came to a close it became clear that a number of industry suppliers had seen significant gains. If that does not describe your company or race track, check out our series of articles in the September–November 2020 issues of PRI Magazine, where Editor Dan Schechner and his team went beneath the surface and found industry experts willing to share their secrets at surviving—and thriving in—a pandemic. 

The team here has been hard at work, too, even without our annual event in December. Canceling the PRI Trade Show was not something anyone planned for, but we made a quick pivot ourselves to “take the show on the road.” As I write this, the PRI Road Tour will have been on the road for 46 days with over 60 stops; and more than 200 of you have reached out to get involved in the program. With the social media impressions from the Tour comparable to that of a Super Bowl commercial, the value we’ve provided to our industry friends and partners has been immeasurable. 

A sincere thank you to everyone who has participated in the PRI Road Tour. It’s been amazing, and you’ll see the impact of the Tour continuing well into the new year. If you are just catching up, take a look at the daily uploads to every social media channel you’re on (even including TikTok). If you are not tuned into PRI, you are missing out. 

PRI has also invested heavily in the media side of the company. By now you have discovered the newly reimagined PRI Magazine—a further evolution of what you’ve come to expect from the leader in need-to-know product trends and information, industry perspectives, race-winning solutions, and news and updates on the business of racing. We’ve also relaunched our website at performanceracing.com, where you’ll find loads of information designed to inform, entertain, and help your business succeed. Among the site’s new features is an area where you can purchase PRI-branded merchandise. It’s great-looking gear, and we thank you in advance for supporting the PRI brand! 

PRI has also become more active than ever, representing the racing industry where we need to and expanding our efforts beyond well-known initiatives like the RPM Act and preserving the Bonneville Salt Flats. Recently, we came out in support of Republican candidates in the Senate run-off in the state of Georgia. Those two races will determine control of the US Senate, and largely the federal government. If you are in Georgia, or have customers there, please get out and “vote racing” by supporting Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. More information is available here: performanceracing.com/voteracing. 

With these efforts and more activated in just the last six months, 2021 is shaping up to be a very promising year. Of course, we are all hopeful that effective vaccines and therapeutics quickly become available and we can finally put COVID-19 behind us. But whatever the future holds, our promise to you is that PRI will continue to work hard for the racing industry, provide you with a place to do business, fight for your rights to go racing, and keep you informed on all the latest from around the world of motorsports.

MOTORTREND’s legendary 27th annual HOT ROD Power Tour Presented by HP Tuners and Driven by Continental Tire returns to five cities in the Midwest beginning Monday, August 23 through Friday, August 27. The event brings together more than 5,000 vehicles as classic cars, hot rods, and trucks travel city-to-city for the five-day event. 

Performance car enthusiasts, will follow the tour alongside HOT ROD editors and photographers. Participants can join for one day, two days, or be a HOT ROD Power Tour long hauler and join for all five days.

HOT ROD POWER TOUR 2021 SCHEDULE:

• KICKOFF/Day 1: Monday, August 23 – Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio
• Day 2: Tuesday, August 24 – Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton, Ohio
• Day 3: Wednesday, August 25 – Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Day 4: Thursday, August 26 – World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis
• Day 5: Friday, August 27 – State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois

To register or to secure free spectator admission, visit here. For more information, visit motortrend.com/events/hot-rod-power-tour.

Let’s go racing! PRI’s iconic Road Tour returns for its sophomore season, and this year we’ve unleashed our award-winning content creators on events and race tracks across the US. For this second edition of the Tour, PRI is visiting famed venues like Pikes Peak in Colorado, Eldora Speedway in Ohio, Oswego Speedway on the shores of Lake Ontario, and Crandon International Raceway deep in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. We’ll be on the road for over six months, capturing behind-the-scenes footage and bringing you the untold stories and extraordinary images you won’t see anywhere else. Enjoy this first of a four-part pictorial series—and for all the latest news, images, video, and more from our travels,
visit performanceracing.com/roadtour.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

The 2021 PRI Road Tour will take us across the country and behind the scenes to see events large and small like never before. Our team’s first stop was at the famous Race to the Clouds. Officially known as the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the 2021 event was its 99th running, trailing only the Indy 500 as America’s second oldest professional racing event. Timed runs for the race start at an altitude of 9,390 feet, in the thin air nearly 1.5 miles above sea level. The course is strewn across 156 turns covering 12.42 miles up America’s Mountain. The finish line is regularly at the 14,115-foot summit, another vertical mile higher than where the green flag dropped, but clouds, snow and ice-covered asphalt near the summit caused race officials to forego the highest three miles of roadway from the 2021 event’s official course.

DIRTcar Summer Nationals

In contrast to the lofty heights of Pikes Peak, where competitors race upwards of two miles above sea level, the 2021 PRI Road Tour’s second stop was absolutely down to Earth…as in, in the dirt for the annual DIRTcar Summer Nationals held at the new Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana. The new track grew out of a partnership between the Marion County Fairgrounds and Indy businessmen Jonathan Byrd and Kevin Garrigus, the promoter and owner, respectively, of the Indianapolis Speedrome. Garrigus and his team transformed the fairground’s old circle track into a premier facility over the winter of 2020 and 2021; the facility first opened its gates to racers and fans for Test and Tune laps in May. During our visit, the 1/4-mile oval hosted two events: the DIRTcar Modified Nationals and the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, a series known across social media as the #HellTour.

Kings Royal

To understand racing as an industry, just follow the money. That is, the big money at Eldora Speedway, which in mid-July hosted not one but two of its iconic Kings Royal events. (The 37th annual Kings Royal, originally slated for 2020, was black-flagged by the pandemic.) So, the World of Outlaws series worked with Eldora to hold both editions. And, because Kings Royal events include two feature races, the weekend featured four total events, with a total winner’s purse that exceeded $374,000. Like we said, just follow the money. Today, Eldora regularly hosts dirt late models, modifieds, Eldora Stocks, World of Outlaws sprint cars, USAC National midgets, USAC Silver Crown, and more, and the PRI Road Tour was on hand for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series double-feature event.

IMS Museum

As far as we’re concerned there’s only one Rocket man…and it ain’t the piano player. No, ours is the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and six-time pole sitter whose feats have landed him in multiple motorsports halls of fame, including that of the famed Brickyard. So it stands to reason that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum would pay homage to one of its greatest competitors via the “Rocket Rick Mears” exhibit, appropriately on the 30th anniversary of his fourth 500 victory. Also appearing for a limited time is the tribute “Granatelli: Larger Than Life,” which features Andy Granatelli’s family story along with several STP-clad Indy cars. While there, we also got a gander at the Museum’s Restoration Department, whose four full-time employees and one full-time detailer are constantly prepping cars for exhibits and special events—like when the vehicles actually run during Indy 500 pre-race.