GRAMMY Award-winning global superstar Pitbull has become a co-owner of the NASCAR Cup Series team Trackhouse Racing. Armando Christian Perez (Pitbull) and founder/co-owner Justin Marks plan to amplify the sport’s influence around the world. 

Trackhouse Racing will make its debut in the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14, with Daniel Suarez behind the wheel. The Monterrey, Mexico native is the only foreign-born national champion in series history, according to NASCAR. 

“I’ve been a fan of the NASCAR story since the movie ‘Days of Thunder,’” Perez said. “As soon as I met Justin, Ty Norris (team president), and Daniel, we were on the same page. They welcomed me aboard, and now we’re going to show the world NASCAR is not only a sport but it’s a culture.”

Perez will serve as an active partner on the Trackhouse executive team, as well as a brand and philanthropic ambassador. Together, Marks and Perez will foster the launch of a racing-themed STEM curriculum within the SLAM! (Sports Leadership Arts and Management) inner-city charter schools—which Pitbull helped establish seven years ago.

“I am proud that in just a few months, we are here announcing a partnership with one of the most influential and recognized artists in the world... We are creating and compelling a movement of positivity and possibility, using the platform and excitement of sports and music,” Marks said. “Through NASCAR and our partnership with Pitbull, we are going to have the attention of a global demographic that is ready to be inspired into action for themselves, their families, and their future.” 

For more information, visit trackhouse.com.

The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modified 2021 schedule has been released, which features several premier race tracks in the eastern US.

The season begins in February at Volusia Speedway Park for the DIRTcar Nationals, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. 

Crown Jewel events include the $50,000-to-win Billy Whittaker Cars 200 and the $25,500-to-win Mr. DIRT Track USA. A $10,000-to-win doubleheader at Bristol also joins the schedule along with the two-race Cavalcade Weekend at Weedsport Speedway.

Fans can stream every Super DIRTcar Series event with the DIRTVision Fast-Pass. The complete schedule, subject to change and the addition of dates, can be found below.

For more information, visit superdirtcarseries.com.

2021 Super DIRTcar Series schedule

• Tuesday, February 9 - Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL - DIRTcar Nationals
• Wednesday, February 10 - Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL - DIRTcar Nationals
• Thursday, February 11 - Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL - DIRTcar Nationals
• Friday, February 12 - Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL - DIRTcar Nationals
• Saturday, February 13 - Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL - DIRTcar Nationals 
• Saturday, April 10 - Can-Am Speedway, La Fargeville, NY  - $7,500-to-win Thunder in the 1,000 Islands
• Friday, April 23 - Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN - $10,000-to-win Bristol Throwdown
• Saturday, April 24 - Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol, TN - $10,000-to-win Bristol Throwdown
• Tuesday, May 4 - Bridgeport Speedway, Swedesboro, NJ - $10,000-to-win King of the Big Blocks
• Sunday, May 30 - Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY - $7,500-to-win Heroes Remembered 100
• Monday, May 31 - Lebanon Valley Speedway, West Lebanon, NY - $13,500-to-win Mr. DIRT Track
• Tuesday, June 22 - Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, NY - $7,500-to-win
• Sunday, June 27 - Cornwall Motor Speedway, Cornwall, ON - $7,500-to-win
• Monday, June 28 - Le RPM Speedway, St. Marcel, QC - $7,500-to-win
• Thursday, July 1 - Land of Legends Raceway, Canandaigua, NY - $7,500-to-win Liberty 100
• Monday, July 5 - Ohsweken Speedway, Ohsweken, ON - $10,000-to-win 25th anniversary
• Tuesday, July 6 - Ransomville Speedway, Ransomville, NY - $7,500-to-win
• Monday, July 19 - Autodrome Granby, Granby, QC - $7,500-to-win
• Tuesday, July 20 - Autodrome Drummond, Drummondville QC - $7,500-to-win
• Sunday, July 25 - Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY - $10,000-to-win Hall of Fame Weekend
• Wednesday, July 28 - TBD
• Thursday, July 29 - Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown, NY - $10,000-to-win Battle of the Midway
• Tuesday, August 3 - Thunder Mountain Speedway, Center Isle, NY - $7,500-to-win
• Wednesday, August 4 - Land of Legends Raceway, Canandaigua, NY - $7,500-to-win
• Saturday, September 4 - Lebanon Valley Speedway, West Lebanon, NY - $25,500-to-win Mr. DIRT Track USA
• Saturday, September 11 - Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY - $7,500-to-win Cavalcade Weekend
• Sunday, September 12 - Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY - $10,000-to-win Cavalcade Weekend
• Saturday, September 18 - Land of Legends Raceway, Canandaigua, NY - $10,000-plus-to-win Gerald Haers Memorial
• Saturday, September 25 - Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, NY - $10,000-to-win Massive Malta Weekend
• Sunday, October 10 - Oswego Speedway, Oswego, NY - $50,000-to-win Billy Whittaker Cars 200
• Thursday, November 4 - The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, NC - Can-Am World Finals
• Thursday, November 5 - The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, NC - Can-Am World Finals
• Thursday, November 6 - The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, NC - Can-AmWorld Finals

