The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced that President Scott Atherton will retire at the end of this year, ending a professional motorsports career that spanned more than 34 years.

Atherton, who has held the title of IMSA president since November of 2013, will remain on the IMSA Board of Directors after his retirement.

Atherton started his professional motorsports career as a sponsor marketing executive in the CART (IndyCar) Series in 1985. He later served as president and general manager of Laguna Seca Raceway (now WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), before joining Penske Motorsports as president of Nazareth Speedway and then California Speedway (now Auto Club Speedway).

He was also president and CEO of Panoz Motor Sports Group for thirteen years before co-leading the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) through the merger with the Grand American Road Racing Association (Grand-Am) under the IMSA banner, at which point he was named to his current role.

“As anyone involved in professional motorsports knows, it’s not a job – it’s a lifestyle,” Atherton said. “For the past 34 years, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with some of the most iconic venues and personalities in the industry. I am thankful for the countless men and women I have worked with who enabled me to have a career that has far exceeded my wildest dreams. But I especially want to thank my family who have supported me every step of the way. IMSA is stronger than ever and I am confident it will continue to grow and prosper.”

Ed Bennett will continue as chief executive officer of IMSA and expects to name Atherton’s successor shortly after the conclusion of the season.

For more information, visit imsa.com.

SCCA member and Formula Vee racer Graham Loughead and fellow driver Lisa Noble have founded the Formula Vee Hall of Fame organization, which celebrates those who contribute to motorsports through their legacy in the Formula Vee class.

Inductee honors will be in October at the SCCA’s Runoffs held this year at VIRginia International Raceway.

Formula Vee—which features low horsepower cars, skinny tires, almost no aero package along with close racing, big fields, and camaraderie—has been one of the most popular classes in racing since 1963, according to Loughead.

The Formula Vee community—along with a Hall of Fame Selection Committee of Neil Cox, Stu Delaney, Donnie Isley, Jim Kearney, Graham Loughead, Marjorie Lundberg, Rick Shields and Skip Streets—will nominate and vote annually on inductees.

“It is our privilege to highlight the careers of some of FV’s top talent,” Noble said. “It will be fun to hear the stories and learn about the impact that the class has had on so many talented people in the sport.”

For more information or to submit a nomination, visit formulaveeproject.com and visit the Hall of Fame tab.

The Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum has announced the 16 individuals that will be honored for its 2019 Class of Inductees. Those that have been selected have deep roots in Iowa’s racing history and have contributed to the sport of racing in Iowa throughout their careers.  

This year’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 2, at the Briggs Woods Conference Center in Webster City, Iowa. The event is open to the public, and tickets may be purchased at iowaracingmuseum.com.

The 2019 Class of Inductees are:  

Drivers/1946-1979
Dick Gustin from Union, Iowa, started over 200 races and won his very first stock car race in 1955 at Pioneer Raceway in Des Moines.

Joel Rasmussen from Ames, Iowa, was a winning racer for over 25 years in modified, sportsman and hobby divisions.

Norm Wiemers from Manson, Iowa, won 27 feature wins in a row in 1963 and is an inductee in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

Lee Kunzman was a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship car series and raced in the 1979 Indy 500.

Drivers 1980 to Present
Bill Davis Sr. from Des Moines, Iowa, had over 300 wins and won back-to-back IMCA Modified National Championships in 1989 and 1990.

Dave Farren from Des Moines, Iowa, won over 300 feature races and was a two-time IMCA National Champion.

Bob Hill from Holly Ridge, North Carolina, dominated at Midwest tracks and raced in the Busch Late Model Series and the ARCA series.

Earl Wagner from Pleasantville, Iowa, won his first of 43 feature events at Knoxville Raceway in 1958 and continued his career in sprint cars and the USAC series.

Motorcycle
Chad Pederson from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was a contender in thousands of professional motocross and supercross races.

Figure 8
Tony Boger from Wall Lake, Iowa, competed in over 450 Figure 8 races with multiple track championships.

Drag Racing
Vern Moats from Des Moines, Iowa, had an incredible 48-year drag racing career with 15 NHRA Division 5 Championships.

