South Boston Speedway has released its 2020 schedule, which features 14 race dates and will kick off with a visit from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

The Virginia track will open its 63rd season on Saturday afternoon, March 21, with a 150-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race and twin 75-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock races.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is one of two touring series on the 2020 South Boston schedule with the CARS Tour closing  out the 2020 season on Saturday afternoon, September 19, crowning its champion with 125-lap races in both the Late Model and Super Late Model divisions.

"Fans and competitors have come to expect great, exciting racing at South Boston Speedway, and we believe that's what htey will see again in 2020," said Cathy Rice, the track's general manager. "The NASCAR Modified Tour was a huge hit last spring and we're excited they are coming back, especially for the season-opener. And the CARS Tour always puts on a great show in their championship races. What a great way to begin and end the 2020 seasonw with a whole lot of awesome racing in between."

South Boston Speedway's huge July 4 week extravaganza is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, and will feature a 200-lap, $10,000-to-win Late Model Stock race that typically draws the largest regular-season field of cars in the region. There will also be a 50-lap Limited Sportsman race, a 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock race and a 20-lap Budweiser Hornets race. The biggest fireworks show in the region will close out the evening.

The popular Southern Ground Pounders, a vintage stock car racing series, will visit South Boston Speedway three times in 2020—May 2, June 13, and August 22—staging 25-lap races each time.

Livingston, New Jersey-based King Engine Bearings has announced the appointment of Dan Qualls as national sales manager.

Qualls, who served from 2013-2015 as King’s national sales manager, brings 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, most recently as vice president of business development at Hastings Manufacturing. He also has held key positions in sales management at Total Seal Piston Ring Co. and Silvolite/United Engine Piston Co.

"We are glad to have Dan back at King," said Limor Karpatkin, King’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We are about to launch a wide range of new products, and Dan is the right person to exploit our sales potential and drive significant growth in the years to come.”

In his role with King, Qualls will provide full sales management of King’s aftermarket and racing products for the US and Canadian markets.

For more information on King Engine Bearings, visit kingbearings.com.

Formula E and the FIA have revealed the final calendar for the 2019-20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship, set to race in 12 of the world’s cities.

The calendar was formally approved following the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) meeting in Cologne, Germany.

The Diriyah E-Prix kicks off the season once again on November 22—23, with the Mercedes-Benz EQ and TAG Heuer Porsche teams making their arrival to complete a full 24-car grid for the first time in Formula E.

The calendar then moves to South and Central America for the Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix (January 18) and CBMM Niobium Mexico City E-Prix (February 15), with the Marrakesh E-Prix replacing Hong Kong for round five.

Sanya fills the last free slot, with another race around Haitang Bay for round six on March 21. The voestalpine European races return for season six, starting with the third running of the Rome E-Prix on April 4, followed by the Paris E-Prix in the French capital against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower on April 18.

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship visits South Korea for the first time on May 3 for the Seoul E-Prix, ahead of the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix on June 6.

The BMW i Berlin E-Prix presented by CBMM Niobium will once again be held at the Tempelhof Airport on June 21, where all four German manufacturers go wheel-to-wheel for the first time in front of their home crowd.

Three weeks later, Formula E crosses the Atlantic to the Big Apple for the penultimate event of the season in New York City.
 
The 2019-20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship comes to a conclusion in London across a two-day season finale showdown at ExCeL London on July 25–26.

For more information, visit fiaformulae.com.

Total Specialties USA, Inc., the provider of lubricants, oils, solvents, fuels and more, has announced Franck Bagouet has been appointed as the senior vice president of lubricants.

Bagouet, the former president of Total Canada, replaces Christophe Doussoux, who has been appointed to a new leadership role for Total’s Paris, France division.

Bagouet, a 30 year veteran of the Total company, reports to Total Specialties USA President and CEO Ernst Wanten. His position will be based out of Linden, New Jersey and he will oversee staff across the US, including in Houston, Texas.

For more information, visit totalspecialties.com.

Sunnen Products Company has announced the company will open a manufacturing facility in Monterrey Mexico to complement its production in the US, China, Switzerland, and Brazil.

The honing technology manufacturing will move a portion of its abrasive and tooling products from its St. Louis operation to the Monterrey facility. The transition will be phased to begin by the end of 2019 and conclude by the end of 2020.

The company expects minimal impact on staffing levels in St. Louis with this transition and will reassign most employees to fill needs in other areas, according to a press release.

“This expansion represents a positive opportunity to further our global reach, advancing our position in the marketplace. Additionally, it allows our highly skilled St. Louis workforce to expand their focus on innovating the Sunnen portfolio—and better serving our customers for another 95 years,” Sunnen President and COO Chris Miltenberger said.

For more information, visit sunnen.com.

The Five Star 2020 Late Model Stock Car Body (LMSC) has been approved by NASCAR, as confirmed by NASCAR Event Management and Five Star Race Car Bodies.

