S.B. International, Inc. has announced Ryan Hamilton as its new company president.

Hamilton first joined S.B. International in 2007 and most recently served as Vice President of Product. He previously held positions including Sales & Inventory Coordinator, Quality Control Inspector, Research & Development/Technical Services, and Product Manager.

S.B. International was founded in 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a supplier of cylinder head components for several markets.

For more information, visit sbintl.com.

NHRA returns to competition May 22-23, at Texas Motorplex with the running of an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Central Region event.

The Keurig Dr. Pepper Lone Star Nationals presented by Driven Automotive Protection will feature the Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing season and will be the first NHRA points-earning event since the racing season was halted in mid-March.

The event also will decide the final entrants for the annual JEGS Allstars competition to be held later this year. Two drivers from each of the two classes will qualify for the Allstars event.

The Summit Racing Equipment Mid West Pro Mod Association is also set to showcase Pro Mods, Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, and Jr. Dragster competing for MWPM points.

The event will be streamed on NHRA.tv, and on a Pay Per View stream on TheFoat Ticketing.

For more information, visit nhra.com.

The Weney family announced accomplished businessman and drag racer Walter Weney Jr. passed away peacefully on May 15. Weney founded S&W Performance Group in 1959 and retired as the head of the company in 2005.

S&W manufactures race car components and accessories in Spring City, Pennsylvania. Terri Gdowik, Weney’s daughter, serves as the company president today.

“My father committed himself to everything he decided to do. His true passion was drag racing and that was the driving force behind building our family business brick-by-brick,” Gdowik said. “He was always on-the-go with running S&W, traveling to the races, and managing his other commercial and residential investment properties. Our family is very proud of his accomplishments and grateful for the time we were able to spend with him at home, at work, and at the races.”

For more information, visit swracecars.com.

An electric vehicle piloted by Steve Huff has surpassed 200 mph at Tucson Dragway, breaking drag racing legend Don Garlits' record for the quickest electric vehicle in the quarter-mile, previously set at Palm Beach International Raceway with an elapsed time of 7.235 seconds at 189.04 mph.

The run clocked in with an elapsed time of 7.52 seconds at 201.07 mph.

The four-wheel electric dragster named “Current Technology” runs a purpose-built lithium polymer battery, features an e-Spec Racecars custom chassis, and makes 2400 horsepower and 2000 lb-ft of torque, according to Huff’s website. The build also features AEM Performance Electronics components, and AEM reps on hand also helped increase power by 10%, contributing to the historic run.

To watch the record-setting run, visit https://youtu.be/9bxwQeKhYXQ.

To help competitors find racing opportunities, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has compiled a list of member tracks that are open for bracket racing and a separate list of member tracks open for limited, private, or by-reservation testing. Officials reminded competitors and fans to contact the track directly to confirm the event and which specific guidelines are in place.

IHRA member tracks that are back to weekly Summit SuperSeries racing events (listed by state):

Prescott Raceway                        Arkansas

Immokalee Regional Raceway    Florida

Brainerd Motorsports Park          Georgia

State Capitol Raceway                Louisiana

Holly Springs Motorsports           Mississippi

Mo-Kan Dragway                        Missouri

Ozark Raceway Park                  Missouri

Coastal Plains Dragway             North Carolina

Kinston Dragway                        North Carolina

Darlington Dragway                   South Carolina

Pageland Dragway                    South Carolina

South Carolina Motorplex          South Carolina

Union Dragway                          South Carolina

Thunder Valley Dragways, Inc.   South Dakota

Crossville Dragway                    Tennessee

Buffalo Valley Dragway              Tennessee

Cherokee RacePark                   Tennessee

Knoxville Dragstrip                     Tennessee

Edinburg Raceway                     Texas

Evadale Raceway                      Texas

Little River Dragway                   Texas

Pine Valley Raceway                  Texas

Xtreme Raceway Park                Texas          

IHRA member tracks that are conducting private or by reservation testing:          

US 13 Dragway                         Delaware

Muncie Dragway                        Indiana

US 41 Motorplex                        Indiana

Eddyville Raceway Park              Iowa

Onawa Dragway                         Iowa

London Dragway                        Kentucky

Mid-Michigan Motorplex             Michigan

Ubly Dragstrip                             Michigan

US 131 Motorsports Park            Michigan

Fayetteville Motorsports Park      North Carolina

Dragway 42                                 Ohio

Quaker City Motorsports Park     Ohio

Keystone Raceway Park             Pennsylvania

Greer Dragway                           South Carolina

Amarillo Dragway                       Texas

Elk Creek Dragway                    Virginia

Great Lakes Dragaway              Wisconsin

For more information, visit ihra.com.

Rich Barsamian, Jack Chisenhall, John Gaines, and Joe St. Lawrence will receive the specialty-equipment industry’s highest honor as the newest members of the SEMA Hall of Fame. The four are the latest representatives of an esteemed group of industry icons who have influenced and inspired the $44.6 billion automotive specialty-equipment industry.

