Steve Reintjes, who has served as NHRA’s Coordinating Producer for the past two years, has been promoted to the role of Vice President of Broadcasting.

In his new role, Reintjes will continue to oversee the NHRA’s production of all NHRA on Fox television broadcasts, as well as content created at the NHRA Wally Parks Studio, displayed at NHRA events and streamed online via NHRA.TV.
 


Reintjes has an extensive background in live broadcasting with over 19 years of experience in network television. He has produced over 500 live events covering 11 sports, including major college football bowl games, multiple FCS college football national championship games and NCAA national championship games in men’s and women’s soccer. He has produced the last two years of all NHRA on Fox television broadcasts.

“We are thrilled to have Steve continue his journey with NHRA and are confident that he will serve the organization well in his new role,” said Glen Cromwell, NHRA president. “He brings a wealth of production knowledge to our team and his passion for the sport of drag racing is evident in the content he’s produced.”

For more, visit nhra.com.

Our partners with the SEMA Action Network (SAN) recently shared the following announcement. Please review and take action now by visiting sema.org/rpm and urging your members of Congress to support this important bill...

SEMA President & CEO Chris Kersting has commended U.S. Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) for introducing H.R. 5434, the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019 (RPM Act). 

The RPM Act of 2019 includes five other original sponsors: Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Bill Posey (R-FL), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), and Michael Burgess (R-TX).  

This bipartisan bill protects Americans’ right to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars and the motorsports parts industry’s ability to sell products that enable racers to compete.  

The RPM Act reverses the EPA’s interpretation that the Clean Air Act does not allow a motor vehicle designed for street use—including a car, truck, or motorcycle—to be converted into a dedicated race car. This American tradition was unquestioned for nearly 50 years until 2015, when the EPA took the position that converted vehicles must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are no longer driven on public streets or highways.  

“SEMA looks forward to working with Congress to enact the RPM Act and make permanent the Clean Air Act’s original intention that race vehicle conversions are legal,” said Kersting. “We thank Representatives McHenry and Ruiz for introducing a bipartisan bill that will protect racing and the businesses that produce, install, and sell the parts that enable racers to compete."

The RPM Act is well positioned to become law in 2020. The bill cleared several major legislative hurdles in the previous Congress, including passage by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and hearings in the House and Senate.

"I am proud to help protect our nation’s automotive heritage and ensure motorsports enthusiasts across the country can continue the time-honored tradition of modifying stock vehicles for competitive racing,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry.

H.R. 5434 is the House counterpart to the Senate’s version of the bill, S. 2602, which was introduced by Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) and currently has 28 bipartisan cosponsors.  

“Racing has always been close to my heart from the countless hours I spent with my father at the track,” said Rep. Raul Ruiz. “I am glad to support car owners and race enthusiasts around the country in their passion for racing, working on cars, and sharing moments with their sons and daughters under the hood.”

Motorsports competition involves tens of thousands of participants and vehicle owners each year, both amateur and professional. Retail sales of racing products make up a nearly $2 billion market annually. Most of the vehicles raced on the estimated 1,300 racetracks operating across the U.S. are converted vehicles that the EPA considers to be illegal.

It is important that members of Congress hear from the racing and automotive enthusiast communities about the importance of passing the RPM Act into law in 2020. To write a letter to your members of Congress, visit sema.org/rpm.

Pat Musi Racing Engines announced the addition of experienced engine builder Paul Hoskins.

Hoskins brings a wealth of drag racing and engine building knowledge to the company. Hoskins previously worked with four NHRA Pro Stock championship teams, including most recently as the lead engine builder with Tanner Gray and Gray Motorsports.

Prior, Hoskins held positions with Pro Stock veteran Mike Edwards, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Jim Yates, and Dart Machinery.

“I’m very excited to be doing something with Pat,” Hoskins said. “Pro Mod and Pro Nitrous have always been a passion of mine. I think there are a lot of things from the naturally aspirated cars that will apply to the Pro Mod world. It’s a steep learning curve, but it’s going to be interesting to work with the big engines and the Pro Nitrous cars.”

