Lincoln County Raceway, the dirt track located in North Platte, Nebraska, has signed a contract with David and Penny Craft to take over promotional duties for the 2020 season and beyond.

As of now, the track is scheduled to open with a test and tune on April 18 and feature on April 19, although officials closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation.

"Dave and I would like to thank everyone for the kind words and the support you have already shown to us. We are very excited to be a part of your racing community and cannot wait to meet you all at Test & Tune on April 18 with the first green flag to drop on April 19," Penny Craft said in a written statement.

For more information, visit lincofair.com/lincoln-county-raceway and the Lincoln County Raceway social media channels.

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (Thompson, Connecticut) and Save The Purse jointly announced a new Late Model Mid-Summer Challenge, which will include three, 50-lap feature races for NASCAR weekly racers.

The races are scheduled to take place as part of the three standalone NASCAR Weekly Racing Series events scheduled for June 3, July 8, and August 5.

Each race will pay $2,000 to the winner, $1,000 for second, and $750 for third. A full purse will be distributed to the top 25 competitors, thanks in part to Save The Purse. During the offseason, a group of competitors, including crew member Brad Martel, formed the organization, which is aimed at funding additional purse money through sponsorships. 

“Watching a group of racers come together and come up with funds to increase the purse is something special, and we are happy to work with them,” General Manager of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Terry Eames said. “We’re looking forward to watching competitors race for this extra purse money while running some extra laps. Fans won’t want to miss these special events.”  

Thompson Speedway also runs in the Late Model program under American Canadian Tour rules, and in 2020, will also be part of the New England Late Model Challenge Cup.

In addition, Thompson officials have been updated the 2020 schedule in response to the situation surrounding COVID-19. Currently, the 46th annual Icebreaker presented by Liquid Death is tentatively scheduled for May 15-16. A full schedule of postponed events will be released at a later date.

For more information, visit thompsonspeedway.com or Thompson Speedway’s social media channels.

Photo courtesy of Thompson Speedway, Twitter

The Ricmotech Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires iRacing eSeries kicks off a five-race schedule at 1:04 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 28. The competition supplements the debut of the six-race INDYCAR iRacing Challenge, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST the same day.

The Road to Indy events are scheduled to last 45 minutes, with a 15-minute qualifying race prior to the green flag.

The five rounds are headlined by Ricmotech Racing Simulators—the provider of high-performance sim racing equipment—and administered by Xtrememotorsports. The series, which will be run at road courses throughout the nation, opens at Barber Motorsports Park. Each subsequent Saturday will feature the Circuit of The Americas, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit), Road America, and finally the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

A total of 30 Road to Indy drivers will compete. Commentary will be handled by the Official Voice of the Road to Indy, Rob Howden.

Fans can follow the action on several platforms, including the Road to Indy TV website and App, ApexRacingTV’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, the iRacing eSports Network and the series’ respective Facebook platforms. In addition, live coverage will be carried by MAVTV Canada.

For more information, visit usf2000.com/about/road-to-indy.

SEMA has created a new webpage at sema.org/coronavirus to help businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The site includes details and information about how each state defines “essential” businesses, SBA (Small Business Administration) emergency loans, paid sick and family leave, unemployment benefits and more. The SEMA COVID-19 resource page is designed to help industry members develop an ideal plan for their business' unique needs. As developments unfold, the SEMA staff will continue to monitor and collect information and provide updates to the site.

“These are times of unprecedented challenge, but all of us on the SEMA team—the staff and volunteers—recognize that it is at times like these that the power of a collective—your association—can be most beneficial. I’m optimistic that by working together, we will persevere and thrive,” SEMA President & CEO Chris Kersting said in a written statement.

Those with questions are encouraged to contact members@sema.org.

For more information, visit sema.org/coronavirus.

The 2020 AMSOIL USAC iRacing Challenge presented by NOS Energy Drink will feature the racers of USAC Racing virtually competing against one another with iRacing simulation. The challenge begins April 2, with weekly races each Thursday night through April 23. The event will be broadcast live on FloRacing.com at 9 p.m. EST.

The USAC iRacing Challenge will consist of a total of five races through four events, including two USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and three USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship events. The schedule is below.

The event purse will feature a $500 winner’s share, $300 for second, and $100 for third, thanks to series sponsors TOPP Motorsports, Hayward Motorsports, Petry Motorsports, and Baldwin Brothers Racing.

