The Marion, South Dakota, track, owned by Glen Rapp, hosts a strong IHRA Summit SuperSeries program. It has been the home track to IHRA world champions in two of the last four years.

Thunder Valley’s Tom Gall won the 2017 IHRA Summit SuperSeries Top (Box) world title and Cory Heckenlible won the 2015 IHRA Summit SuperSeries Mod (No Box) world championship.
 
“If you could cut through the thick skin of Glen Rapp he’d undoubtedly bleed IHRA. The fact that after years of promoting the Summit SuperSeries, he’s still able to turn racers onto the greatest program in sportsman drag racing is a testament,” IHRA Division Director Jon O’Neal said.
 
The track first opened in 1967 and is highlighted by the fact that it stays constantly upgraded yet retains its historic charm. There are over 100 permanent camping sites at the facility and it draws racers from across state lines on a regular basis.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is now among the preservation, education, research and public programming entities receiving more than $29 million in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

The NEH announced last month that IMS Museum has been awarded $10,000 to improve the Museum’s high-polish metal trophy storage environment, allowing the IMS Museum staff to better preserve the nearly 400 trophies in the Museum’s collection. The funding originates from the National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grants program.

Some of these trophies will be part of the IMS Museum’s newest exhibit, which will be announced soon. 

The Museum curatorial staff will utilize the funding to purchase storage cabinets and shelving, and preservation supplies to properly store and care for trophies dating from 1903 to 2017, including Indianapolis 500 trophies predating the famed Borg-Warner Trophy, to the complete collection of pre-World War II trophies won by Grand Prix racing legend Rudolf Caracciola.

The NEH is an independent federal agency, established in 1965, which supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from across the United States. Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, was the other Indiana entity to receive NEH funding in this round of grants.

For more information on the National Endowment for the Humanities, visit neh.gov. For more on the IMS Museum, visit indyracingmuseum.org.

Following the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Behr Hella Service (BHS) by MAHLE Aftermarket, all existing activities of BHS will be integrated into MAHLE on January 1, 2020. This is expected to give MAHLE customers access to a broad portfolio of thermal management products for passenger cars and trucks, as well as agricultural vehicles and construction machines. In the future, products will be offered under the BEHR sales brand, and new products will be introduced on an ongoing basis.

The acquisition also will enable MAHLE to provide its customers with strategic support for emobility, the company said, adding that “thermal management is a critical requisite for the reliable operation of electrically powered vehicles as it significantly influences efficiency and thus supports CO2 reduction and cleanliness. MAHLE Aftermarket provides the right spare parts, diagnostic systems, training, and repair and maintenance information, boosting its profile as a systems provider.”

Noted Jon Douglas, president of MAHLE Aftermarket North America: “As an OEM, MAHLE has enormous expertise in the area of thermal management, and now our customers in the aftermarket will benefit from this extensive product line. Also, the increasing numbers of electric vehicles on the road will be presenting challenges and opportunities to the automotive aftermarket. MAHLE can now help our customers serve this growing market with expert support, quality replacement components, and technical training.”

Current customers of BHS can order the products using existing part numbers, even after January 1, 2020. The part numbers will remain in place throughout a transition period, while MAHLE part numbers are implemented in parallel.

For more information, visit mahle-aftermarket.com.

Rick Mackie, the Senior Marketing Manager for Mercury Marine, has retired from his longtime position with the high-performance marine manufacturer.

Mackie joined Mercury as a product support specialist in 1988 at the age of 26 when the company was still called Mercury Hi-Performance. He later drove the Mercury semi loaded with spare parts to races, or towed a two-seater tunnel boat to events. That role led Mackie to begin working with the media, who often got a thrilling ride in the two-seater. This would see Mackie transition to a marketing communications position.

Mercury Hi-Performance became Mercury Racing in 1999 and a stand-alone business within Brunswick Corporation, and Mackie was part of the team that transitioned from supporting racers to creating high-performance sterndrive, outboard, propeller and accessory products for consumers.

“Rick is one of the best-known and respected people in the world of high-performance powerboating and boat racing, and has been for more than 30 years,” said Steve Miller, Mercury Racing director of marketing, sales and service. “Rick has always represented Mercury Racing with the perfect blend of personable humor, product knowledge, and professionalism. He has had a life-long passion for our brand that is simply unparalleled. We are all going to miss Rick tremendously, and we wish him nothing but the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

Mackie celebrated his 30th anniversary with the company in September of last year.

For more information, visit mercuryracing.com.

Photos courtesy of Mercury Racing

Speaking to teams during the 2019 BC39 drivers meeting, Boles confirmed the previously temporary track would be there to stay.

“That temporary backstretch is no longer temporary,” he said, according to published reports. “A lot of our board didn’t understand short track [racing] at all… But last year was such a success in the fall that we got the approval to go ahead and put [in] that backstretch.”

