It's no stretch to say that Jamie Little is a leader in motorsports broadcasting. Her resumé is full of firsts and only's: the first woman to call play-by-play for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the only woman to be a play-by-play announcer for the NASCAR Cup Series. She was the first woman to cover the Indianapolis 500 as a pit reporter, and the first woman to cover both the Daytona 500 and Indy 500. She also has firsts in Supercross, X Games, and MotoGP. Outside of motorsports, she has broadcasting experience in the Westminster Kennel Club's dog show and the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Little keeps up a full schedule with Fox Sports, and she is also a tireless advocate for pet rescue. Her activities on behalf of shelter animals have raised more than $130,000 in donations for various animal welfare organizations. Today, she lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and two children.

PRI: Tell us a bit about your background. How did you get into motorsports broadcasting?

Little: I think I'm pretty lucky, and it's kind of a unique way that I found it, but it's true. I found broadcasting through my passion for racing. I was 15 years old, growing up in Las Vegas, raised by a single mom and an only child, so I didn't have a dad who raced or brothers who raced or anything. But I met these guys who raced dirt bikes, and I loved to hang out with the guys with dirt bikes and quads. These guys introduced me to Supercross, and of course in Las Vegas, in the desert, that was the only sport that we really had. As time went on and I learned more about Supercross, I was that weirdo who would bring Dirt Rider magazine to school.

Over time I realized, 'Well, why can't I be the one interviewing these guys?' I would watch Supercross and Motocross on TV every weekend, and I wanted to be that person. So I found a guy with an ESPN microphone at an event and I said, 'Hey, I really want to do this. I want to give it a shot. What do I need to do?' He was a freelance cameraman for RPM Tonight for ESPN2 at the time.

Long story short, I started going to local races with him, moved to San Diego, and got my degree at San Diego State University. I went to school for journalism Monday through Friday, and then I would get on a plane and cover Supercross. I was paying my dues doing the interviews on ESPN2. I became the live announcer, and I did that for four years. I would travel with the Supercross series, and then from there ESPN got to know who I was, and the rest was history. My boss took me into IndyCar racing in 2004 and then took me to NASCAR in 2007. I was with ESPN and ABC through 2014 and then started with Fox in 2015.

PRI: Is there anything you've learned working in motorsports that you apply to other areas of life?

Little: The main thing is that if you have a vision for yourself and there's something that you want, you have to ask for it. You have to go for it. A perfect example of that is in 2006, I was covering the whole IndyCar series. Rusty Wallace was a fellow broadcaster because he had signed with ABC and ESPN to do NASCAR, but they wanted him to cut his chops and get used to broadcasting in IndyCar. I remember we were at the last race of the season, and he said, 'All right, Jamie, you're coming over to NASCAR with us.'

I said, 'No, Rusty, I want to get there, but everybody wants to do it, and everybody's calling the bosses, and I just don't want to be that person. If they want me, they'll call me.'

He said, 'Jamie, let me tell you something. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.' I took it to heart, and literally it was a month later that I went up to the bosses and I just said, 'Hey, you guys probably already have your schedule and your plans with all your broadcasters, but I just want you to know that I really want to be part of the NASCAR team.' And I got it. Throughout my whole career, I've always gone for what I wanted. I believed in myself. And I think that applies to life. You can't be scared to ask for and go for what you want because if you don't, you'll never know what you could make of it. That's the best piece of advice that I could give other people.

PRI: Do you see your career as breaking down barriers and smoothing the way for other women to come along behind you, or are you just doing your thing?

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Once you download the Zinio mobile app or are logged into Zinio on a desktop browser, you will gain immediate access to more than a year's worth of content, including "Industry Insights: Jamie Little" here and additional coverage in the January/February 2026 issue here.

Between the cylinder heads and the engine block is a critical component: the head gasket. Its purpose is significant as it preserves combustion seal, prevents blow-by into the water jackets, and must endure extreme cylinder pressure, rapid thermal cycling, rotational forces, and clamping loads measured in thousands of foot-pounds. In high-performance applications, the gasket must maintain that seal as engine components work together.

Engineering Gaskets

Head gaskets are fundamental to maintaining compression. Their use in motorsports reflects the high-powered demands of competition and leads to development by several manufacturers that rely on their involvement with racing partnerships.

"Depending on the takeaways, implementing our key learnings can lead to fine-tuning what the partnership may look like during conversations" with race teams, said Matt Klug of Cometic Gasket, Concord, Ohio. "Specific deliverables can be modified to meet the needs of those learnings."

Cometic Gasket works directly with teams such as Richard Childress Racing, Cruz Pedregon Racing, and Tony Stewart Racing, as well as ECR Engines, among others. These partnerships provide opportunities for intensive product development.