“Paul is obviously a top-level engine guy with a bunch of great experience in the sport, and we’re really happy to have him on our team,” Musi said. “Just seeing his knowledge and passion for the sport, I know he’s going to jump right in and help us continue to set the bar even higher for our customers. Everyone from the sportsman-level person all the way to the Pro Nitrous driver is going to benefit from having Paul as part of our group.”

For more information, visit musiracing.com.

IMCA will crown its first junior national champion in 2020, as drivers between the ages of 13 and 18 in all eight IMCA divisions are now able to compete for the title, with point standings to be based on the best 20 finishes in their first 40 starts.

The junior national champion will be given the same accolades as national champions during the IMCA awards banquet in November. The junior champion will also receive a trophy, ring, and jacket. Each of the top 10 drivers in the point standings will also receive $500 scholarships, applicable toward post-high school education.

Scholarship funds will be paid when drivers register for their first year of higher education. For some junior drivers, individual scholarship funds may accumulate over multiple seasons and be paid out at one time.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do for a while. This is a good time to get the junior national champion and scholarship fund established,” IMCA President Brett Root said. “It’s our way of helping build the sport and rewarding the participation of our youngest competitors.

“They’ll be able to race for their own national championship and earn money to help pay for their post-secondary education,” he added. “Scholarships will not be based on a certain program or field of study. We see so many different occupations represented by our current membership that we don’t want to place any limits on scholarship recipients.”

To be eligible for the junior national championship, drivers must turn 14 by Aug. 31 and must not turn 19 before May 31. No points will be awarded to non-IMCA members or to any driver that has not submitted a correct minor release form. Points will also not be awarded retroactively.

More details will be announced at a later date.

For more information, visit imca.com.

Officials from the North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA) has released details for its 14th annual NC Motorsports Industry Award Ceremony presented by Fifth Third Bank.

The event—set for January 28 at Embassy Suites Concord Convention Center Ballroom in Concord, North Carolina—will honor the life and career of renowned engine builder and NASCAR Cup championship car owner Robert Yates. Yates will be posthumously awarded the Achievement in Motorsports Tribute Award, and the Yates family will be on hand to accept the award.

Performance Racing Network's Doug Rice will be presented with the Jim Hunter Memorial Media Award. 

In addition, the event will also honor additional companies and entities that had a positive impact on motorsports.

Tickets are available for the event, ranging from premium sponsor tables to single-member and non-member tickets. For more information, visit northcarolinamotorsportsassociation.org.

In recently held elections, the SFI Board of Directors named Jennifer Faye as President of the Foundation. Faye holds over 24 years of experience at the Foundation, her last six serving as Vice President.

Faye will continue to oversee the business operations, administration, laboratory testing, and technical departments of SFI. Faye replaces Arnie Kuhns, who remains with the company and on the Board as Chief Executive Officer.

“SFI has a long history of serving the motorsports community for the betterment of safety and I’m excited to be in a position to lead the next generation of SFI while honoring past traditions,” Faye said. “Arnie has been a great mentor and role model, and I am honored to continue the important work that SFI does for the racing industry. We have a talented team of people at SFI, with each one of them contributing to our success in fulfilling our mission. I’m proud to be a part of that team.”

“It is with a great deal of pride that we announce Jennifer Faye as the new President of SFI. She has a great deal of experience with us and has proven to have intelligence, dedication, and knowledge to take SFI to the next level. We know the industry will benefit from her efforts,” Kuhns said.

The SFI Foundation, Inc. (SFI) is a non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for the quality assurance of specialty performance and racing parts and equipment. SFI also provides technical inspector certification and incident response training services to its member sanctioning bodies. SFI’s programs are utilized worldwide in all racing disciplines. The SFI Foundation has served the automotive aftermarket and the motorsports industry since 1978.

For more information, visit sfifoundation.com.

