Friday was another day of breaking motorsports news at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, with topics ranging from mergers and new products to the heritage of yesteryear and leaders of tomorrow. Here are some highlights:

* OMP Racing, a leading motorsports safety equipment company with over 2,000 products, has acquired control of the majority shares in Bell Racing Helmets Group to create a motorsports safety equipment industry giant. The new group will keep the worldwide presence of both brands with their respective facilities: OMP’s R&D and manufacturing headquarters of Ronco Scrivia, Genoa (Italy) and OMP America’s HQ in Miami, along with Bell Racing’s assets. The latter include the R&D and manufacturing HQ in Sakhir, Bahrain, together with a center in Ghislenghien, Belgium, and the Bell Racing US facilities in Champaign, Illinois; Speedway, Indiana; and Mooresville, North Carolina. Paulo Delprato will head the group as president and CEO.

* Longtime racers Chris and Charli Wheatcraft announced the purchase of locally owned and operated Indy Cylinder Head. Founded more than 40 years ago by brothers Russ and Fred Flagle, the company has supplied high-quality engine parts and complete engines for the aftermarket. As longtime Mopar drag racers, the Wheatcrafts said they “have every intention of continuing Indy Cylider Heads’ decades of service as a motorsports industry performance leader.” The husband-and-wife partnership also owns Extreme Mopar apparel sales and the Caged Insanity clothing line, in addition to Wheatcraft Concrete Services based in Jamestown, Ohio.

* The Midwest Nostalgia Pro Stock Association (MNPSA) announced it will take part in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) “50 Years of Pro Stock Racing” commemorations. “We are proud to have been invited to participate in the NHRA [celebration], beginning at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, February 6-9,” said Mike Ruth with the MNPSA. “We will be bringing eight cars that represent the golden years of Pro Stock racing. The eight iconic vehicles will boast a 50-50 mix of original classics and tribute cars.

* Preston Lewis, a 19-year-old leukemia survivor, announced the formation of the Off-Road Motorsports Youth Foundation (OMYF) to provide young people, ages 16-20, bridge opportunities to connect with motorsports. The foundation’s first project will be a youth team build of a Class 7100 Unlimited Trophy Truck. As founder and executive director, Lewis hopes to involve OMYF participants in every aspect of motorsports, from race management and repair processes to design and development of new parts. “The whole goal is to be able to give kids the golden ticket, as I call it,” said Lewis. The OMYF launch has been made possible through Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana and the community partner EXTEND GROUP. Lewis is working on industry support and sponsorships as well.

Press conferences and major industry announcements have come fast and back-to-back since the PRI Trade Show’s opening on Thursday, and additional announcements by Powermaster Performance, Edelbrock, Drag Illustrated and PDRA further contributed to Friday's news flurry. The show continues through Saturday at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium.

Trailers go hand in hand with motorsports. They haul vehicles, teams, tools and gear while often dueling as living and meeting quarters on the road and at events. So it’s no surprise that the 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis includes a robust display of trailers, haulers and related products.

For the first time ever, trailers at PRI are arrayed on the field of the expansive Lucas Oil Stadium, which adjoins the Indiana Convention Center where the PRI Show is held. Previously the trailers occupied an outside venue, but the new and growing indoor setting couldn’t make exhibitors and attendees happier.

“Bringing it inside here has definitely helped,” said Bryan Keller of KB Trailer Sales, a Valley View, Ohio dealer that represents several manufacturers. A former drag racer himself, Keller and his business partner decided on a trailer business startup in 2013.

“We saw a need for this, and it’s taken off tremendously,” he said. “This is actually our first year bringing a trailer to the show. I’ve been here in the past as an attendee, and everyone who’s anybody is bringing a trailer here. So for us, if we wanted to be somebody, we needed to show up and bring a trailer.”

The popular show section also attracts exhibitors of trailer components and accessories, including Timbren Industries, a Canadian supplier of premium suspensions.

“Instead of using a standard, old-technology torsion axle or spring axle, we’re bringing a couple rubber-based suspensions and an air bag suspension to the show. They can be retrofitted on trailers that you currently have, or there are several other trailer manufacturers that are here that install them as a new feature on a trailer,” explained Timbren’s Barry Gluntz, who added that the smoother ride can minimize thrown-about gear and cargo while extending the life of both the trailer and rig.

