Turn 14 Distribution is set to host the third annual Car Meet presented by KW Suspensions on June 15.

The event, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the company’s 272,000-square-foot distribution center in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, will offer awards in five different categories including Modern Performance, Domestic Performance, European Performance, Truck & Off-Road, and Overall Best in Show.

Turn 14 vendor partners will be on hand with product and vehicle displays. These include AWE Tuning, Edelbrock, FOX Factory Inc, Fleece Performance, KW Suspensions, Manley Performance, Mackin Industries, LUND, Vibrant Performance, Wilwood Engineering, Rolling Big Power, fifteen52, Air Lift, Akrapovič and Mishimoto.

Local and regional performance shops and retailers, including Crown SpeedLab, Gear One Performance, R/T Tuning, and Subimods, will also make up a midway display.

Car owners may pre-register their participating cars this year.

“Excitement for the event is high, with a wide range of local car enthusiast groups planning to attend,” Turn 14 Distribution stated in the news release. “The event will feature live entertainment courtesy of two DJs on-site, a hospitality tent with seating and shade, and food trucks offering refreshments and food for purchase. The meet is open to the public, free to enter, and all are welcome to attend.”

For the latest information, visit the Turn 14 Distribution website or social media page.

Due to high demand, the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, North Carolina, has opened additional spaces to its free summer program for high school juniors. Students interested in high-tech careers as automotive and diesel technicians may register for the Ignite program by May 23.

The NASCAR Technical Institute is one of 12 Universal Technical Institute (UTI) campuses across the nation.

Participants of the North Carolina program set for June 10–28, 2019, will receive hands-on training along with the opportunity to earn credits toward a UTI program.

For more information, visit the UTI website. To inquire about enrollment, contact Emme Garhan at 704/658-1950.

Photo courtesy of Universal Technical Institute (UTI)

RANDYS Worldwide, the provider of drivetrain products to the automotive aftermarket, has been purchased by a private equity firm.

“RANDYS is excited about this partnership that will help to strengthen our position as the drivetrain supplier of choice to the automotive aftermarket,” said Kevin Kaestner, president and CEO at RANDYS Worldwide, according to The Shop. “We are committed to continuing to grow our quality product, service, distribution, and technology platforms to the highest levels in the industry.”

RANDYS supplies differential gears, axles, installation kits, driveshafts, lockers, limited slip differentials, remanufactured transfer cases, axle assemblies and manual transmissions and caters to installers, box bog retailers, remanufactures, e-commerce retailers and enthusiasts. RANDYS has three brands, Yukon Gear & Axle, U.S.A. Standard Gear, and Zumbrota Drivetrain.

RANDYS also offers Diff Wizard by RANDYS Worldwide, an electronic year/make/model directory of over  6,000 differential applications dating back to 1948.

The drivetrain product provider employs more than 200 people across seven facilities and warehouses across the US, with its main office in Everett, Washington.   

Tailwind Capital, the private equity firm, focuses on investments in sectors such as industrial services and business services.

For more information, visit the RANDYS Worldwide website.

The Performance Open Wheel Racing, Inc. (POWRi) group has introduced Brian Walker as the director of Media Relations at POWRi Racing. From press releases to social media and more, Walker will handle content management for POWRi leagues nationwide.

“Having Brian on board will help our brand tremendously in giving fans, sponsors, and racers a reliable system in staying updated with our organization,” said POWRi President Kenny Brown. “We’ve been working together for a few months now and after he blew the Internet away with his coverage down in Oklahoma, there was no doubt we needed him here at POWRi.”

Covering the sport since he was 15, Walker brings a unique edge with his social media coverage. For years, he updated races on Twitter under the “Walkapedia” banner and in 2018, he joined the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League as the content manager. He’ll remain invested in the entire WAR Sprints program while assuming his new role with all of POWRi Racing.

“We have already started moving in the right direction the past month or so, but there is still a lot of renovations and improvements to be made. I have a lot of plans and new ideas that I am looking forward to unveiling as POWRi pushes into the future,” Walker said.

For more information, visit the POWRi website.

Photo courtesy of POWRi, Jessica Edmiston

Following uncertainty, two Lancaster-area businessmen Vito Antonicelli and Mike Swinarski have purchased Lancaster Speedway in New York. The pair will continue to operate the 77-acre property as a motorsports venue in addition to bringing in additional events in 2019.

The new owners have renamed the track, which enters its 60th season of operation this year, New York International Raceway Park (NYIRP).

“When the possibility of racing not happening at Lancaster in 2019 started to become a reality, Mike and I decided we needed to step in and help,” said Antonicelli.  “We look at it as redefining the future for generations to come. To keep the facility open for our current racers and fans while growing and adding racers and fans that will keep it going for another 60 years.”

