Race Winning Brands Inc. (RWB) has announced it has completed the relocation of its MGP Connecting Rods business to Lakewood, New Jersey, also home to Manley Performance, another RWB company. 

RWB has relocated MGP’s complete production line and equipment to the Lakewood production facility. Integrating the MGP line into the Manley facility will allow the businesses to share resources and technology.

Anthony Giannone, son of founder Michael Giannone, will run point and oversee MGP sales and customer service, while also staying heavily involved with manufacturing and quality control.

For more information, visit mgpconnectingrods.com.

Performance Racing Industry (PRI) is seeking submissions of dedicated race vehicles to showcase in the November 2020 issue of PRI Magazine. Entered vehicles may include drag, stock car, sports car, open wheel, dirt late model, modified, off-road, vintage and pulling.   

Submissions will be considered for publication in print and/or online. The PRI Trade Show department may also follow up if there is interest in the Show’s Featured Vehicle Display in Indianapolis in December. 

Submissions should be emailed to PRI’s Nicole Harless at nicoleh@performanceracing.com and include the following information by Friday, September 18:

• Owner’s Name & Hometown: 
• Year, Make & Model of Vehicle: 
• Series & Class(es) Raced In: 
• Engine Platform:
• Engine Builder: 
• Car Builder/Fabricator: 
• Up to 10 Featured Products: 
• Interesting Fact(s) About This Vehicle (limit 50 words): 
• Attach 2-3 High-Resolution Images of the Vehicle (submissions with no images will not be considered)

ARCA has finalized the remainder of the 2020 schedule, with 11 events spread out over the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West over the next seven weeks. 

There are six events on the ARCA Menards Series calendar, two of which are combination races with the ARCA Menards Series East, four ARCA Menards Series West races, and a single standalone race for the ARCA Menards East.

The ARCA Menards Series will visit Toledo Speedway for the third time in 2020 for a 200-lapper on Sept. 12, followed by the first series race at Bristol Motor Speedway since 1969 on Thursday, Sept. 17. The races will both pay points for the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East. Tickets are available at Toledo Speedway's website here. 

The ARCA Menards Series East will end its season on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The ARCA Menards Series finale follows on Friday, Oct. 16 at Kansas Speedway and the ARCA Menards Series West will close Saturday, Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

The updated, revised 2020 ARCA Menards Series schedule:

DATE / SERIES / EVENT (TIME/BROADCAST)
Sep. 12 / AMS/AMSE / Toledo Speedway (5 pm ET, MAVTV)
Sep. 17 / AMS/AMSE/SCS / Bristol Motor Speedway (9:30 pm ET, FS1)
Sep. 19 / AMS / Winchester Speedway (3 pm ET, live, TrackPass; 6 pm same day delay, MAVTV)
Sep. 26 / AMSW / The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3 pm ET, TrackPass)
Sep. 26 / AMS/SCS / Memphis International Raceway (6 pm ET, MAVTV)
Oct. 4 / AMS / Illinois State Fairgrounds (3 pm ET, MAVTV)
Oct. 10 / AMSE / Five Flags Speedway (8 pm, TrackPass)
Oct. 16 / AMS / Kansas Speedway (10 pm ET, FS2)
Oct. 23 / AMSW / All-American Speedway (10 pm ET, TrackPass)
Oct. 25 / AMSW / Kern County Speedway (6 pm ET, TrackPass)
Nov. 7 / AMSW / Phoenix Raceway (2 pm ET, TrackPass)

For more information, visit arcaracing.com.

^{Photo by Barry Cantrell, courtesy of ARCA} 

Performance Friction Corporation (PFC) Brakes, the provider of brake calipers, discs, and pads, has announced that Don Orrell has joined the company as the vice president of Sales and Marketing. In his new position, Orrell will lead the PFC Sales and Marketing departments to pursue the growth goals set out in the PFC strategic plan. 

With more than 35 years of sales expertise in the light and heavy-duty aftermarket, as well as OES and OEM channels, Orrell has a proven track record of launching new programs, as well as experience in marketing, communications, team development, and maintaining strong customer relationships, according to PFC Brakes.  

"We are very excited that Don has joined the PFC team and look forward to continuously improving our products, processes, and customer experience," a company statement said. 

For more information, visit pfcbrakes.com.

BendPak, the provider of car lifts and automotive service equipment, has announced the expansion of its distribution center near Mobile, Alabama, and an expansion of the company’s Santa Paula, California-based headquarters.

Less than six months after opening the 100,000-square-foot facility in Mobile, BendPak announced plans to add a 70,000 sq. ft. warehouse on the property, purchased earlier this year. 

The new building will feature four dock doors, a ramp with a “super‐wide” door, warehouse space, and an additional 13,000 sq. ft. of a covered flatbed staging and loading area. Administrative offices, a conference room, and a call center are also planned. The location offers next‐day or two‐day delivery to a large portion of BendPak’s East Coast customers. 

BendPak’s new shipping and receiving facility in Santa Paula, which is expected to be completed this month, will bring its headquarters to more than 400,00 sq. ft. The headquarters and distribution multiplex handles shipping and order fulfillment services for 15 western states.

“This phase of expansion comes with an ambitious strategic vision, building upon our heritage of professional quality products,” said BendPak President and CEO Don Henthorn. “We are focused on bringing our equipment geographically closer to our customers to improve lead times and customer service.”

For more information, visit bendpak.com.

Phoenix Raceway will host a limited number of fans for the NASCAR Championship Weekend set for November 6-8, in accordance with guidance and approvals from local officials as well as enhanced safety protocols.