Gluntz said the PRI trailer exhibition is the perfect B2B venue for his company: “It’s definitely our market. These trailer manufacturers will start taking an order and someone will ask them about a better ride, and they’ll say, ‘Air Ride—if you walk over there, that guy can show you a demo.’”

As for the overall business climate, insiders say that recent trade and tariff issues along with various other factors brought a slowdown early in 2019, with higher-end trailer makers and custom builders feeling the slump to a lesser degree. However, that downturn now appears merely a speed bump, and trailer suppliers are projecting an upward trend for 2020.

“I think we had a slow start to the year, but the market has more than made up,” explained Chris Hettinger of Victory Custom Trailers, a dealer of aluminum and steel race trailers, RVs, and toy and equipment haulers based in Metamora, Michigan. “We’ve set our own personal goals every year and have more than exceeded the previous year’s goals for the last five years. I think adapting to trends and bringing new product has helped with that growth.”

Whatever the coming year holds for Hettinger and the many other trailer exhibitors at the PRI Trade Show, the consensus is that there’s no better place to get a boost in the market than this trade-only event. The PRI Show continues through Saturday at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.

The 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show opened to a blockbuster start, beginning with the Grand Opening Breakfast, which was live-streamed to viewers online for the first time ever. Motorsports personality Ralph Sheheen interviewed Don Schumacher and the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) team before an audience of some 3,000 industry professionals.

Afterward, tens of thousands of attendees from all 50 states and 70 countries filled the exhibit halls, conducting business and discovering innovative race products from 1,100-plus exhibitors in over 3,300 booths.

The 32nd annual Trade Show also features the most robust PRI Education and exhibitor seminar lineup in history, and day one featured several sessions filled to capacity or standing-room only.  

Opening day played host to a full schedule of press conferences and exhibitor announcements as well, including new sponsorship agreements, product debuts, and groundbreaking industry research.

Also among Thursday's highlights was the Featured Products Showcase, which opened with nearly 700 products representing every segment of performance motorsports.

To view photos of today's PRI Show-related events, view the online gallery here.

Known as the gateway to the worldwide motorsports marketplace, the annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Indianapolis became the venue Thursday for breaking news from throughout the hardcore racing industry.

Shortly after the Show’s opening at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, ExxonMobil announced the development of a new lubricant through a partnership with Kalitta Motorsports and Toyota Racing Development (TRD). The project signifies a return by Mobil 1 to National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racing after a long hiatus.
    
“NHRA competition offers a perfect proving ground for ExxonMobil and our products, including Mobil 1 engine oil, Mobil Delvac and others. Every millisecond counts, and our goal is to help the team go as fast as possible and improve engine performance and durability,” said Mobil 1 Technology Advisor Andy Moran.
    
Moran added that Mobil 1 worked closely with TRD and Kalitta Motorsports to develop the new product. “What we learn at the track and with Kalitta will help us as we create future formulations that translate to helping improve consumer car engines. We look forward to a successful campaign in 2020 with Kalitta Motorsports, and we can’t wait until February.”
    
“We’re really excited at Kalitta Motorsports to partner with such a great global brand, Mobil 1,” said Chad Head, director of racing operations for Kalitta Motorsports. “We wouldn’t be here today without TRD Motorsports, which bridged that partnership… We’re very excited for 2020 and beyond; this is not just a one-and-done deal. This is a longterm partnership that we’re very excited to bring to NHRA.”

The announcement was just one of many made at the trade show by companies representing every sector of the racing industry. Across the show floor of the Indiana Convention Center, where the trade show is held, iconic performance products maker Edelbrock debuted a new LS9 TVS2650 supercharger for 2009-2013 ZR1 and LS9 swap vehicle applications. The product’s unique design fits under the stock hood, accepts all LS9 style intercooler lids, and is powered by Eaton’s largest TVSR2650 rotors capable of 1000+ RWHP.
    