The new model will be available following the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 set for Saturday, October 5, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

“The same staff, same tools and same process for Cup submission were used for weekly racing because it’s equally important. Five Star’s team couldn’t be more supportive. They’re great partners,” NASCAR Touring Series Managing Director Brandon Thompson said, according to published reports.

The 2020 design is based on Five Star’s new Late Model body for offset chassis and was modified to fit the current LMSC chassis.

The announcement follows testing conducted by both NASCAR and Five Star, who worked together along with Aerodyn Wind Tunnel in Mooresville, North Carolina in May.

Upgrades to the 2020 body include added fender and engine clearance along with a new flame-retardant greenhouse, which is now wider for improved driver accessibility. The body—currently available in Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Toyota Camry—allows for styling updates and graphic packages.

For more information, visit nascar.com or fivestarbodies.com.

Mazda Motorsports announced the newest addition to its motorsports program with the unveiling of the all-new Mazda3 TCR race car. The Mazda3 TCR will hit the race track as part of the 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, beginning with the four-hour Endurance Challenge that is part of the Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend of racing on January 26, 2020.

The design of the build was created by Mazda Design America in Irvine, California, where designers focused on the aerodynamics of build to ensure TCR regulation compliance.

The Mazda3 TCR will be powered by a turbocharged, four-cylinder engine producing 350 horsepower and will use a paddle-shifted six-speed transmission. Developed and supported by Long Road Racing, the manufacturer of the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car, the Mazda3 TCR is homologated to compete in any of the 36 TCR-sanctioned championships around the globe.

More information about the Mazda3 TCR is available at mazdamotorsports.com and longroadracing.com.

Photo courtesy of Mazda Motorsports

American Racer and Lias Tire Company have teamed up once again to bolster the Short Track SuperNationals at Afton Motorsports Park in Afton, New York.

Match Races will be held for both the Modified and Sportsman divisions during the Columbus Day weekend event at the fairgrounds facility through the support of American Racer Tires, Lias Tire Company, Sunoco Race Fuels and Insinger Performance.

The 12th annual “Working Man’s Race” takes center stage at Afton on Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12.

On Friday night, each of the individual Sportsman (Open or Crate) track champions are invited to participate in the Match Races. The winner will take home $1,500 cash and all participants will receive a certificate for a free American Racer tire.

Saturday features the Modified One-On-One Match Races with $2,000 reserved for the victor and free tire certificates going to all other participants.

The Match Races are established by the 10 best finishes in American Racer Cup standings.

Eligible competitors will draw numbers before the start of the Match Races. The low number will start off and then pick an opponent. The winner of each round selects the next opponent until the final round.

For more information on the event, visit shorttracksuperseries.com.

Image courtesy of Short Track SuperNationals

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum has announced its newest exhibit, “From the Vault” presented by Bank of America, will open to the public on Wednesday, November 20.

Due to space constraints, the IMS Museum can display only 20 percent of its collection at a given time and “From the Vault” represents an opportunity to see items often kept in storage. The new exhibit will also give a glimpse of what the IMS Museum could share on a year-round basis—provided a future fundraising campaign meets the requirements to renovate the current footprint and expand, according to IMS Museum Executive Director Betsy Smith.

Pending the results of a future capital campaign, the museum could complete a full renovation and expansion within five to seven years.

“Having honored a few of the most notable names in motorsports history with recent exhibits—Penske, Foyt, Unser, Andretti—we’re excited to share with our fans and the general public a sampling of what the IMS Museum has in its collection, and I want to personally thank Bank of America for their support,” Smith said. “I think our Indianapolis 500 fans will be excited to see the array of open-wheel racing items in our collection, but as 'From the Vault' will attest, the IMS Museum collection tells the story of global motorsports.”

The treasured vehicles and artifacts that will be showcased in “From the Vault” presented by Bank of America are part of the IMS Museum’s permanent collection, including a selection of one-of-a-kind motorsports gems stored in the Museum’s basement. A sampling of rare “From the Vault” artifacts includes:

For more information, visit indyracingmuseum.com.

INDYCAR, in collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, staged its first on-track test of its new aeroscreen on Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the officials and drivers involved “couldn’t have been more pleased,” according to a press release from the organization.

Five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing and 2014 series champion Will Power of Team Penske—both Indianapolis 500 winners—combined to run nearly 650 incident-free miles around the iconic 2.5-mile oval.

Neither reported issues with visibility, head buffeting or car handling with the aeroscreen that will be fitted to all NTT IndyCar Series cars for the 2020 season.

“We had pretty high expectations, and we’ve probably exceeded them already,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “I think it’s done everything we thought it would do and then some. Obviously, we’ve learned a lot.

“I think the most important thing is the foundation is right … and it’s been a very turn-key event, so we’re really proud of that.”

The aeroscreen has been developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies to reduce the risk of driver injury from debris or other objects striking the cockpit area.

For more information on the aeroscreen design and testing, visit here. For more information on INDYCAR, visit indycar.com.