DEI and the City of Avon Lake have announced the Fourth Annual DEI Cruise-in is scheduled for Saturday, June 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. across the road from DEI Headquarters in Avon Lake, Ohio.

The DEI Cruise-In will be co-sponsored by the City of Avon Lake and will be held again at Weiss Baseball Fields.

Free to the public, the event will feature an array of custom cars, trucks and motorcycles, along with vintage First Responder and military vehicles, race cars and the exclusive Bernie Moreno exotic and luxury vehicle row.

“What began a few years’ back as a cruise-in on the grounds of our headquarters has grown exponentially. We started this event to showcase our work in the automotive aftermarket while giving back to the community with a local fundraiser. Once our local community leaders became involved and suggested the larger more expansive Weiss Baseball Fields, we knew that this event would take off,” event organizer Steve Garrett said.

Throughout the evening there will be door prizes and giveaways and a 50/50 raffle. Event T-shirt sales are planned to benefit Valor Home of Lorain County, a transitional housing program for homeless male veterans that serves 100,000 people each year.

There will also be food trucks, concession stands and fun activities for kids of all ages including face painting.

Admission and parking are free.

For the latest information, visit the DEI’s Cruise-In social media page.

MOTOMASTER and Ron Fellows have combined forces to create a new karting series for 2019 with additional prizing, a five-event schedule and nine races.

The MOTOMASTER Ron Fellows Karting Championship will provide kart racers additional opportunities to further develop their racing skills in an environment where both performance and participation are rewarded.

“Canadian Tire is a proud supporter of the development of young racers in Canada, and we are excited to extend our support to the MOTOMASTER Ron Fellows Karting Championship. This series, along with the MOTOMASTER ASN Canada FIA Canadian Karting Championships, will be the cornerstones of youth driver development in Canada, and we look forward to seeing young drivers develop in a healthy and competitive environment,” said Andrew Davies, Senior Vice President, Automotive at Canadian Tire Corporation.

With enhanced prizing including Canadian Tire gift cards, karting product raffles and cash awards, the series opening round is just a few weeks away.

The 2019 schedule is below.

For more information, visit the MOTOMASTER Ron Fellows Karting Championship website.

MOTOMASTER Ron Fellows Karting Championship 2019 Schedule
Race 1, 2 – May 18/19, Goodwood Kartways
Race 3, 4 – June 15/16, Canadian Mini Indy Karting Complex
Race 5, 6 – July 6/7, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Race 7, 8 – July 26/27, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Race 9  – Sept. 7, Goodwood Kartways

Four talented youth drivers have been selected to hone their racing skills as participants in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program after a national talent search in March.

NASCAR and Rev Racing hosted a youth driver combine at GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina, where drivers ages 12 to 16 were evaluated during practice sessions and heat races.

Four drivers were selected to the 2019 class, including Rajah Caruth, 16, an iRacing competitor from Washington D.C., with aspirations of a traditional racing career. Among the new participants are Lacy Kuehl, 12, of Sarasota, Florida, who has experience racing dirt oval flat karts, and Blake Lothian, 16, a World Formula Kart driver from Wellesley, Massachusetts.
 
Fourteen-year-old U.S. Legends car driver Isabella Robusto of Fort Mill, South Carolina, returns to Rev Racing having trained with the youth driver development program in 2017 and 2018.

“Each driver demonstrated strong potential and we believe will be successful in racing. The four selected stood out based on their abilities both on and off the track, have great experience and left quite the positive impression on our evaluators,” said Jusan Hamilton, the NASCAR director of racing operations and event management.

Rev Racing, the competition arm of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program, will put the four drivers in INEX Legend Cars in 2019. Each driver will compete in the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway in June and July, and several other events throughout the summer.

The youth development program serves as a stepping stone for drivers to eventually move to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series race cars with the goal of one day competing for a NASCAR national series team.

For more information of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program, visit here.

In related NASCAR news, NASCAR officials have announced that all three national series will return to single-car qualifying at all oval tracks.

The adjustment brings an end to just over five years of the group qualifying format, which will remain for the series’ three road-course events.

For more on this story, visit NASCAR.com here.

What are you doing on social media?