The powerful new supercharger is the result of joint cooperation between Edelbrock Product Line Manager Nick Purciello and and Greg Keosayian at Kong Performance. “Things are changing so much these days, this partnership actually started via a direct message on Instagram,” Purciello said. “Greg reached out to me with what I call a pretty genius idea about introducing a TVS2650 supercharger that was different than anything else out there… This is going to really change the game for the LS market and allow guys to make upwards of 1,200 to 1,300 horsepower if not more.”

“We’re always looking forward to what we can do and take things one step further,” agreed Keosayian. “We just made it happen. We basically started working with {Edelbrock’s] engineers and we really got a design that was exactly what we envisioned from the start.”

Additional exhibitors making headlines at the PRI Trade Show were many, including GET’M Garage, which debuted a robust new consumer-friendly website; Magnus Motorsports, which shared advanced research into fuel pump efficiencies; Royal Purple Synthetic Oil, which unveiled a partnership with Formula Drift; and Stand 21, which announced its Stand 21 Safety Foundation’s “Racing Goes Safer” Lifetime Achievement Award. The PRI Trade Show continues through Saturday.

Nearly 700 innovative products representing every segment of performance motorsports made their showcase debut Thursday at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis. With its vast array of new ideas and latest technologies, the Featured Products Showcase is among the annual trade event’s highlights, helping to connect industry buyers and media with the hottest offerings from exhibiting companies.

Charles Duncan of Bad News Racing Team said he made the trip from Waukesha, Wisconsin, to the PRI Trade Show “to keep up on new products for something I may use in the race cars.” He said he was scouting the Showcase for brake products before exploring the nearby trailer displays. Duncan added that he enjoys the overall B2B environment of the show.

“I think it’s great. It puts a lot of people together so they can look at different things and maybe get ideas from the other guy,” he observed.

A journalist with EVO India Magazine, Aatish Mishra is among the many international attendees at the annual trade event. “It’s bigger than I thought it would be, and it’s got so much stuff to look at. It’s really impressive,” he said.

He added that his audience in India would be extremely interested in the products featured in the Showcase.

“The racing scene in America is very different from what we have back home. The cars are different and the sort of racing you do is different, so there’s a lot to see and learn. Back home we race with smaller capacity engines than you do here, so I’m interested mainly in stuff that would fit 1.5- and 2-liter engines, maybe lubes, oils and similar things that would really work in our country,” explained Mishra.

Indeed, there are products for everybody in the industry at the PRI Trade Show. Joseph Pawlak with Thorasteel came from Portage, Michigan, specifically to examine products useful in tube building.

“We’re working on an experimental tube that surpasses chromoly where strength is concerned. Our interest in the Show is finding applications, of course, and we’ll do some buying, but it’s going to be raw material tube steel,” he said. Pawlak also shared that his son races, so he was eager to see products that could outfit his son’s vehicle and advance his motorsporting efforts as well.

Recognized internationally as the gateway to the racing marketplace, the PRI Trade Show and its Featured Products Showcase will continue through Saturday at the Indiana Convention Center in the legendary epicenter of motorsports.

Legendary drag racer Don Schumacher and the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) team helped kick off the 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show as special guests for the event’s Thursday morning Grand Opening Breakfast in Indianapolis.

An exclusive event for Trade Show attendees, the annual catered breakfast featured a live talk show styled program during which host Ralph Sheheen of SPEED SPORT interviewed Schumacher and his team before an audience of some 3,000 industry professionals.

PRI General Manager Bill Miller set the tone with opening remarks touching on the uniqueness of the hardcore racing gathering. “We certainly hope you have a great week and that you will come to realize this event blends the best that the industry has to offer—great products, personalities and networking all in one amazing week,” he said before handing the stage over to Sheheen.

For his part, Sheheen noted the passion that brings racing industry professionals to the PRI Show. “PRI gives you all the tools you need to make your business a success, but the one thing that will really give you the lift is that passion, so don’t lose that,” he said.

Sheheen then introduced Schumacher, the 1970 US Nationals Funny Car champion at the head of a team that has won 17 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) championships and more than 325 NHRA national events. And although Sheheen’s interview with Schumacher covered his racing success, it also touched on the champion’s advocacy and innovations for racer safety.