April 2: Kokomo Speedway (Midgets)
April 9: Knoxville Raceway (Sprints)
April 16: Williams Grove Speedway (Sprints)
April 23: Eldora Speedway (Sprints & Midgets)

For more information, visit usacracing.com or USAC’s social media channels.

The following candidates are vying for a seat on the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Board of Directors:

Distributors/Retailers (one open seat):
John Evankovich – Director, Sam’s Club
Ted Wentz III – CEO, Quadratec, Inc.

Voting will take place online between May 12 and May 26, and is open to current SEMA-member companies. Votes must be cast by each company’s primary contact. Details on the upcoming election will be sent by SEMA to the member company’s designated primary contact beginning April 30.

The winner will be announced by May 29, and formally inducted into the SEMA Board of Directors at the SEMA Installation Gala on July 24, 2020.

For more information, visit sema.org.
 

Custom Automotive Network (CAN) announced the immediate appointment of Michael Stickney to the CAN Board of Directors. Stickney is currently the Chief Sales Officer for SuperSprings International, Inc., located in Carpinteria, California.

According to a company press release, CAN’s Chairman of the Board Scott Wahlstrom announced the appointment after Denise Waddingham submitted her resignation from the Board of Directors to pursue a new position with SEMA as senior council manager.

Stickney will serve the remainder of Waddingham’s’ manufacturer term through the end of 2020. Stickney has served the automotive aftermarket for 29 years with multiple industry organizations including Westin Automotive, Chrysler, Michelin, MagnaFlow Exhaust, and Pro Comp Suspension. He previously served on CAN's Board of Directors as a manufacturer director in 2019 and as a truck manufacturer liaison.
 
"Since joining the CAN Board of Directors last year, Denise has made impactful contributions to the association. I would like to sincerely thank her for her service and wish her the very best. In addition, we are excited to welcome Michael Stickney back. He is very familiar with CAN's mission and has always been a valuable asset to the board,” CAN’s Tracie Nunez said.

For more information, visit customautomotivenetwork.com.

NHRA officials have announced revisions to the 2020 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The series is tentatively planned to resume June 5-7, with the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway (Gainesville, Florida). The season will conclude with the crowning of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series champions November 13-15, at the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway (Pomona, California).

The revised schedule will consist of 19 total events, with 17 of those events being contested when the series resumes in June. Six of these events will be condensed to two-day competition schedules for the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series classes due to economic and logistical factors. As a result, points will not be reset after the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway (Brownsburg, Indiana). NHRA has held two make-up dates on the calendar in case there are further delays.  

Tentative schedule announcements for the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series, Mickey Thompson Tires NHRA Top Fuel Harley Series and Samtech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown Series will be announced at a later date. All NHRA-sanctioned drag racing series competition is still suspended until further notice.

For the latest information, visit nhra.com or NHRA's FAQs webpage, here.

Image courtesy of NHRA

Champion Brands, LLC has increased its capacity of private label opportunities for aftermarket motor oils, lubricants, additives, and chemicals.

For over 64 years, Champion Brands, an ISO 9001:2015 manufacturer, has blended and packaged motor oils, gear lubes, brake fluids, power steering fluids, fuel additives, transmission fluids, greases, and many other specialty automotive chemicals.

Champion operates a fully-functioning, on-site quality control lab where employees can work with customers on method development or unique quality test requirements. Some of the test methods and equipment available include Density by Digital Density Meter, Kinematic Viscosity, Low-Temperature Viscosity by Brookfield Viscometer, Cold-Cranking Viscosity of Engine Oils, Elemental Analysis by EDXRF, ATR and fixed-path FT-IR Spectrometry, Demulsibility of Lubricants, Foaming Tendency of Lubricants, Water by Karl Fischer Titration, pH of Glycols and Brake Fluids, Reflux Boiling Point of Automotive Brake Fluids and Glycols, and Other Brake Fluids Tests as Defined in FMVSS 116.

Champion's processes range from approving raw production and packaging materials to final inspections of packaged goods.

Champion is also a member of the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association (ILMA) and a supporter of the ILMA Code of Ethics, which works to ensure manufacturers produce products that meet today’s exacting specifications. Champion is also a licensee for the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System, and hold numerous industry and OEM approvals. 

Champion also actively participates in Missouri’s stakeholder processes for Missouri Weights and Measures Petroleum Quality Program, working to keep inferior-quality products and products with misleading labels off the market.

For more information, visit championbrands.com.