Meyer Distributing, Inc, one of the leaders in automotive specialty products marketing and distribution, announced the addition of its new Portland, Maine location. The cross-dock will have a direct, next-day feed from Meyer's East Hanover, New Jersey distribution hub, which houses one of the largest inventories of automotive accessories, exhaust, and RV parts in the region.

“From Oregon to Florida and California to Maine, we’ve got it covered,” Meyer Distributing and Meyer Logistics CEO Jeff Braun said. “We are also now delivering into the Ontario province of Canada and will be in many more provinces in 2020, so stay tuned. We look forward to giving customers more options and more choice and with one of the few family-owned businesses left.”

Meyer Distributing provides automotive specialty products marketing and distribution. Meyer serves thousands of customers nationwide via its Meyer Logistics direct ship and numerous warehousing facilities.

For more information, visit meyerdistributing.com.

Paramount Data Management (PDM) Automotive has announced the addition of Laurel Dasher as its new Vice President, Sales & Marketing. In this new role, Dasher will lead the company’s sales and marketing efforts.

Dasher is a 20-plus year veteran of the automotive aftermarket, holding various sales and marketing roles with MagnaFlow, Superchips/Edge Products, MSD Ignition, and B&M Automotive. She has a long history of volunteering with SEMA including, serving two terms on the SEMA Board of Directors as well as serving as the Chair of the Young Executive Network (YEN). Dasher also received the 2009 SEMA Businesswomen’s Network Person of the Year and the 2005 YEN Person of the Year.

“We could not be more excited to have Laurel join the PDM Automotive team and help to transcend the importance and awareness of solid data management technology in the automotive industry,” PDM Automotive Founder Johannes Crepon said.

PDM provides a technology platform for automotive parts from the creation of, distribution of, and receiving of high-quality product data. PDM is technology-focused with unique features, such as the first real-time data exchange between manufacturers and their data receivers, according to a company release.

For more information, visit pdm-automotive.com.

As part of Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) commitment to increase engagement and support for the racing industry, the organization has launched a search for two executive positions, including the new position of President to be based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
With a focus on building, promoting and protecting the motorsports industry, PRI’s President will oversee the strategic vision, leadership and executive management of all PRI initiatives. Based in Indianapolis, what many consider to be the center of the racing industry, the President will work closely with racing-related businesses, as well as individual racers, race teams, racing facilities, sanctioning bodies, and parts suppliers to develop programs and services to benefit the motorsports community.
 
In addition to the President in Indianapolis, PRI will hire a General Manager in Southern California who will be responsible for the daily operations of PRI’s Trade Show, Magazine and online media content. Bill Miller, the current General Manager, will continue to support the PRI team while focusing on his responsibilities as Senior Vice President of Operations for SEMA, which has owned and operated Performance Racing Industry since 2012.
 
“Having dedicated executives leading PRI will ensure that the needs of racing-related businesses and racers are met,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO. “The motorsports industry is a unique community filled with passion, innovation and enthusiasm. We’re looking for individuals who share that passion as PRI looks to enhance the resources and programs for the industry.”
 
Successful candidates will have proven leadership skills and a strong work ethic, and be motivated to serve the motorsports industry. Additional skills and requirements, as well as complete job descriptions, can be found at performanceracing.com/candidates. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply online.

Team Fluidampr from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center won the overall Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge 2019 Dual National Championship, which culminated at the 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The team of five high school students, which was led by instructor Jim LaFevers, finished disassembling and reassembling a small-block Chevrolet engine with an average time of 16 minutes and 44 seconds.

Second place went to Team Kunzman & Associates from Burton Center for Arts and Technology in Virginia, who finished with a time of 19 minutes and 3 seconds. Following closely behind was Team NASCAR Tech from Elkhart Area Career Center in Indiana, with a time of 19 minutes and 4 seconds.

Winning teams receive scholarship opportunities to various technical schools, including Ohio Technical College, School of Automotive Machinists & Technology and Universal Technical Institute.

For more information and a photo gallery, visit hotroddersoftomorrow.com.