_{Photo by Matt Sullivan, courtesy of DIRTcar}

Mayes Massey and Doug Stevens have signed a lease for West Georgia Speedway in Whitesburg, Georgia. The 3/8-mile red clay track features Saturday night weekly racing and is owned by Sammy Duke.

“I am really excited to have these guys running this track. They will make it better than it has ever been, and that’s what I want to see,” said Duke, who first opened the facility in the 1980s.

Officials have announced plans to widen the track, which will allow for two-and three-wide fields of cars. Doug Stevens will oversee the process, which is expected to begin this month and be completed by early March.

The 2021 schedule will be released upon completion of the track reconfiguration. Still, officials say the season will open on April 3, with divisions including Crate Late Models, Late Model Sportsman, Chargers, Hobby, Bomber, Mini Stock, and Front Wheel Drive.

There will also be special events for the Super Late Models, Limited Late Models, sprint cars, and more. 

Track officials have invited drivers, crew members, and fans for an open house and property clean up event later this month (date pending).

For more information, visit the track’s social media page at facebook.com/westgeorgiaracing. 

Formula DRIFT has announced a full schedule for the 2021 season, which kicks off in May at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The traditional season opener on the streets of Long Beach has been moved to September in conjunction with the rescheduled Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The race will serve as a special, invitational event. 

Two fresh venues—the new, purpose-built Englishtown Raceway Park in New Jersey and Lake Erie Speedway in Pennsylvania—have been added to the familiar six tracks, including the season finale at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California. 

As recently announced, the Link ECU PROSPEC category replaces the PRO2 series, allowing phased updates to the Technical and Sporting regulations over the next few seasons as part of the series’ evolution. For 2021, PROSPEC qualifying and competition will occur on the same days as the senior FD PRO category.

Races will be available to stream online at formulad.com and on Formula DRIFT social media and YouTube channels. 

For the complete schedule, visit formulad.com/schedule. For more information, visit formulad.com.
 

Perfecting your vehicle’s exhaust system can increase your car’s horsepower and speed. For over 20 years, Grand Bending has been a supplier of high quality bends and associated components used in custom and high-performance exhaust systems for race cars.

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Officials from Energy Systems Network (ESN), IMS, and the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) have unveiled the race car that will be autonomously driven by university teams in the world’s first high-speed, head-to-head autonomous race set for October 23, 2021.

The primary goal of the IAC is to advance technologies that can speed the commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), leading to increased safety and performance. 

“The Dallara-built IAC race car is the most advanced, fastest autonomous vehicle ever developed,” stated Paul Mitchell, president and CEO of ESN, and co-organizer of the IAC. “Our IAC sponsors are providing radar, lidar, optical cameras and advanced computers, bringing the value of each vehicle to $1 million.”

The IAC is scheduled at the IMS, with a qualifying simulation race set to take place during the Indy 500 week in May. Ansys will provide $150,000 to the winner of the simulation race, a key milestone event. For the inaugural autonomous race at IMS, IAC will provide cash prizes, including $1 million for first place, $250,000 for second place, and $50,000 for third place. For more information, visit indyautonomouschallenge.com/prizes.

More than 500 undergraduate and graduate students, PhDs, and mentors who excel in artificial intelligence software have responded to the challenge, representing 39 universities in 11 countries on four continents and 14 states.

