The Dodge//SRT brand will return as title sponsor of the NHRA Dodge HEMI Challenge, marking the 19th consecutive year of FCA US LLC sponsorship of the popular NHRA Sportsman event at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

The 19th Annual NHRA Dodge HEMI Challenge is set for Aug. 29-30 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, as part of the six days of race action at the 65th annual U.S. Nationals. The event showcases Super Stock/A-HEMI (SS/AH) NHRA Sportsman class competitors battling on the quarter-mile in 1968 Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda machines powered by the Mopar 426 HEMI engine.

“The NHRA Dodge HEMI Challenge is a fan-favorite tradition at the U.S. Nationals, and we’re proud to continue as title sponsor during one of the most prestigious events on the NHRA circuit,” Steve Beahm said, who is the Head of Passenger Car Brands for Dodge//SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, and Head of Parts and Service (Mopar) for FCA North America. “It speaks volumes about the legacy of our brand at the drag strip and the passion of our fans to see HEMI-engine-powered vehicles from more than 50 years ago side-by-side in the staging lanes next to our modern-day Dodge drag cars.”

Competitors will vie for the unique 42.6-lb NHRA Dodge HEMI Challenge trophy, created as a callout to the 426 HEMI engine. All 16 drivers to reach the elimination rounds will receive cash rewards, with the winner walking away with the $15,000 winner’s purse.

In addition, the Dodge//SRT brand also utilizes its Dodge Top Finisher program—now in its third year—to recognize and reward dedicated and passionate Sportsman racers. The Dodge Top Finisher award includes $500 each for the Stock and Super Stock competitors who advance the furthest behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered vehicle. The award is given in both classes at all 24 NHRA National events.

Dodge//SRT will also return as title sponsor of the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil, scheduled for July 19-21, at Bandimere Speedway near Denver as well as the title sponsors at the Dodge NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Dodge//SRT and Mopar have also joined forces with a 4,800-square-foot exhibit, one of the largest on NHRA Manufacturers Midway. The combined display will visit 15 events during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

For more information, visit the NHRA website.

Formula 1 team Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport has added Paul Ripke as a special advisor. In the newly created position, Ripke will report directly to Team Principal & CEO Toto Wolff.

Ripke has worked with the team for three years as an audio-visual producer and strategist, focusing on developing the long-term content capabilities of the teams. His new role will see him blur the lines between engineering support, talent management and strategy input while also taking full control of the team’s communications channels.

“When Paul first started attending our engineering meetings, he came to capture content. However, he quickly earned his seat at the table with his open-minded and left-field approach. However, what impressed us the most are his humility and modesty which are second to none – as he pointed out himself. We are delighted that he has accepted our offer to join the team on a permanent basis,” Wolff said.

“This is an absolute dream come true, I’ve wanted to work on a Formula One car since I was a little boy,” Ripke said.

For more information, visit the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport website.

Officials of the United States Speed Association (USSA) and Anderson Speedway (Anderson, Indiana) have announced the creation of The Dick Jordan Classic.

The inaugural event will be held Saturday, April 20. Going forward, the Anderson Speedway race will serve as the season opener for the K&M Tool and Die Mel Kenyon Midget Series.

The event honors Dick Jordan, who first joined USAC in the 1960s and has most recently served as the sanctioning body and club’s Vice President of News and Communications. Jordan’s entire career has been devoted to publicizing open wheel drivers and the series, which included developing relationships with national journalists, maintaining statistics, writing race reports and mentoring drivers on working with the media.

“We feel that naming our season-opening race at Anderson The Dick Jordan Classic is a fitting tribute to Dick and everything he has done for racers over the years,” said USSA President Don Kenyon. ”Dick is one of the good guys and few people are more dedicated to the sport and its people than DJ.”

The pit gates will open at 3 p.m., with the spectator gates and practice opening at 4 p.m. The green flag will drop on The Dick Jordan Classic at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the Anderson Speedway website.

A resolution has been offered in the Hawaii House of Representatives advocating for the construction of a new race track facility on the island of Oahu.

The racing community lost motorsports facilities on the island more than a decade ago.

The resolution (H.C.R. 42) is currently awaiting consideration in the House Committees on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs as well as the Judiciary Committee.

The Stand 21 Safety Foundation's 8th Annual "Racing Goes Safer" driver safety seminar at the Acura Long Beach Grand Prix will feature David Hobbs as its special guest feature.

Hobbs is a versatile veteran racer and TV expert race analyst. He will discuss motorsports safety from a unique perspective based on a full career both behind the wheel and behind the microphone, sharing stories from his book “HOBBO, Motor Racer, Motor Mouth.”