“While we wish we could have a full house with the greatest fans in motorsports, the health and safety of everyone is our top priority and we are excited that we can still share this NASCAR Championship Weekend experience with many in a safe environment,” said Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese. “The entire Phoenix Raceway team has been looking forward to hosting the track’s first-ever championship weekend since it was announced in March of last year and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome fans all three days to share in this monumental event for our venue, our community and the entire state of Arizona.”

In addition to maintaining strict adherence to the CDC-recommended six-foot social distancing throughout the venue, all guests will be screened prior to entering the gates, including a non-contact temperature check, and guests ages 3 and up will be required to bring and wear mandatory face coverings. Multiple handwashing and hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the operating areas and entrances, and a “clean team” of staff, clearly identified for guests, will be cleaning or disinfecting at all times. More information can be found at phoenixraceway.com/protocols.

The INfield Experience will be unavailable, while other fan hospitality options such as Legends and Dos Equis Curve will operate at a reduced capacity. Camping will still be available.  

For more information, including ticketing information, visit here.

Lewis Hamilton, the six-time Formula One World Champion, has announced the creation of X44, a new race team that will make its debut during the inaugural season of Extreme E, the electric off-road racing series.

X44 is in reference to Lewis’s racing number. As the team’s founder, he will not be behind the wheel or involved on a day-to-day basis, but he will put the learnings of his motorsports career into practice to help guide the team.

Extreme E competitors will race electric SUVs in five remote locations—arctic, desert, rainforest, glacier, and coastal—which are already damaged or severely under threat of climate change.

“Extreme E is an exciting new sustainability initiative, and this is a great opportunity to be involved from the outset as a team founder,” Lewis said. “Not only will we visit remote locations facing the front line of the climate crisis, we will also work closely with these locations and leading climate experts to share our knowledge and leave behind a positive legacy in each location which goes far beyond the race track.”

For more information, visit extreme-e.com.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame will reopen to the general public on September 16, with reduced capacity and enhanced health and safety measures. Operating hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, with Tuesdays reserved for private groups and special events (Hot Pass Tuesdays). 

In advance of its official reopening, the Hall will also welcome back existing members on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13.

"We're thrilled and ready to welcome back guests to the NASCAR Hall of Fame," said Winston Kelley, NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director. "The health and safety of our visitors and staff is our highest priority, and based on months of hard work from our teammates at the Hall and Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, we are confident we are prepared to safely reopen."

The facility will follow new protocols called "We Clean with Care," which translates to rigorous measures involving sanitizing and disinfecting all venues with increased frequency and implementing new personal safety best practices. For more information on health and safety measures, visit nascarhall.com/clean. 

Officials encourage guests to purchase tickets in advance online here. For more information, visit nascarhall.com.

^{Photo courtesy of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA)}

IMSA President John Doonan revealed details on the 2021 season during his first State of the Sport presentation this week.

The presentation included provisional schedules for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, and IMSA Prototype Challenge. Doonan also unveiled a new class and qualifying format for the WeatherTech Championship and a new points structure.

The WeatherTech Championship schedule will see the series return to traditional venues next year, beginning at Daytona International Speedway in January through the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans in its season-ending slot in October at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

In addition, the Daytona Prototype international (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Le Mans (GTLM), and GT Daytona (GTD) classes will be joined by a new class—Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3)—at select events.

A new generation of LMP3 models will be introduced to IMSA competition in 2021-2022 from four approved constructors—Ligier, Duqueine Engineering, Ginetta, and Adess—using 455 horsepower Nissan VK56 engines. New LMP3 cars or earlier models that have been updated to the new Evo will be eligible for WeatherTech Championship LMP3 competition.

IMSA will also adopt a new championship points structure for the WeatherTech Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, and IMSA Prototype Challenge for all race events.

Points will be 10 times what they were in previous years, with a win now worth 350 points, 320 for second, 300 for third, etc. Points will continue to be awarded to 30th place in each class.

In addition, the WeatherTech Championship will begin awarding points for qualifying at 10 percent of the 2021 points structure. A pole will be worth 35 points, with 32 points for a second-place qualifier, 30 for third, etc. down to 30th place in each class. Points from qualifying will be awarded for all drivers in each car in addition to each team. Each manufacturer’s highest-qualifying car also will earn points toward the manufacturers’ championship.

For more information, including the complete provisional schedules, new qualifying format information, and more, visit the IMSA announcement here. 
 

^{Photo courtesy of IMSA}

After working with the Ohio Governor’s office and local health officials to confirm a reschedule date, INDYCAR and Green Savoree Racing Promotions have released the details and protocols for limited spectator attendance at The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, set for September 11-13.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that a variance to the Ohio Department of Health Director’s Order has been granted for a total of up to 6,000 spectators to attend. Currently purchased event tickets and Mid-Ohio Season Race Passes will be valid for entry. A very limited number of tickets remain for sale at midohio.com on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets will be available for purchase at the gate during the race weekend.

“We greatly appreciate Governor Mike DeWine’s leadership and support in granting the variance to the sports order to allow a limited number of spectators to attend The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio this weekend,” said Kevin Savoree, co-owner, president and COO of Green Savoree Racing Promotions. “Our team would also like to thank Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Interim Health Director Lance Himes and Morrow County Health Commissioner Stephanie Bragg for their guidance and time to review our plans.” 

The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will be a doubleheader weekend for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with 75-lap races on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course in Lexington, Ohio. NBC Sports coverage  will begin Saturday with Race 1 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and continue with Sunday’s Race 2 coverage on NBC at 1:00 p.m. ET. Practice and qualifying sessions will be available for live streaming on NBC Sports Gold. 

For more information, visit indycar.com or midohio.com.