Owner/Mechanic/Builder/Manufacturer/Sponsor
Johnny Johnson was an accomplished late model driver and was also known for his sponsorships and being a multiple track owner.

Gil Sonner from Des Moines, Iowa, had a 60-year career as an owner and mechanic with his cars and drivers winning more than 150 sprint car and modified feature events.

Promoter/Official/Media/Event/Series Sponsor
Bill Haglund from Waukee, Iowa, was the editor of Hawkeye Racing News from 1979-1990 and is the author of “Racing Through Time – A History of Automobile Racing in Iowa.”

Phil Roberts from Walcott, Iowa, was a race announcer, news reporter and a publicist for NASCAR’s traveling Late Model All-Star series.

Nona Warden from Urbandale, Iowa, is a well known and respected race scorer in central Iowa for almost 50 years.

The Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum is a 501(c)3 incorporated in 2016 and is located in Otho, Iowa. For more information, visit iowaracingmuseum.com.

Motovicity Distribution, the performance-focused wholesale distributor based in Madison Heights, Michigan, had announced the addition of VP Racing Fuels to its line card.

Motovicity is now stocking a range of VP Racing Fuels products, including fuel jugs, oils, octane boosters and radiator coolants.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with VP Fuels, as they are known throughout the industry as one of the top brands for all things racing fuel,” Motovicity’s CEO Brian Lounsberry said.

Now occupying more than 80,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space, Motovicity Distribution is a wholesale-only automotive aftermarket distributor of import, sport compact, modern muscle and other performance parts. Motovicity stocks a lineup of many of the industry’s top performance brands, in-stock and ready for same-day shipping, according to a company release. Run by enthusiasts, Motovicity also employs a knowledgeable ASE-certified sales team.

For more information, visit motovicity.com.

Livernois Motorsports & Engineering, the tuning shop that provides engineering services, performance products and vehicle manufacturing in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, is offering a Customer Appreciation Track Day event on Saturday, October 12.

The free event at Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan, is open to Livernois customers whose cars have been upgraded or tuned by the company—along with those that have purchased Livernois performance parts.

Space is limited, and an RSVP is required. For more information, visit livernoismotorsports.com.

Leavine Family Racing (LFR) announced that Jeremy Lange had been promoted to the role of president of the organization that fields the No. 95 Toyota Camry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS). Lange, who joined the team in 2013 as vice president of Marketing and Partnerships when the organization was running a limited schedule in the Cup series, most recently served as vice president and general manager of LFR.

Lange has been instrumental in the team’s growth during his tenure with the organization as he oversaw numerous developments over the years. Among other accomplishments, Lange coordinated the team’s transition to a full-time competitor in the Cup Series, including LFR’s acquisition of a charter, and has successfully negotiated and closed transactions with several manufacturers and technical alliances within NASCAR. 

Lange is also an active member of various NASCAR and Race Team Alliance (RTA) committees on behalf of LFR. He first came to Leavine Family Racing with over 15 years of experience in advertising, marketing and sales.

“Jeremy has been instrumental in helping our team grow both in size and performance over his many years with LFR,” LFR Founding Owner Bob Leavine said. “In Jeremy’s new position as president, he will utilize his talents and experience to focus on the overall direction and strategy for LFR’s future growth in this exciting time within our sport.”

For more information, visit lfr95.com.

The FIA has released the 2020 calendars for both the Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships. Both series will kick off their season overseas at Sakir, Bahrain, on March 20-22.

The fourth season of F2 racing features a 12-round schedule, with eight rounds set for Europe including a new venue, Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

“Next season, our calendar will once again be made of twelve rounds, all part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends. We kept the number of events to the same amount as the previous two years as we have found the right balance between European rounds and overseas race weekends,” FIA Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel said. “I can confirm that more tracks would have liked to have F2 race there, but as always, we want to ensure that our Championship remains affordable by keeping the costs under control and thus the number of events to a total of twelve.”

Likewise, F3 will feature a nine-round season in 2020, which is one more than this year’s season. Seven races will be held in Europe, including Zandvoort in the Netherlands, which is also a new venue for the series.