“It started really from getting my own tail burned,” quipped Schumacher. “When you’re the driver, the mechanic and the builder of the car and such, you very quickly get tired of getting burned. Back in the '60s and '70s these cars caught on fire all the time.”

Life during those early days was also quite different for match racers, he said. “We were gypsies then. We wandered the United States from place to place… But it was really a wonderful way for young people to learn business and step out and create their own world.”

The Grand Opening Breakfast and guest interviews proved inspiring for PRI Show attendees like Duff and Rebecca Haremaker of H&E Performance Parts in Wapella, Illinois—industry buyers who said they’ve only missed one show in 30 years.

“It’s just amazing how these guys can put something like this together. The evolution of what has changed and the technology that’s here now is amazing,” said Duff.

“We enjoy the show,” added Rebecca. “There are so many different things here that pertain to racing and business, which is what we like to see.”

Young people starting in the industry found the breakfast equally inspiring as they looked forward to hitting the show floor.

“We’re super stoked to have this opportunity to be here,” said Issac Dearcos, one of about 40 students attending the show from the School of Automotive Machinists and Technology in Houston, Texas. “It’s an honor to see what’s here, all the great minds that are here. It’s insane.”

Billed as the gateway to the worldwide racing marketplace, the PRI Trade Show continues through Saturday at the Indiana Convention Center in the historic hometown of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

As 1,100-plus exhibitors readied their displays for the 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, motorsports professionals from across the US and around the world got a jump on the activities during a bustling Race Industry Week.

Among this year’s programs held prior to the Show's opening were the annual Race Track Business Conference, day one of the International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) Annual Congress, and the start of the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championships.

Beginning Thursday, leading motorsports product manufacturers and service providers will showcase the latest developments in auto racing technology in more than 3,300 booths as tens of thousands of buyers from all 50 states and 70 countries will be on hand to conduct business and discover innovative speed solutions.

This year's 32nd annual Trade Show, which runs through Saturday, December 14, also includes some two-dozen PRI Education seminars, as well as over 50 technical and training sessions by Show exhibitors.

To view photos of today's PRI Show-related events, view the online gallery here.

Medical and scientific experts dedicated to advancing motorsports safety shared their latest research projects Wednesday at the International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) Annual Congress in Indianapolis. The two-day gathering is being held in conjunction with the 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, which brings together motorsports professionals of every level and discipline.

“This is our 31st annual congress on motorsports medicine and safety, and I think that the audience we have represents a very international group from all around the world. They bring new ideas and they also learn new information and technology from the presenters of this conference,” said Don Andrews, ICMS executive director.

“This year there are multiple themes, but we’re ultimately trying to establish how we address specific injuries, particularly head injury, in motorsports. This translates to other contact sports as well. We’re also taking information from the highest levels of motorsports—IndyCar, Formula 1, NASCAR, NHRA—and disseminating it to the grassroots and weekend racer and everyone who can use this information but might not otherwise have access to it.”

Among Wednesday’s presenters was Naomi Deakin, MB, research associate at the University of Cambridge, England, who shared ongoing studies into motorsports concussion injuries. Supported by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the Cambridge research project could have vast implications for the safety and livelihoods of racers throughout the world, as well as participants in other contact sports.

“The reason I was here today was to talk about our research program, which is called Rescue Racer, and also to let our colleagues know over here that we have a post-injury study called CARS that we’re recruiting participants to. People who have been involved in an incident where there might have been a concussion or where they are concussed can come to Cambridge for some assessments and advice,” Deakin explained.

According to Deakin, the program has two aims: “The first is to see if we can find a rapid tool to identify or diagnose concussion—something that fits with the fast-paced environment of motorsport, something that is quick and is accurate. The second question we seek to answer is how do assessments change after concussion, and importantly, when can a driver return to race.”

Dr. Karyn Lun, a medical officer with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, has served 26 years with various track medical response teams. As an attendee, she said the conference’s free exchange of information offers professionals in the field expert education and resources they might not find elsewhere.

“I got to learn about the ICMS because of the IndyCar event at the Gold Coast in Australia,” she said. “This is a very unique conference in the world. It brings together multiple disciplines of medicine, paramedics and track safety engineers to collaborate in a scientific way and encourages research and development. There is nothing else like this that I’m aware of.”