For more information, visit indyautonomouschallenge.com.

_{Image courtesy of IMS}

LSI Chemical, the manufacturer of additives and lubricants, has signed NanoTech Petroleum as a new international distributor. 

Located in South Africa, NanoTech Petroleum is now authorized to distribute the entire line of LSI Chemical fuel and oil additives and the full line of Hot Shot’s Secret products in the region.

“Our goal is to become the premier international leader of fuel and oil additives in the world. Our use of cutting-edge nanotechnology for all lubricants and innovative fuel additive technology significantly makes lubricants and fuels better, and this will now be available for not only South Africa but for the entire continent,” LSI President Todd Cawley said. 

For more information about LSI, visit lsichemical.com.

Formula 1 has revealed a revised calendar for the 2021 season. The F1 schedule retains a record 23 races, but the 2021 season will now start a week later with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28, with the Australian Grand Prix moving later in the year.

Due to travel restrictions, the 2021 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place. Discussions with Chinese officials are still ongoing, with the potential to reschedule the race later in the season if possible. Imola, Italy has returned in its date slot of May 2.

Some dates are still subject to World Motor Sport Council approval. 

The updated 2021 F1 race calendar is as follows:
March 28 – Bahrain (Sakhir)
April 18 - Italy (Imola)
May 2 - TBC
May 9 – Spain (Barcelona)
May 23 – Monaco (Monaco)
June 6 – Azerbaijan (Baku)
June 13 – Canada (Montreal)
June 27 – France (Le Castellet)
July 4 – Austria (Spielberg)
July 18 – United Kingdom (Silverstone)
August 1 – Hungary (Budapest)
August 29 – Belgium (Spa)
September 5 – Netherlands (Zandvoort)
September 12 – Italy (Monza)
September 26 – Russia (Sochi)
October 3 – Singapore (Singapore)
October 10 – Japan (Suzuka)
October 24 – USA (Austin)
October 31 – Mexico (Mexico City)
November 7 – Brazil (Sao Paulo)
November 21 - Australia (Melbourne)
December 5 - Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)
December 12 - Abu Dhabi (Yas Island)

For more information, visit formula1.com.

_{Photo courtesy of Formula 1}

Officials from the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) have announced the richest and boldest schedule of events in the history of the premier dirt modified series for the 2021 campaign.

“We’ve been blessed with having the best drivers, best fans, and best marketing partners in the business for nearly a quarter-century now,” USMTS President and Co-Founder Todd Staley said. “If we learned nothing else in 2020, it was that life is short and fragile so we all need to enjoy every minute of it. I think our competitors will enjoy the money they take home from every race this year—somebody needs to pay these guys what they’re worth.”

With 36 nights of racing on the calendar, the main event winners are set to take home $310,032, with more than $1 million earmarked for payouts. Twenty-six of the 36 race nights will pay at least $10,000 to win. The other ten events carry a $5,000 top prize.

And, more than $230,000 will be awarded to the ten finishers in the points standings, with a record-breaking $70,000 reserved for the 2021 USMTS National Champion.

The 2021 campaign begins with the 11th annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals on February 26-27, at the RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas, and Big O Speedway in Ennis, Texas. The season ends on Halloween weekend with the second annual Modster Mash tripleheader, which features a trio of $10,000-to-win events.

For the complete 2021 schedule, visit usmts.com/schedule. For more information, visit usmts.com.

_{Image courtesy of USMTS}

Joe Didato has joined the Digital Throttle sales team as its new Sales Director. Based in Detroit, Michigan, Didato will be responsible for expanding Digital Throttle’s digital advertising services across several automotive markets. 

Didato has over 30 years of industry experience, having worked as National Account Director for MotorTrend, representing brands like MotorTrend, Hot Rod, Four Wheeler, Truckin’, Car Craft, and Super Street, among others. 

“I’m very excited to be working with Digital Throttle, which has created the largest and most impressive digital network in the automotive and powersports markets. Digital advertising is such a powerful and measurable form of marketing—offering a turnkey solution is a great solution for any aftermarket brand,” Didato said. 

Founded in 2009, Digital Throttle is a turnkey digital advertising provider that focuses on vehicle and motorsports enthusiasts.

For more information, visit digitalthrottle.com.