As the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) completed the qualifying rounds earlier this month, officials have announced a total of 41 teams of high school students will move on to the Dual National Championship set for the SEMA Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center and the PRI Show in the Indiana Convention Center.

The final round of qualifying, which was one of 13 events across the nation, took place June 7-8, during the Super Summit at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Team Canton from York Co. School of Tech in York, Pennsylvania, and Team Fel-Pro, also from York Co. School of Tech, were the final two teams to move onto Dual National Championship.

To qualify, teams must finish disassembling and reassembling a small-block Chevrolet engine in less than 33 minutes (including penalties).

The 41 teams will compete head-to-head at either the SEMA Show (Nov. 5-8, 2019) or the PRI Show (Dec. 12-14, 2019) for the quickest build with the least penalties. The winners, which will be awarded at PRI, will receive scholarship opportunities to select technical automotive schools.

The current playoff standings can be found online here. For more information, including how to sponsor the program, visit hotroddersoftomorrow.com.

Photo of Team Canton courtesy of HROT

Thermo-Tec, the exhaust insulating and heat protection technology provider, will host a special drag race event this weekend at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Set for Saturday, June 15, the day will feature activities for the entire family, including games, giveaways and a birthday part for Millie Mint, the park’s ice cream mascot. Children will also be able to ride in race cars piloted by Summit drivers.

“The exciting world of motorsports is something that brings families—and generations—together,” said Nick Helms, Thermo-Tec’s sales director.

All activities will take place on the Summit side of the park. Regular admission fees apply and will cover the cost of Thermo-Tec Kids’ Night activities.
 
Thermo-Tec Kids’ Night is also sponsored by the Dornan Sales and Service Mid-Season Championship Dinner and Summit Racing Equipment NHRA King of the Track.

For more information, visit summitmotorsportspark.com/events.

The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway, one of the nation’s biggest NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race, will see significant changes in 2019. Updates include a purse increase for the top-five finishers, a new qualifying procedure, and a new race format.

The new qualifying procedure will see single-car qualifying that will set the top-20 starting positions for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 feature race on Saturday, October 5.

The remaining 20 positions will be set on Saturday, October 5, with two 50-lap heat races. The top-10 finishers from each heat race will advance to the feature race. Caution laps will count during the heat races.

“This format really rewards the drivers who can perform under pressure, and rewards the fans in the grandstands,” Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said. “By making the heat races 50 laps, we are giving the drivers more time to work their way through the field, giving the fans two dramatic heat races on Saturday afternoon to set the field.”

The feature race will also see format changes. The 200-lap race will be stopped at lap 75 and at lap 150, with the leader at each break receiving a $1,000 bonus with no invert after either break.

An increase in purse money will see twinner’s share of the $110,000 purse will now be $32,000, with second place receiving $8,000. All 40 teams will receive a minimum payout of $1,000.

An unlimited amount of attempts at a green-white-checkered finish in overtime is also a change from previous years, where the number of attempts was limited to three.

For more information and tickets, visit martinsvillespeedway.com.

Photo courtesy of Martinsville Speedway

Registration is underway for the 30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour, which is set to take place July 6–11. Drivers must have an IMCA license to participate in the tour which travels throughout North Dakota and Canada.

“This tour has become something of an institution,” Founder and Director John Gartner said to IMCA.com. “Drivers come from all over the United States and Canada to enjoy the competition as well as the hospitality.”

Modifieds will race for $2,400 to win and stock cars for $800 to win on July 6 at Jamestown Speedway (Jamestown, North Dakota); July 7 at Nodak Speedway (Minot, North Dakota); July 8 at Estevan Motor Speedway (Estevan, SK, Canada); July 9 at Williston Basin Speedway (Williston, North Dakota); July 10 at Southwest Speedway (Dickinson, North Dakota); and July 11 at Dacotah Speedway (Mandan, North Dakota).

All six Modified tour features are qualifying events for the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational.

New in 2019 is the IMCA.TV Last Chance Qualifier race. Drivers who do not make the show through heats or ‘B’ features can give it one last shot by winning this LCQ feature and tag the back of the main event.

For more information, to register, reserve car numbers and to become eligible for contingency awards, visit dakotamodtour.com.

The 2019 edition of Cochran Motor Speedway’s annual Gobbler 100, which is again set for Thanksgiving weekend, November 28-30, will see the dirt super late model division take center stage for the first time.

Along with the new headline division, there will be added money for bombers, pure stocks, 602 late models and crate late models.

“We’ve had the Gobbler 100 the past few years with the National Dirt Late Model Series, but we decided this year that we would change things up a bit and have Super Late Models as the headline division,” revealed track owner, Chris Martin. “We’re hoping to take this race and build it into a premier event over the next few years.”

An open practice on Thursday, November 28, begins the event. Support divisions will contest qualifications and heat races, while the super late models will battle in a complete, $5,000-to-win program on Friday, November 29.