The free event—which is open to racers, crews, families and sanctioning bodies interested in practical advice on how to better protect themselves from dangers at the track—will be held on Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by informal conversation and a light lunch.

This year's program will also include a tribute to Dr. Bob Hubbard, the inventor of the HANS device, who recently passed away. Tom Gideon of NASCAR Safety will add his recollections of working with Bob on lab testing of the HANS.

In addition, Jeff Horton, IndyCar's Director of Engineering and Safety will describe the tools and process used in The Evolution of an Indy Car Headrest.

The Stand 21 Safety Foundation is a non-profit organization created by Stand 21 Racewear Founder and President Yves Morizot to help educate racers on better safety practices. The seminar is made possible through the support of Eibach, the SAE of Southern California, and the Long Beach Grand Prix Association.

For more information, including additional presenters and to register for a seat, visit the Racing Goes Safer website.

Engine Pro, the engine parts distribution network based in the US and Australia, has named Andrew Cardwell as its product development manager. Cardwell is charged with researching and identifying new product opportunities, expanding current parts lines and overseeing new product introductions.

“I am very excited about Andrew joining our team. He will bring a fresh view to the engine parts segment of the automotive aftermarket. I am confident that Andrew will be bringing new and exciting products to the Engine Pro and Engine Pro Racing lines,” Engine Pro President Bill Cook said.

Cook also says that one of the keys in the decision to add Andrew to the Engine Pro team was his education and experiences while a student, and now graduate, of UNOH (The University of Northwestern Ohio) automotive programs. Cardwell also holds a degree in Business Administration from California State University-Fresno. Cardwell has worked in management in the automotive service industry and has been a professional firefighter.

For more information, visit the Engine Pro website.

Permatex, one of the innovators in chemical technology for automotive maintenance and repair, has promoted Jeff Morgan to National Account Manager of Automotive Groups - US. In this new role, Morgan is responsible for developing and maintaining account relationships, growing sales, and creating promotional and advertising programs to drive business to group members. In addition to the major accounts, Morgan will also manage smaller, independent automotive buying groups.

The announcement was made by Daniel Clarke, Permatex Director of Sales, Traditional Channel, who noted that Morgan has been with Permatex since 1997, and has served in a wide variety of sales and account management positions. Clarke added, “We are thrilled to have Jeff move into his new role at Permatex. He has been with the company for over 20 years and has an exceptional knowledge of our company and our products to complement his sales and management experience. His well-developed relationships with major buying groups will be an invaluable asset to our success moving forward.”

During his two decades with Permatex, Morgan has served as Account Manager – Southeast US, Account Manager – Key Accounts, National Sales Manager – Groups and Key Accounts, and District Manager. Prior to joining Permatex, Morgan worked with Loctite Corporation, Pet Dairy, Frito Lay, and Pepsi Cola in a variety of distribution and sales positions.

Morgan holds a Bachelor of Science in History with a Minor in Marketing from East Tennessee State University.

NASCAR competition officials released a bulletin to Monster Energy Series teams on Wednesday, March 27, announcing rules changes intended to reduce speeds at superspeedways.

The changes include a rear spoiler increased from eight to nine inches. Officials will also mandate a one-inch bolt-on track bar mount to change the height from 11 to 12 inches, raising the rear of the car by one inch. Both changes will be in effect for the season’s remaining races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR had eliminated rules for minimum ride heights at superspeedways ahead of the 2018 season, and teams responded by hunkering down the rear of their cars to reduce drag and increase speed. Wednesday’s track bar change is intended to offset those techniques by raising the rear of the car.

The season-opening Daytona 500 was the last superspeedway race with restrictor plates in place to reduce engine horsepower. The next superspeedway event, scheduled April 28 at Talladega, will slow speeds with the use of aerodynamic devices and a tapered engine spacer for a target horsepower figure of 550.

NASCAR officials conducted a two-day test session with the new package on February 18-19, the Monday and Tuesday after the Daytona 500. A NASCAR spokesperson said the observed and predicted speeds from the test were higher than desired, and that Wednesday’s changes are intended to return speeds to a safe range. The spokesperson said that officials “do not anticipate any changes to the style of racing at Daytona and Talladega.”

Teams and drivers participating in that two-day test were:
• 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for driver Daniel Hemric

• 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet for driver Kyle Larson

• 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for driver Alex Bowman

Marx Group, a full-service marketing communications agency and Eisbrenner Public Relations, one of the leading public relations firms in the Midwest, have agreed to merge and form Marx Buscemi Eisbrenner Group, LLC. The deal will close in April 2019.
 