"Cometic is fully committed to serving the needs of teams, series, and individuals who need custom parts," Klug said. "There are myriad instances where those key learnings lead to how we develop products for individuals or entities who depend on Cometic."

That development includes using various materials depending on application needs, supported by in-house dynamometers and assembly rooms.

Dynamometer testing provides a repeatably controlled stress environment to gauge the behavior of Cometic's gaskets under peak cylinder pressures, heat loads, rapid throttle inputs, and sustained wide-open throttle (WOT) durations.

Engineers examine for diagnostic indicators during the disassembly phase. Localized analysis inspects for uneven crush points, heat distress, leakage, and blow-by trails to determine the head gasket's performance.

Multi-layer steel (MLS) head gaskets are sensitive to dust and metal shavings and rely on clean assembly rooms to reduce the odds of contamination. Stable climate control allows for coatings to be applied and cured safely. Any inconsistencies may lead to critical failure points for the end-user. A clean room drastically reduces the odds of product failure.

Cometic Gaskets has developed MLS  and Aramid fiber gaskets tailored to end users. Aramid fibers, similar to Kevlar, reinforce gasket materials to withstand high temperatures, chemical exposure, and extreme loads. These gaskets are typically used for valve covers, oil pans, and timing covers.

As a result of working with teams in drag racing and endurance racing, SCE Gaskets in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, developed its Vulcan Cut-Ring head gaskets to support hyper-boosted, high-static compression, and liquid-cooled competition engines. In drag racing, the gasket must withstand nitrous or extreme boost during short, high-stress runs. Endurance applications require a different approach for engines operating under sustained loads, so these gaskets must endure rapid load changes that cause rpm spikes.

"The Vulcan Cut-Ring gasket features a composite body with a steel core and a stainless-steel ring machined with micro grooves," explained Jim Devitt. "When the head's torqued down, the rings bite into the underside of the head and help seal combustion." The design serves as a hybrid between MLS and copper gaskets, integrating an O-ring-style setup.

Vulcan Cut-Ring gaskets use a polymer coating that reduces friction between the gasket and sealing surfaces and can be applied across multiple disciplines.

"We do everything from copper to composites," added Devitt about the company's gaskets. "We want to help out the grassroots racer. We want to help the guy who's out there every week."

Feedback from racers drives much of SCE's product development. "It all goes back to the grassroots. That's a majority of where racing is in this country." The feedback from customers often determines new products for development.

To read the full article, plus hundreds of other articles like it, for free, sign up for a digital subscription to PRI Magazine on Zinio here.   

Once you download the Zinio mobile app or are logged into Zinio on a desktop browser, you will gain immediate access to more than a year's worth of content, including "Under Pressure: Exploring Head Gasket Technology" here and additional coverage in the January/February 2026 issue here.

Garrett Mitchell, also known as his internet persona Cleetus McFarland, will attempt to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut with Niece Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway, the team announced Thursday.

McFarland would pilot the No. 4 Chevrolet in the Fresh from Florida 250 on February 13 in his inaugural NASCAR national series start, provided he is cleared by NASCAR following a scheduled test at Rockingham Speedway.

McFarland, 30, made four ARCA Menards Series starts last year in his first foray into professional stock-car racing. McFarland raced at both Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway in addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a career-best finish of ninth at Charlotte.

A native of Bradenton, Florida, Mitchell grew a close connection to the late NASCAR great Greg Biffle in recent years. Biffle served as an advisor for McFarland's ARCA debut at Daytona one year ago. In the wake of a tragic Dec. 18 plane crash that took the lives of Biffle and his family, Mitchell spoke at Biffle's gathering of remembrance and emphasized the motto to "Be Like Biff."

Among his teammates will be 2023 Daytona 500 champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 45 J.F. Electric Chevrolet in his series debut, as well X-Games star, motorsports icon and 2024 PRI Show Grand Opening Breakfast speaker Travis Pastrana, who will drive Niece's No. 42 Brunt Workwear Chevrolet.

For more information, visit nascar.com.

Strange Engineering has officially signed on as the title-rights sponsor for the 2026 Lil' Gangstas event series, according to published reports.

The Lil' Gangstas series, co-founded by Michael Poland and Tom "Jimmy Dale" Gunner, is a grassroots drag-racing class for door cars based on authenticity, accessibility and community, according to the organizers.

The partnership was finalized at the 2025 PRI Show in Indianapolis.

For more information, visit polandracing.com or jimmydaleracing.com.

The Small Tire Pro Stock drag racing series has welcomed Cleona, Pennsylvania-based G-Force Racing Transmissions as a sponsor for the 2026 season.