Rich Barsamian has been actively volunteering and helping to improve our industry since he joined the Young Executives Network (YEN) in 1995. He has helped bring many educational programs to SEMA members and worked tirelessly as an ambassador to help other SEMA members. Over the years he has earned numerous recognitions for his continued work in our industry, including SEMA Person of the Year in 2014, and exemplifies the SEMA Hall of Fame criteria with regard to professionalism, dignity, integrity, stature, and growth of the industry.

Jack Chisenhall is credited with making climate control systems accessible by founding the San Antonio company Vintage Air, and also helped create what is now the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA), among other innovations and contributions. His work made enthusiast cars more comfortable, easier to drive and that meant more miles logged behind the wheel, more money spent on modifications and more time on the road wrenching, driving, building, and enjoying these cars. It was a cultural shift and a game-changer.

John Gaines was an early pioneer in the automotive aftermarket warehouse distribution. His company, G&M Performance Parts was one of the first warehouse distributors in the country for the automotive aftermarket, and his distributorship was one of the first in the country to utilize a fleet of vehicles to distribute product direct to the local speed shops, truck accessory stores, car dealerships, machine shops, creating a much quicker and more streamlined process from manufacturer to end user. Gaines is credited with forward-thinking early on that helped many manufacturers grow to where they are today.

Joe St. Lawrence started RTM, the industry's first production company for auto how-to shows in the mid-1980s. He created PowerBlock, television’s first two-hour auto theme-block featuring how-to shows that introduced SEMA member products to million of viewers. His shows sparked parts buying on Monday, and gave DIYers the confidence to bolt-on aftermarket parts and customize their vehicles. He introduced broad audiences to cool cars and helped change the image of the backyard mechanic into a tool-wielding expert.

For additional information about the SEMA Hall of Fame, visit semahof.com.

Frankenstein Engine Dynamics (FED), based in Weatherford, Texas, has announced a partnership with Magnatron, the provider of high precision foundry tooling based in Howell, Michigan.

In addition to offering the precision products that FED and Magnatron are known for separately, the pair will collaborate and release new cylinder heads, intake manifolds, and block components.

The announcement was made by FED Owner Chris Frank, who added, “Having Cary [Chouinard of Magnatron] join the group is a dream come true. FED has collaborated with Cary in the past on various projects, but having him on the FED team is going to be a creativity and innovation game-changer.”

For more information, visit frankensteined.net and magnatronrp.com.

Dura-Bond Bearing recently announced it has named Joe Kerick as its new product development manager. Kerick is a veteran of the transmission and aftermarket replacement parts industries, who most recently was director of product management for Restoration Parts Unlimited.

Prior to that, he was a senior category manager at Transtar Industries and a senior product manager with Standard Motor Products.

Dura-Bond is the provider of powertrain parts and services, including transmission, engine and undercarriage drivetrain components. For more information, visit dura-bondbearing.com.

NASCAR announced the next installment of races in its return to racing, featuring events at Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The slate of races include events in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series and the ARCA Menards Series.

The second installment is as follows:



All the above dates will continue to be run without fans in attendance. The remainder of the adjusted schedule for all NASCAR series will be announced at a later date.

“As we prepare for our return to racing at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, the industry has been diligent in building the return-to-racing schedule,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We are eager to expand our schedule while continuing to work closely with the local governments in each of the areas we will visit. We thank the many government officials for their guidance, as we share the same goal in our return – the safety for our competitors and the communities in which we race.”

In addition, NASCAR announced the postponement of events at Kansas Speedway (May 30-31); Michigan International Speedway (June 5-7), the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio (May 30) and the Gander Trucks Series race at Texas Motor Speedway previously scheduled for June 5, as well as the cancelation of all NASCAR national series races and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Iowa Speedway for the 2020 season. The NASCAR Xfinity race at Iowa Speedway scheduled for June 13 has been realigned to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, June 14. Further Iowa Speedway realignment dates will be announced in the future. 

The NASCAR Cup Series will return to racing at Darlington Raceway this Sunday, May 17, with a 400-mile event scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, live on FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

For more information, visit nascar.com.

The inaugural Holley MoParty is set to take place September 18-20, at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Dubbed the “ultimate party for Mopar enthusiasts,” the Holley MoParty will feature several different segments, including crowning a Grand Champion, autocross competitions, drag racing classes, a dyno challenge, the 3S Challenge, an Australian style burnout contest, the Countryside Cruise, a swap meet, and more. Its special events lineup also includes Gen III Hemi engine swap seminars and a General Lee Launch by stunt driver James Smith.

The Holley MoParty is open to any vehicle with a Mopar engine. Select events, like the burnout contest, require preregistration. For more information, visit moparty.com.