The new agency will bring together two well-known and respected firms with substantial experience to provide integrated B2B and B2C marketing communications services to the global automotive, mobility, tech, trucking and consumer goods industries.
 
Marx Buscemi Eisbrenner Group will be headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with a second location in San Rafael, California. Additionally, the company will be a member of IPREX, the leading worldwide partnership platform of independent communications firms, giving it a true global reach through a network of affiliated agencies with 110 offices around the world.
 
The company will be led by Frank Buscemi, who will serve as CEO and chief creative officer, Tom Eisbrenner, president, and Tom Marx, chairman and chief strategy officer.
 
Discussions for the merger began in October 2018, when Buscemi and Eisbrenner saw the opportunity to bring together two companies with exceptionally complementary skill sets and talent.
 
“When we began discussions last fall, we saw a very natural fit for our two companies and the immediate benefits it would provide to our clients,” said Buscemi. “We are bringing together the expert public relations skills of the Eisbrenner team and the wide-ranging advertising, branding development, research and digital experience of Marx Group to create a true full-service marketing communications agency that can deliver top-tier strategy and execution with speed, cost and efficiency in mind.”
                                                            
The Eisbrenner team will relocate from Royal Oak to Bloomfield Hills during the spring of 2019.
 
“The foundational principles of both companies will continue here: being an extension of our clients’ teams, providing great work and solid strategy and always continuing to learn,” said Eisbrenner. “We will continue to strive to be people who others want to work with.”
 
In addition, the new agency will continue the affiliation that Marx Group has with Near Perfect Media (www.nearperfectmedia.com), which provides public relations and marketing for professionals, corporations and celebrities. The companies, which currently share office space, are expanding into two suites within the current Bloomfield Hills building.
 
“Marx Group was actively looking for opportunities to expand its capabilities and take the next step in its evolution,” said Marx. “By joining forces with the Eisbrenner PR team, we now have a combined agency with a tremendous skill set, a ton of experience and a very bright future, all based on being true partners dedicated to helping clients grow their business.”
 
The company will launch its new branding and website soon. At this time, additional information can be found at www.eisbrenner.com and www.marxgrp.com.

The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Inc. is being purchased by Stig Investments, Inc., a small group of business leaders with significant experience bringing organizations to maximum profitability and growth. Stig is a select assembly of entrepreneurs who are also graduates of the Bondurant school, racing enthusiasts and automobile collectors.

One member of the investor group, Bruce Belser, will serve as CEO of Bondurant, effective upon the close of the transaction, which is expected in the coming weeks. Belser is a successful entrepreneur, having founded several businesses, and has served as a corporate pilot, Delta Airlines commercial pilot, fighter pilot and U.S. commander in the U.S. Air Force. Belser has attended Bondurant school twice as a student.

The new owners plan to ensure current and incoming students at the school have an excellent experience without interruption; the company is currently operating and school is in session. They will immediately stabilize the financial foundation of the organization and plan to infuse significant capital into the business to enhance the guest experience for individuals and groups, and provide excellent return on investment for sponsorship partners and a best-in-class work environment for employees.

“We plan to establish the next generation of race car learning and entertainment as popularity in car racing and interest in consumer destination experiences continues to grow,” said Belser. 

He adds that the new owners will retain and enhance the reputation of the solid instruction the school is known for; head instructor Mike McGovern, who has been with the company for 36 years, and assistant instructor Danny Bullock, a 22-year employee, will continue to lead guest experience and teaching with all current instructors. The team of instructors at the school are world renown for their deep knowledge and experience, and have taught some of the winningest drivers in the world as well as celebrities, star athletes and corporate executives. 

“We’ve worked diligently over the last six months to find new owners who are not only smart business leaders, but can continue Bob Bondurant’s rich legacy,” said Tim Shaffer, chief restructuring officer at the school. “Bruce Belser and his colleagues will maintain the integrity and quality of the school to the highest standards. I’m confident the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving will remain a vibrant part of the international racing and local communities for years to come.”

“As graduates of the School, we truly honor the lasting impact Bob Bondurant has made on the racing community,” said Belser. “We have a profound respect for Bob and what he has built -- an immersive experience for drivers of all skill levels. We sincerely appreciate the immense dedication of the school’s employees, students and sponsors over the last few months. Their support and hard work have been integral to keeping the company on track and will be critical as we move forward.” 

For more information about the school, visit www.Bondurant.com or call (800) 842-RACE.