Owned and operated by Leonard Long, a multi-time NMCA Dart NA 10.5 champion and Small Tire Pro Stock racer, and his son Michael Long, the company offers manual transmissions for a variety of cars and combinations, including the GF2000 five-speed and G101A four-speed, as well as accessories to optimize their performance.

"As a racer myself, I always want to see racing series succeed, and I have a special connection to the Small Tire Pro Stock series since I have raced with many of these racers for a very long time," said Long, who also competes in Pro Stick and other series. "I want to see Small Tire Pro Stock succeed for years to come, and I am happy to be part of it."

For information about G-Force Racing Transmissions, visit getgforceparts.com.

NASCAR and FloSports announced an expanded slate of racing events that will bring FloRacing coverage throughout the 2026 season to the NASCAR Channel.

The schedule of simulcasted events includes races from World Series of Asphalt, ARCA Menards Series East and West, High Limit Racing, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, American Flat Track, Virginia Triple Crown, Fall Brawl at Hickory and the Snowball Derby.

The majority of the simulcasts will be produced by FloRacing and feature its broadcast teams. It is the latest distribution agreement by FloSports aimed at broadening the reach of its coverage and exposing new fans to its portfolio of grassroots racing events. It follows the launch of the FloRacing 24/7 FAST channel on Amazon Prime Video, Fubo, and YouTube, alongside a recent agreement with FS1 to bring select High Limit Racing events across its channel this season.

The NASCAR Channel provides 24/7 programming and content to fans for free, including classic races, delayed broadcasts of the current season, select live events, NASCAR Studios original content, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's The Morning Drive. The NASCAR Channel is available The Roku Channel, Xumo Play, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus and Prime Video. No subscription or registration is required.

For more information, visit nascar.com.

See the full schedule of simulcasted events below:

Graphic courtesy of NASCAR

Continuing the World Racing Group's efforts to improve safety in motorsports, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based sanctioning body will expand upon its use of incident data recorders (IDR) with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

The IDRs, developed by the FIA and already utilized by groups like NASCAR and IMSA, will be installed on World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series teams' cars for the entire season, starting at Volusia Speedway Park's Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Last year, the device was tested on 30 cars in the last 13 races of the season.

The small, lightweight device records crash accelerations when a predetermined impact threshold is reached.

To help study and analyze the data collected from each event, World Racing Group is leveraging support and experience from NASCAR, which has utilized the same device across all of its series for several years.

With the help of NASCAR's engineers and the technology, "the sky is the limit" for the potential of what could be learned, according to World Racing Group Fleet and Safety Manager Tom Devitt.

"With the help of John Patalak, vice president of safety engineering at NASCAR and his team, if we have video, we can match the video to the graph of data collected from the device," Devitt said. "I've seen some of the studies they do on other stuff, and it's really, really intensive what they do, as far as what they've done for NASCAR. There's probably stuff in there that we don't know we're going to learn."

Patalak has a doctorate in biomedical engineering and has worked with NASCAR for over 20 years. He echoed Devitt's sentiment about the unknowns of what could be learned but highlighted that the data will open the door for a variety of possibilities.

"The data recorder isn't going to change anything that is happening in that particular crash; it simply records it," Patalak said. "But that's where the safety evolution can begin. You can go back and study it and learn from it. As you're measuring things, you can learn how to improve them, and you'll know quickly whether or not it is improving. Not just by trial and error or by putting things in the race car and seeing how they crash, but by using different engineering tools or test fixtures. We have all sorts of tests we can do that mimic the data that is coming out of the car. For instance, we can use a crash test dummy and run tests to see if a different seatbelt or mounting angle, or different foam in the seat, could reduce the loads on the driver. We know with confidence what the loads are that we put into the car because we measure them with the data recorder. I think the more data you get, the more powerful it becomes. The more data you capture, the more confident you are in what the data is telling you."

Having the device on a multitude of cars will not only help speed up the process of collecting data, but help with the study of how crashes affect different drivers. Patalak stated how age, stature, weight, pre-existing conditions, bone density and general health are all factors that play into a driver's tolerance to acceleration and play into the study of the data.

So, while studying the data, there will not be a number where a line can be drawn that says things are either good under it or bad above it. A plethora of factors will have to be accounted for in every case study.

"The benefits to the drivers and safety in motorsports is when you collect enough of that data to start to see trends and do some statistics and understand the direction of the crash, the severity of the crash," Patalak said. "The severity can be talked about in the change in velocity, it can be talked about in peak acceleration or the Gs. There are lots of different ways to look at that data and see how it correlates to what the drivers are experiencing in the car when they undergo that crash."

Along with being able to provide the data to the teams, Devitt hopes to utilize the data to help improve safety across the sport, such as with seats, mounts, facilities and more. The data collected from the 13 races last year have already put those conversations in motion. And while the device will currently only be used with Sprint Car teams, Devitt said the goal is to eventually have it on every car across the organization, including Late Models, Modifieds, etc.