Additional topics addressed on Wednesday included research into the effects of head accelerations, data gleaned from frontal cameras viewing racers in the Porsche GT3 Series, and technological advances in driver protection, among other studies. Thursday’s topics will include respiratory protection for first responders, hemorrhage control utilized by Medevac teams, and an annual update from the FIA Medical Commission.

For more information on the 2019 PRI Trade Show, visit prishow.com.

Motorsports professionals representing every aspect of racing gathered Wednesday for a day of education and networking at the eighth annual Race Track Business Conference (RTBC), held in conjunction with the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana. Featuring panel discussions by industry experts, the conference was themed around new technologies, challenges and opportunities confronting racing worldwide.

According to RTBC host Tim Frost, the yearly gathering aims to create dialogue between various business aspects of motorsports, including all types of facilities and series, so they can learn from peers and establish relationships that will enhance racing and safety throughout the season, on track and off.

“RTBC 2019 has exceeded our expectations,” said Frost. “We have set new records as far as attendance, number of speakers and topics presented to the racing industry. We are very pleased with the turnout, the involvement and the interaction and dialogue between the attendees and the panelists.”

Among the day’s key sessions was “Racing Towards the Future,” a panel discussion of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s recent announcement of its $1 million autonomous vehicle racing challenge. The presenters included Doug Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, who emphasized the 100-year history of motorsports as a proving ground for new technologies.

“I do think our hardcore Indianapolis 500 fan who understands our history and tradition and understands that we are a platform and a place to test technology will understand [the Challenge] and get it,” he said, adding that the competition is not about replacing drivers, who are as important to fans as the cars on the track.

“You can’t take that element away from the fan, and that’s not the purpose of this,” he said.

The esteem in which fans hold drivers was underscored with the RTBC’s keynote lunch speaker, Lyn St. James, president of LSJ Racing. Delivering remarks that centered on women in motorsports, the famed racer said she prefers not to carve out special events and categories for women, but rather to integrate women at all levels of racing on the same footing as any other motorsports professional.

“We should pay attention to women in racing, but not be so focused on labeling it,” she said. “The sport is a very complex sport. It takes a team, and everyone should get a fair shot, but everyone also has to earn that.”

The conference also included sessions on marketing, driver development, track operations and security, and media outreach, among other topics. Attendee Shaun Johnson, executive director of operations at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finds the RTBC unique for its ability to bring together industry professionals of every discipline.

“I think it’s interesting that such a diverse group of individuals has a lot of the same problems and concerns,” he said. “When you come together and collaborate then you can solve the problems stronger together than apart and on your own. I get the best ideas, the best practices, and usually pull at least two or three ideas from every session.”

For more information on the 2019 PRI Trade Show, visit prishow.com.

An all-new podcast by Total Seal Piston Rings has been introduced at the 2019 Performance Racing Industry Trade Show. “Hidden Horsepower by Total Seal” launched on December 11 during the 32nd annual PRI Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Top engine builders such as Pat Musi, Jason Line and others are featured chatting with Hidden Horsepower host Joe Castello and Keith Jones, director of technical sales at Total Seal.

The podcast is available now on Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Sound Cloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.
 
"Our new Hidden Horsepower podcasts will feature racers and leading engine builders from every form of motorsports," said Total Seal President and CEO Matt Hartford. "Each featured personality will share their in-depth and personal stories as they travel the world of racing and high performance.”
 
Added Jones: "The first episode of our new Hidden Horsepower podcast features Jason Line, who drives the KB Racing Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Jason and I talk about Pro Stock racing and how piston ring development has unlocked the hidden horsepower that racers need to be competitive.

"The second episode features Pat Musi, owner of Pat Musi Racing Engines," Jones continued. "Musi is recognized as one of the leading drag racing engine builders for Pro Mod and Top Sportsman Drag Race Engines."
 
To tune in to the podcasts, search “Hidden Horsepower Podcast” on your smartphone or computer. Podcasts are compatible with either Android or iOS systems.

Total Seal is exhibiting at PRI 2019 in booth #1525.