“The 2020 FIA Formula 3 calendar is an exciting prospect for the many young talents looking to progress up the FIA single-seater pyramid. I am looking forward to seeing how they tackle a new challenge in Bahrain, whilst many will be returning to the fantastic Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands having raced there in more junior categories,” FIA Single-Seater Commission President Stefano Domenicali said.

For more information, visit fia.com.

Logo courtesy of the FIA

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has announced two race facilities have been appointed as a Track of the Year for their respective divisions.

The historic Great Lakes Dragaway has been named the IHRA Division 5 (Thunder) Track of the Year.

The Paris, Wisconsin-based track is reportedly the oldest purpose-built drag strip in America. Track co-founder Marge Bennett gave it the unique “Dragaway” name as a place her friends could drag away.

First opened in 1955, Great Lakes has hosted the biggest names in the sport of drag racing. Legendary promoter “Broadway Bob” Metzler, the first promoter ever inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, brought in concerts, parades, the circus and even motorcycle daredevil “Evel” Knievel.
 
Current track owners Randy Henning and Marcel Kuper have made improvements to the facility highlighted by a quarter-mile drag strip.

"Since Great Lakes Dragaway returned to the IHRA, the response to the Summit SuperSeries has been incredible," IHRA Division Director Jon O'Neal said. "Randy Henning and Marcel Kuper have incorporated the growth of the Summit SuperSeries into everything they do at their track."

The IHRA has also announced member track South Carolina Motorplex as the IHRA Division 9 (Raiders) Track of the Year.

The Neeses, South Carolina, track is owned Jeff Biegun, who purchased the 50-acre facility in 2017 and later purchased 300 acres of adjoining property.

For more information, visit ihra.com, greatlakesdragaway.com or southcarolinamotorplex.com.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced a 14-race schedule for 2020 that continues its “SpeedTour” brand introduced earlier this year, which combines the forces of SVRA vintage racing, Trans Am, IGT contemporary sports cars, and the Vintage Race Of Champions (VROC) to support sponsorship, membership and attendance growth.

“We are on the right trajectory with the SpeedTour national platform and the businesses it represents,” said SVRA CEO Tony Parella. “By combining Trans Am and IGT with over 100 years of historic racing machines, we are meeting a market demand from motorsports fans for [the] diversity of design and engine sounds. Our high net worth demographic in our paddocks is very appealing to sponsors. I am particularly proud to see the enthusiasm for our VROC series, which will expand with the addition of the race at COTA in 2020.”

The season will begin at Auto Club Speedway the second weekend of February and will conclude at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) November 6-8. Between and in order are Roebling Road, Sebring International Raceway, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Elkhart Lake’s Road America, Lime Rock Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Portland International Raceway, Watkins Glen International, Virginia International Raceway (VIR), and Savannah.

For more information, visit svra.com.

Jamie Reigle has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Formula E with immediate effect, bringing a wealth of experience building and developing global sports properties to accelerate the ABB FIA Formula E Championship’s growth plan.

With a proven track record in executive roles, growing the Manchester United brand in new territories and most recently driving business operations with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL, Reigle will now lead the charge at Formula E and propel the business forward in his new leadership role.

Reigle was chosen following a rigorous selection process as the ideal candidate with a complementary skill set to work alongside Alejandro Agag, who makes the move to Chairman of Formula E.
 
Agag will work in tandem with Reigle in his new role, retaining relationships with key sponsors, teams and long-standing partners such as the FIA, as well as existing host cities. Reigle will oversee the overall management of the company, day-to-day operations and the delivery of ambitious plans for growth on a global scale.

The two will partner together to ensure a smooth and seamless transition and continue to work in close collaboration to help Formula E reach its full potential over the coming seasons.

“Jamie’s wealth of experience working in sports properties across North America, Europe and Asia make him the best person for the job. With his addition to our existing executive team, we have an incredibly strong lineup to continue building and developing Formula E through our next growth cycle,” Agag said.  
 
For more information, visit fiaformulae.com.