The Dragway, which will be known as Lancaster Dragway @ NYIRP, will see a traditional weekly schedule of drag racing events that begins week with Tuesday night’s Test & Tune, Wednesday’s Cruise Night and Friday’s IHRA Drag Racing.

All weekly IHRA racers will race for points on Friday, May 24. The TNT Super Series and the Buffalo Street Outlaws will also take part.

NYIRP has also partnered with the Race of Champions (RoC) to put on a series of six stock car events this season.

The Speedway, which will be known as Lancaster Speedway @ NYIRP, opens Thursday, June 27 with the 5th-annual running of the RoC Modified Series’ Ol’ Boy Cup 60 featuring area Modifieds. Street Stocks, 4-Cylinders and YPA TQ Midgets finish out the night.

For more information on the changes, including the 2019 schedule, visit the NYIRP website.

Photo courtesy of Shawn Cathcart, NYIRP

Hulman & Co., the owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar, announced this week that it has sold the Clabber Girl Corp. to focus on motorsports and entertainment, which CEO Mark Miles called its “core focus,” according to Indiana Business Journal.

B&G Foods Inc., which manufactures and sells shelf-stable and frozen foods and is based in Parsippany, New Jersey, has purchased Clabber Girl for $80 million in cash.

"This decision positions us to fully focus on the continued direction and growth of IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions,” Miles said in a written statement.

IMS was built in 1909. The first Indianapolis 500 took place 1911, with the exception of skipping some races during World War I and World War II.

Clabber Girl, a company that dates to the 1850s, is best known for baking powder and baking soda products that are sold under that brand name, but it also makes gelatin, mousse, puddings and pie fillings under the Royal brand name and sells coffee through Rex Roasting Co.

For more information on IndyCar, visit here. For more information on IMS, visit here.

Tickets are now on sale for the 30th annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (NSCHoF) induction festivities, which will be held Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 in Knoxville, Iowa.

Pre-ordering banquet tickets will save fans $5. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.

One of the highlights of the weekend includes the attendance of previous National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees.

This year, a screening of the documentary, “The Legend of Stan Bowman” will take place in the museum’s theater on the second floor. Stan Bowman rose to quick prominence, winning with USAC at Eldora, before tragedy struck in Terre Haute. Several of his contemporaries including Johnny Rutherford and Mario Andretti are featured.

The film is tentatively scheduled to screen at 5 p.m.  John Lucas, one of the makers of the piece, and author of “The Bravest of them All – The Legend of Stan Bowman” will be in attendance.

At 7 p.m., the annual past inductees' round-table discussion will begin on the museum’s second floor. The reception, which is open to the public,  always includes an open mic discussion with plenty of stories.

Tom Bigelow, Shane Carson, Ray Lee Goodwin, Lynn Paxton, Bill Utz and Steve Stapp are just a few of our Hall of Fame inductees who have expressed their intention on attending.

June 1 will mark the 30th annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction banquet.  The banquet will begin at Noon, and again be held at the Dyer-Hudson Hall on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville.

Those individuals being inducted for their career achievements include: Drivers – Richard Griffin, Jason Johnson and Stevie Smith; Owners-Mechanics-Builders-Manufacturers-Car Sponsors – M.A. Brown and C.K. Spurlock; Promoters-Officials-Media Members-Event/Series Sponsors – Thomas J. Schmeh and Greg Stephens; and Pre-1945 Era – “Wild” Bill Endicott.

For more information, visit the NSCHoF website. To purchase tickets, contact Lori DeMoss at 641/842-6176 or by e-mail at LDeMoss@SprintCarHoF.com.

NASCAR has announced the newest class of interns selected to the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program (NDIP).

Twenty-eight undergraduate and graduate students from universities across the country will begin orientation today in Charlotte and participate in a motorsports tour that will include Charlotte Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the other racing venues in and around the city.

“For many, the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program provides an introduction to motorsports as well as valuable, hands-on experience in an industry rich with opportunity,” said Paula Miller, NASCAR senior vice president and chief human resources officer. “As we welcome each new class, we’re reminded of the many careers launched by this program and the positive impact our graduates continue to have on the sport.”

The 2019 NDIP class will have roles at NASCAR and program partners across the industry which include International SpeedwayCorporation (ISC), Toyota, MRN and several tracks and teams.
 
Throughout the program, interns will interact with industry professionals at an array of networking events and lunch-and-learns led by NASCAR executives. The interns will also have access to mentors and NDIP alumni currently working at the sanctioning body and partner organizations.
 
NDIP is open to sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate-level college students and offers hands-on experience with one of the top sports industries in the country. The internship provides opportunities to multicultural students from all majors with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

For more information, visit the NASCAR website.