Before you answer, let’s be clear that we’re not talking about posting images of your dog, or what you had for dinner last night—or God forbid what your dog had for dinner…. That’s just wrong.

What we’re interested in here is social media for your business. And yes, it’s high time we had that conversation. Why? Because as much fun as it is to share pictures and videos of your family, friends and pets, the fact is that in 2019 businesses simply cannot afford to ignore—or undervalue—the reach and influence of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and others. Consider:

* Approximately 85% of all small businesses (more than 80 million) worldwide have Facebook pages (source: business2community.com & Facebook)

* Almost 80% of all Facebook users have found something to buy through the platform (source: business2community.com)

* Instagram is now the second most popular social network for small businesses, with more than 70% of all US businesses on the site (source: hootsuite.com)

* 80% of all Instagram users follow at least one business or brand on the site (source: hootsuite.com)

* 75% of Instagram users take action, like visiting a website after looking at a brand’s post (source: hootsuite.com)

* YouTube is the second-most visited website on the planet; As for No. 1… Google it (source: lifewire.com)

* Since 2016, people have watched over 50,000 years worth of product review videos on YouTube (source: hootsuite.com)

* Three times as many people would prefer to watch a YouTube video than read an instruction manual (source: YouTube)

There’s no denying the impact of social media in today’s world—let alone on our own motorsports community. Want proof? In a recent survey of racing businesses conducted by PRI, more respondents said they promote their business through social media than through their own websites. If that doesn’t attest to the power of the platform…

So again, it begs the question: What are you doing on social media? Are you using it to effectively market your products and services? Are you using it to connect with clients, or bring in new ones? Are you using it to promote your achievements, or those of your customers? Are you using it to educate, or inform, or even entertain? How are you using social media to boost your business?

In this month’s PRI Magazine cover story “Social Media Mastery” we posed these questions and more to the folks in charge of their motorsports companies’ digital marketing efforts in order to learn more about the secrets to their success. What sort of content are they posting? How often do they post? Does time of day matter? Are they doing it organically or do they pay to reach a wider—or more targeted—audience?

These are important questions, and our sources were more than generous with their feedback and insights, with many offering an inside look at how they’re leveraging this powerful medium and realizing tangible results, i.e., converting followers and likes into shoppers and sales.

Indeed, as we were putting this story together it got me thinking about a great quote on the topic: “Social media is just a buzzword until you come up with a plan.”

So, what’s yours?

The AAM Group has announced the addition of Motor State Distributing as its 20th member company.

Leveraging more than five decades of industry engagement, Motor State distributes over 90,000 part numbers from its state-of-the-art, 416,000-square-foot complex located in Watervliet, Michigan.

“AAM is pleased to welcome Motor State Distributing,” said AAM President Tim Odom. “The Lane family and their staff have built a remarkable and well-respected business. We look forward to partnering with them as they continue their growth.”

Motor State will be participating in the truck segment of the group as a Total Truck Centers program warehouse.

Automotive Accessories Marketing USA, Inc. (The AAM Group) is one of the largest distribution groups in the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) marketplace.

For more information, visit the AAM Group website or the Motor State Distributing website.

Lapeer International Dragway, the dragstrip that underwent a complete ground-up renovation in 2018, has entered into a sanctioning agreement with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).

The Northeastern Michigan facility just outside the city of Lapeer can now participate in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries bracket racing program.

Track owner Bill Jennings, who bought the 1/4-mile track before the 2018 season, spent over $2.5 million in renovations to the over half-century old track, according to the IHRA. Improvements included tearing up the old racing surface and replacing it with concrete through the eighth-mile and asphalt for the other eighth-mile.

With a diamond-polished racing surface, it is called the “Fastest Pass in Michigan.”

“We had everything measured and set up to spec under IHRA supervision,” said Matt Valuka, the Lapeer International Dragway director of operations. “We constantly have people go down the track and when they pull in, they set [their] fastest pass, a best 60-foot. They find a lot of firsts out there.”

Other upgrades included a repaved return road, new pavement in the pits and concrete retaining walls all the way down the track. New fencing, lighting, and electrical, including an upgraded Accutime timing system, have also been installed.

Beyond the drag strip, work is scheduled for camping areas and future plans include a BMX bicycle track once approved by the township.