"We wanted to start small with one series, so we can refine it, and then when we do go to the other series, we'll have a process," he said. "The more consistent we are with that, the better we can read the data and comprehend it.

"Of course, we don't want to see anybody crash, but it is inevitable; it happens. If we can learn from it and make it better, maybe we can prevent an injury in the future."

For more information, visit worldofoutlaws.com.

Image courtesy of World Racing Group | Dave Olson

Porsche Motorsport North America is venturing into the world of sim racing starting in 2026 with the newly announced Porsche Esports Carrera Cup North America.

The six-race championship will mirror Porsche Carrera Cup North America races in the analog world. The championship, open to sim racers from the United States, Canada and Mexico, will use the new Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2) on the iRacing platform.

The championship that begins with qualifying rounds at Road America and Sebring International Raceway, February 18 through 25. The top 40 drivers based on aggregate times will be selected for the inaugural season, conducted through the iRacing Time Attack platform. For all drivers interested, information will be provided on the official Porsche Esports Carrera Cup North America Discord here.

Following the qualifying rounds, the series opens at Sebring International Raceway, followed by the new-to-iRacing Miami International Autodrome. Rounds three and four take place at Watkins Glen International and Road America before the season concludes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Each driver will compete using the default iRacing setup of the Type 992.2 Porsche 911 Cup car. The Type 992.2 Porsche 911 Cup makes its debut this season in North America, and both the digital and analogue versions feature a streamlined experience prioritizing improved aerodynamics and simplified operation behind the wheel. It continues to boast a naturally aspirated, 4.0-liter flat-six engine, featuring components from the road-going Porsche 911 GT3 but still producing 512 hp.

Each event will feature a 60-minute practice session, followed by a 15-minute qualifying and, just like Porsche Carrera Cup North America, a 40-minute sprint race. Porsche Esports Carrera Cup North America will feature live and post-race stewarding, complete with a pre-race drivers briefing.

For more information, visit racing.porsche.com.

RCR Enterprises, LLC, the parent company of Richard Childress Racing, ECR Engines, RCR Manufacturing Solutions (RCRMS), CT Spring Company (CT) and others, announced this week several key leadership appointments designed to promote strategic development and emerging opportunities inside and outside of motorsports.

Each RCR Enterprises operating company is now represented by a business president, with Bob Fisher leading ECR Engines, Mike Brown taking the helm of RCRMS and Jim Suth overseeing CT.

All three business presidents report to RCR Enterprises president Mike Verlander and RCR Enterprises chairman and CEO, Richard Childress.

Fisher will lead day-to-day operations of the high-performance combustion engine research, development and production company.

As president of RCRMS, Brown and his team develop and implement business strategies and opportunities for the RCR manufacturing business, including development of the company's precision machining business

Suth, president of CT Spring Company, oversees the production of high-performance valve springs within the motor sports ecosystem, as well as for other high-performance applications. CT springs are used in Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR engines, General Motors engines competing in IMSA and other forms of road racing, as well as various grassroots sprint car, late model, and modified engines.

For more information, visit rcrracing.com.

Intercomp Racing, the Minnesota-based provider of measurement solutions and wireless scale systems for all forms of motorsports, has extended its partnership with the ARCA Menards Series through the 2028 Season. The agreement continues Intercomp's role as the Official Scale Supplier of ARCA.

Intercomp has sponsored the series for more than 30 years and is committed to supporting the ARCA Menards officials and teams it has worked closely with over the long-term agreement, company representatives said. The ongoing partnership utilizes Intercomp RFX Microflex Wireless Billet Scales, which are used exclusively by ARCA Tech Officials for race-day inspection, along with Intercomp Digital Air Pressure Gauges for tire inspection. Intercomp also offers the teams end-of-season contingency awards, including the East and West Series and its scales and chassis set-up equipment are used by the majority of ARCA Teams in competition.

"Our officials and teams rely on Intercomp products every step of the way and know every time they go across the scales, either in the inspection bay, in the garage area or in the race shop, it's going to be accurate. We're thrilled to continue what's been a very solid and long-lasting relationship into the future," said ARCA President Ron Drager.

"We are honored to work with ARCA and their officials, as well as the teams and racers that put so much into this sport. The ARCA staff and teams are like family to us, and we thank them for their business and friendship," said Aaron Van Heel, Intercomp GM of Marketing. "Motorsports is one of the core industries that Intercomp was built on, and ARCA and their teams have been there with us for [more than] 30 Seasons. We are excited for the 2026 season with our entire racing family in all forms of motorsports."

For more information, visit intercompracing.com.