The weekend culminates on Saturday, November 30, which will feature the headlining $15,000-to-win super late model program along with support divisions.

Martin, who owns a Georgia contracting company, took ownership of the 3/8-mile, red clay oval in 2013. Since then, improvements have been made to the facility including new lighting, a new sound system, new restrooms and new bleachers.

More event details, including rules and payouts, will be released in the coming weeks.

For more information, visit CochranSpeedway.com.

Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR), the motorsports and entertainment facility located in Jupiter, Florida, has expanded its sales and marketing team.

Joining the PBIR team are Hector Scarano, director of corporate partnerships for the facility and Joshua Stowell, sales and marketing specialist.

Located at IRG Sports + Entertainment’s (IRGSE) West Palm Beach, Florida headquarters, Scarano and Stowell report directly to IRGSE Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships & Industry Relations Dana Landry.

“It’s great to have these talented individuals join the PBIR team,” Landry said. “They have an outstanding track record of building and growing relationships with new and existing partners. They offer valuable experience in the sports industry and marketing fields to create greater brand awareness for our partners at PBIR.”

Through his current role, Scarano will oversee business development, marketing and sales activities across all IRGSE properties. Scarano, a motorsports industry veteran, holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. He previously served as Chief Strategy Officer of IHR Management Group, LLC and Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Andretti Autosport.

Stowell, who holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University, has worked for a range of professional sports teams including the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Panthers and the Florida Launch. He has specialized in marketing and ticket sales, creating marketing and promotional campaigns to increase ticket sales and build brand awareness.

For more information, visit irgse.com or racepbir.com.

Photo of Hector Scarano, left, and Josh Stowell, right, courtesy of IRGSE

The inaugural Saleen Cup, named the world’s professional first arrive-and-drive series, has announced a change to its series schedule. The innovative series, which was set to race early June at Sonoma Raceway, will now make its debut at Portland International Raceway in Oregon on July 13-14.

According to Saleen Cup organizers, it has taken longer than expected to build the 20 Cup Cars for their original launch date.

“The Saleen Cup cars require specialty components that are sourced globally, and unanticipated delays importing and clearing these parts through customs have significantly delayed production,” a press release said. “Despite these factors outside our control, we remain committed to our motorsport roots, and have therefore moved the racing launch of the Saleen Cup series from Sonoma… to Portland International Raceway on July 13-14.”

Saleen indeed took part in the Sonoma event, hosting a hospitality area and offering guests a first-look at the race-ready Saleen 1 model.

For more information, visit saleen.com/saleen-cup.

The new LMPH2G electric/hydrogen racing prototype will take part in the traditional starting procedure for the WEC Super Finale during the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Before the 62 cars entered in the 87th running of “the world’s greatest endurance race” begin the event, the hydrogen-powered racing prototype will complete a demonstration lap of the nearly 8.5-mile circuit in Le Mans, France.

The lap will be a world first and a significant milestone in the MissionH24 project spearheaded by the ACO and GreenGT to promote hydrogen power in motor racing.

Their aim is to achieve zero-carbon mobility, which will be witnessed by a worldwide audience gathered to watch the biggest endurance race of the year. MissionH24’s ultimate goal is to introduce a special hydrogen-powered prototype class at the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Photo courtesy of ACO

Total Seal Piston Rings, the provider of high-performance piston rings and related components, has been acquired by an investment group led by Total Seal President Matt Hartford.

The investment group also includes Promus Equity Partners and Chairman of Total Seal Jon S. Vesely.

The sale of the company—which was founded over 50 years ago by Joe Moriarty—was finalized late last week, according to a joint statement by Joey Moriarty (the son of the founder), Promus Equity Partners, S. Vesely and Hartford.

"My dad would be pleased that Matt is carrying on Total Seal, maintaining the integrity of the company and furthering our position as the leaders in Piston Ring technology for racing and high-performance markets,” Moriarty said. “We have some very exciting new advancements that will further solidify our leadership position."

Hartford, who previously served as Vice President since joining Total Seal in 1998, is now the company’s CEO and President. Prior to this, Hartford held a position as a Nuclear Engineer in the US Navy.

From high-performance piston rings to ring tools and specialty lubricants, Total Seal components have been used in NASCAR, NHRA, PDRA, INDYCAR, Formula 1 and more.

For more information, visit totalseal.com.

Summit Racing Equipment now offers its Canadian customers free shipping on orders over $299.00 USD.

Customers are still responsible for customs duties, taxes, and fees, but Summit Racing's Landed Cost Delivery Service to Canada lets them pay all applicable duties, taxes, and fees when an order is placed; there are no out-of-pocket expenses to pay, however, when parts arrive. All shipping costs are shown during the checkout process.
 
This Canada Free Shipping offer began June 10 and is available for a limited time.