For more information, visit the IHRA website or the Lapeer International Dragway website.

McLaren Group has announced a new multi-year partnership with global law firm Ashurst. The partnership sees Ashurst become the Official Legal Services Partner for McLaren Group, the global sports, luxury automotive and technology brand synonymous with a culture of innovation.

The partnership builds on Ashurst’s well-established relationship with McLaren Automotive, the iconic sportscar and supercar company, and now extends to cover McLaren Group, McLaren Racing and the McLaren Applied Technologies businesses.

With 26 offices in 16 countries, Ashurst will work closely alongside McLaren’s in-house counsel on all aspects of its legal requirements.

“At McLaren, we work in a fast-paced world of innovation, so in Ashurst we are delighted to have a partner who understands our different businesses and is agile enough to be able to respond to our growing needs,” said Tim Murnane, the Group Legal Director & Company Secretary for McLaren Group.

For more information, visit the McLaren Group website or the McLaren Racing website.

Best In The Desert (BITD), the North American off-road race series based in Las Vegas, Nevada, announced the agreement with the Martelli Brothers, the Mint 400 and UTV World Championships has ended, for 2020 and beyond.

This decision was reached amicably between both parties after careful consideration and discussion about the future of both organizations and what would be in the long-term best interest for each, according to BITD.

Since being approached by the Martelli Brothers in 2012, BITD has been instrumental in returning the Mint 400 to the position it once held as one of several top off-road events on the calendar.

“We wish the Martelli Brothers all the best as they move on independently with their events. We are proud of the contribution we have made helping them resurrect the Mint 400 and very proud of our team that did all the hard work behind the scenes to make it happen,” Best In The Desert CEO Daryl Folks said. "We have been working on contingency plans for some time regarding our 2020 Event Schedule and will be making announcements regarding our plans shortly.”

“I echo my brothers’ sentiments and I’m excited about the opportunities change brings for us,” BITD CMO Bryan Folks said. “I would like to particularly thank our sponsors who have stood behind us over the years. This move gives us the freedom to focus 100% of our efforts on our events and our sponsors and eliminates any conflicts that we have experienced trying to manage race operations for the Martelli Brothers.”

The next round in the BITD Series is the VT Construction Silver State 300 Presented By Polaris set for May 2-5 in Las Vegas.

For more information, visit the Best In The Desert website.

(Image courtesy of Best In The Desert).

Xtreme Concepts (XCI) Racing has bolstered its executive team with the addition of Jennifer Yohe as president and chief business development officer. Yohe will lead day-to-day business operations as well as brand strategy and partnership development for XCI Racing, which made its NASCAR debut in the March 30 Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, finishing eighth with driver Jeffrey Earnhardt.
 
Yohe joins XCI Racing after 11 years at Comcast Cable where she was senior vice president of procurement. In that role, Yohe managed the procurement team and its agreements and relationships. She also oversaw business-to-business development across Comcast and its partners, including NBC and Spectacor.

“As a new organization, it’s important we make the right decisions at the right time. Jennifer’s experience in leadership and business development, along with her understanding of motorsports, gives XCI Racing the necessary depth to succeed in partnership development,” XCI Owner Landon Ash said.

XCI Racing makes its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway with Earnhardt piloting the No. 81 Toyota Camry. The team will return to Talladega in October for its second NASCAR Cup Series race, but in between XCI Racing will compete in four Xfinity Series races with Earnhardt: June 29 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, July 5 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Aug. 16 Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Aug. 31 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

For more information, visit the XCI Racing website.

(Image courtesy of Xtreme Concepts Inc.)

Gulf Racing Fuels has announced that its national distributor, Hyperfuels, LLC, has plans to build two gas stations at the Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, Georgia.

The track will feature a public gas station at the entrance that can serve track members, participants as well as the general public with ethanol-free gasoline and diesel. A second station will be located inside the track boundaries near the Go Kart Center. Both stations will also feature high octane racing fuels.

Planning and engineering are already underway for the project at Atlanta Motorsports Park, which will be the first race track of any kind to offer pleaded high octane racing fuels.

Hyperfuels, LLC will work with S. A. White and Company for the construction of the stations.

For more information, visit the Gulf Racing Fuels website.