The 2019 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program class includes:

Name	Department	University
Rocco Babun	NASCAR Partnership Marketing	Elon University
Evelis Casey	Watkins Glen International	Loyola University Maryland
Gerald Donaldson	NASCAR Graphic Design	Clemson University
Carlos Fernandez	NASCAR Finance	University of Vermont
Aditya Baban Ghawre	NASCAR Research & Development	North Carolina State University
Dontre Graves	Rev Racing	Jackson State University
Wesley Hopkins	Roush Fenway Racing	University of Connecticut
John Huger Jr.	ISC Partnership Marketing & Sales	Bethune-Cookman University
MaKenzie Johnson	Toyota	Claflin University
Suzi Lee	NASCAR Licensing	California State University, Fullerton
Lawrence McMillion II	Richmond Raceway	Virginia State University
Jordan Mitchell	NASCAR Driver Marketing	University of Tulsa
Sean Montgomery	NASCAR Digital Content	Georgia College
Kylee Morgan	Richard Childress Racing	University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Seth Myers	ISC Legal	Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
Julia Nowicki	ISC Digital Communications	Syracuse University
Monon Rahman	NASCAR Research & Development	University of Kentucky
Lukens Rivil	NASCAR Legal	Florida A&M University College of Law
Savanna Samuels	NASCAR International Broadcasting	Howard University
Justin Sifford	NASCAR Technical Inspection	NASCAR Technical Institute
Isabella Sisneros	Daytona International Speedway	Arizona State University
Jai Hyun So	NASCAR Analytics & Insights	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cora Taft	ISC Sales Academy	Georgetown University
Avery Oliver	The NASCAR Foundation	Rhodes College
Charles Tsao	Michigan International Speedway	University of Michigan
Tanvee Wakankar	NASCAR Digital Media	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mia Williams	NASCAR Communications	Towson University
Lucia Zapata	NASCAR Growth Segments	University of Central Florida

Transmission technology specialist Xtrac has appointed Piet Daenen into a newly created position of chief operating officer (COO). Daenen joins the company’s leadership team as a full member of the board to help manage its growth—not just in top-level professional motorsports around the world—but also in the high-performance automotive sector.

“Piet joins Xtrac at exactly the right time in our 35th year,” Xtrac Chief Executive Adrian Moore said. “We are enjoying our highest ever sales revenue with record orders and many exciting new projects underway.”

Daenen has a strong operational background with recent experience of other high growth and investor supported businesses. He has also served major global engineering companies around the world including BMW, JCB and Rolls-Royce.

Mid-way through a significant investment program, Xtrac has also recently completed a 27,000 square foot factory extension, bringing the total to 115,000 sq. ft. The company has also added additional gear cell manufacturing facilities, 5-axis machining and vacuum heat treatment plant. 

Based in Indiana and North Carolina in the US, the company is also installing further production equipment over the next six months along with new transmission test cells.

As the global supplier of motorsport transmissions, Xtrac has also established itself as a supplier to the high-performance automotive sector with its unique range of ILEV (integrated lightweight electric vehicle) transmissions and supply of sophisticated hybrid transmission solutions for the next generation of hypercars.

For more information, visit the Xtrac website.

Piet Daenen chief operating officer Xtrac (left) discusses commissioning of vacuum heat treatment plant with senior manufacturing process engineer Andrew Jackson (right).

Officials from Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) have revealed plans to renovate Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee to bring NASCAR’s national touring series back to the region.

SMI officials had previously been in discussions with the administration from Mayor David Briley’s office with talks taking place behind closed doors. The proposed plan, headed by  Bristol Motor Speedway Executive Vice President Jerry Caldwell, first went public on Tuesday.

The $60 million renovation features a 30,000 seat-capacity structure, an expanded concourse, pedestrian tunnels and sound barriers, according to The Tennessean.

"This is your racetrack," Caldwell said, according to The Tennessean. "This racetrack belongs to the people of Nashville. We see tremendous potential... and are willing to offer our resources and experience in partnership with you."

The proposed renovation could be paid for through bonds and a revenue stream created through alternate uses of the speedway property, Caldwell said.

An apartment building, which is located 20 feet from the track’s entrance and would impede traffic flow of the race track, is another remaining hurdle.

As of now, discussions are still in progress between local political officials and SMI. The earliest a NASCAR race would visit the Nashville track would be 2021 if approved to be included on the series’ calendar.

A NASCAR national touring series has not competed at the Tennessee track since 2000. Regional NASCAR series have also competed in Nashville.

Formosa Productions, owned by Tony Formosa, is the current operators of the track. Along with the annual running of the Super Late Model All-American 400, the facility currently hosts weekly racing.

For more information on the track, visit the Fairgrounds Speedway website or the Speedway Motorsports Inc. website.