For more information, visit indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

Photo courtesy of IMS, Facebook

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) driver and Cabarrus County native Daniel Hemric has established the Daniel Hemric Be the Change Scholarship with the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Foundation.

Starting this Fall, the endowed scholarship will be awarded to one student each year from Cabarrus or Rowan County that qualifies for financial aid and has chosen a field of study in motorsports, welding, or mechanical engineering.

“All my life, people have helped me with my career,” said Hemric, driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. “Kenzie (wife) and I discussed what we can do to pay that generosity forward, and this was something we both felt strongly about. I grew up in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and there’s a good chance, had my racing career not continued, that I would have gone to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and pursued certification in some sort of trade profession. That’s what these students are doing, so hopefully, this scholarship will help them along the way, much like others have helped me.”

The announcement of Hemric’s scholarship coincides with the relaunch of the motorsports program this fall semester at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

“Daniel’s support of the newly-relaunched motorsports program is extremely meaningful,” said Dr. Michael Quillen, vice president of academic programs at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

Scholarships are provided through the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Foundation and students enrolled at Rowan Cabarrus Community College can discover more information about The Daniel Hemric Be the Change Scholarship online at rccc.edu/foudnation/apply-for-scholarships or by email at foundation@rccc.edu.

Aldo Costa, the technical advisor for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, will leave his position with the F1 team to join race car manufacturer Dallara beginning 2020.

Mercedes first hired Costa in 2012 as Engineering Director, putting him in charge of car design and development, managing the group of designers that would go on to dominate the hybrid era of F1 with five constructors’ titles and five drivers’ titles between 2014 and 2018. This year, Costa stepped down from his role to continued to support the team in an advisory capacity.

Before joining Mercedes, Costa was Head of Design Office at Ferrari in 1996, part of the dominant squad that took six constructors’ titles between 1999 and 2004, and two more in 2007 and 2008.

“After many years working at the pinnacle of our sport, I am excited to be able to contribute some of what I have learned to other racing series and to high-performance automotive projects outside racing,” Costa said. “I remember writing to Giampaolo [Dallara] at the very beginning of my career for a job—at the time, there was nothing available, but he was able to open some doors for me in the industry. Now, many years later, it feels like the wheel has come full circle and I am proud to be joining this iconic company of Italian motorsport.”

Italy-based Dallara has a storied history in motorsports, having produced chassis for IndyCar, Indy Lights, Formula 2, Formula 3 and more.

For more information, visit dallara.it.

Photo courtesy of Dallara

The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame (NCARHoF) will honor two driving legends during the upcoming 2019 NC Auto Racing Hall of Fame/Race City USA Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Tony Stewart, the champion NASCAR and IndyCar Series driver, will join Jerry Cook, the six-time NASCAR Modified Division champ, as new additions to the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Their names will also be featured on the Walk of Fame located on the sidewalks of downtown Mooresville.

The outdoor event to unveil the Walk of Fame is free to the public and will take place Monday, September 23 at 3 p.m. outside of the Charles Mack Citizen Center in Mooresville, NC.

For more information, visit ncarhof.com.

East Bay Raceway Park (EBRP), the 1/3-mile dirt oval track facility based in Tampa, Florida, has entered a purchase agreement with Mosaic Co, a Fortune 500 mining company that recently moved its headquarters from Minnesota to Florida.

Currently, EBRP sits alongside the large, Mosaic plant. According to published reports, Mosaic Co will have the opportunity to purchase the race facility in 2024. It is uncertain whether the company will continue to operate EBRP after the potential purchase, or whether the 17-year-old track will be torn down.

Officials from EBRP have addressed the agreement, stating the following on its Facebook page:

2VHL promotions, Inc./dba East Bay Raceway Park has signed an “Intent to Purchase Agreement” with Mosaic. This agreement means that Mosaic has the right to purchase our property outright in [five] years.

We still own East Bay Raceway Park and will continue to operate and race just as we have for the last 17 years until that date arrives in [five] years. Mosaic will not change or have anything to do with East Bay Raceway Park’s operations until this [five] year agreement has been exercised.

We will continue to do our best to give racers and fans a great venue to enjoy racing. We want to thank everyone that has come through our gates as a spectator, crew member or racer over the last 17 years.

For more information, visit ebrp.co.

Photo courtesy of EBRP, Facebook

Babcox Media Inc. based in Akron, Ohio, has announced that Sarah Short has joined the company as a regional sales manager.

In her new role, Short will be responsible for the growth and management of a sales territory as well as strategic digital sales initiatives across the organization’s portfolio of brands.

“Sarah’s media experience, her strong reputation with clients and her proven digital acumen make her a great addition to our team,” Babcox Media President Bill Babcox said.

Short joins Babcox from Advance Ohio (formerly the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com), where she spent 12 years in various client success roles including sales director, sales manager and account executive.

“I’m looking forward to applying my experience to this industry and thrilled to join an organization that is so aligned with my passion for driving customer success,” Short said.

For more information, visit babcoxmedia.com.