NMRA and NMCA have announced the 4th Annual Open Comp All-Star Showdown, a special race between select NMRA and NMCA Open Comp competitors, will take place at Atlanta Dragway during the 11th annual All-Star Nationals set for April 4-7, 2019.

Billed as the NMRA/NMCA MAHLE Motorsports All-Star Nationals, it’s one of the few times where fans can witness the spectacle of both NMRA and NMCA racing the same weekend.

NMRA and NMCA Open Comp class racers will compete for major bragging rights and a shot at the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle, where the winner will be presented with the Manufacturer’s Cup and $1,000 cash.

The Open Comp All-Star Showdown teams will be selected according to the following from each series:
• #1-4 positions will be 1-4 in points from 2018 racing at the Atlanta event.
• #5-7 positions will be decided by a drawing during the driver’s meeting Friday morning.
• #8 position will be a Blocker selected by the champion of each series racing in OC at the event. (Blockers name must be made known at the drivers meeting Friday morning).

Competitors will follow the NMRA and NMCA Open Comp rules. For more information on the NMRA/NMCA MAHLE Motorsports All-Star Nationals, visit the NMRA website or the NMCA website.

Road Atlanta, in a move to further the existing partnership with its Official Tire Partner Michelin North America, has rebranded as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Michelin becomes the first-ever entitlement partner of the track. Michelin also lends its name to a race track for the first time.

Before the new agreement, the front straight bridge was branded with the tire company’s iconic Michelin Man, as were many other signs throughout the 750-acre property. With the announcement, Michelin’s existing presence at Road Atlanta will be substantially increased.

In addition to renaming the facility, the Michelin partnership will serve as the cornerstone for the new Michelin Tower to be constructed in place of the existing control tower along the front straight. Crews are expected to complete construction of the state-of-the-art, four-story building in time for an expected grand opening at the 2019 Motul Petit Le Mans, set for October 9–12.

Plans for the new building include a 300-person hospitality and event space, a media center and broadcast booths, hospitality suites and Race Control. There will also be a rooftop viewing deck and a fully-equipped catering kitchen built into the structure.

“Michelin’s legacy at Road Atlanta runs deep, and these moves will, without question, drive that legacy even further,” Road Atlanta President and General Manager Geoff Lee said. “Michelin and Road Atlanta’s histories intersect at so many points that it would be impossible to separate them, and this partnership will solidify that bond. This venue entitlement and the new building are something that we’ve been working towards for a very long time, so it can’t be over-stated how monumental it is as this finally comes to fruition.”

Michelin’s current involvement as the Official Tire Partner of Road Atlanta will continue into the new partnership in 2019, giving total naming rights of the facility, the new tower and the tire category to the Greenville, South Carolina-based company.

For more information, visit the Road Atlanta website.

Beginning with the $1,000-to-win Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying event on June 29, IMCA Modifieds will run at Thunderbird Raceway, the newest track in IMCA’s Dirt Works Eastern Region.

Tom Sprague, who oversees the 3/8-mile clay oval in Muskegon, Michigan, has been a fan of the IMCA-sanctioned division for over 30 years as he was once a regular racer in the class.

“I’ve always liked the IMCA rules. They’re for the budget-minded racer,” Sprague said. “When I bought Thunderbird I said from the get-go that we were going toward IMCA. They keep the rules consistent and the costs down.”

Sprauge also owns and promotes Winston Speedway, a dirt track in Rothbury, Michigan. Thunderbird is now the fifth track in the state sanctioning modifieds weekly with IMCA.

“We’ve upgraded the track to all town and county specs,” said Sprague, clicking off a list of improve­ments that ranged from improved water runoff and handicapped parking to updated electri­cal and more lighting.

“We have added clay every year since I bought the track. We’ve installed new fencing and guard­rails and built up the driveways,” he said. “There are a lot of drivers in the area who think what we’ve done is great. We’re giving them the opportunity to race.”

For more information, visit the track website or the IMCA website.

The FIA has named a new race director for the FIA Formula One World Championship Australian Grand Prix following the passing of Charlie Whiting.

Michael Masi will take over Whiting’s duties as race director, safety delegate and permanent starter for the Australian event.

Officials have not yet confirmed whether Masi will continue in this role after the Australian GP. Whiting had held the position of race director since 1997.

For more information, visit the Formula 1 website.

The roar of vintage Indianapolis 500 champions will permeate Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on May 23-25, as the IMS Museum sponsors the 21st annual Indianapolis Historic Racing Exhibition.

Some of the most popular and legendary cars of the Indianapolis 500’s glorious history will run on the famed 2.5-mile oval, and when not roaring across the Speedway’s Yard of Bricks and into turn one, all will be on public display in the east parking lot of the IMS Museum, inside turn two of the IMS oval.

Public admission to the display area is free with the purchase of IMS admission.

In 2018, vintage racers and car collectors brought more than 70 original Indianapolis 500 entries back home to IMS for the Historic Racing Exhibition (HRE). Entry requirements for 2019 are the same: All entries must be Indy cars that have qualified, or attempted to qualify, for the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race between 1911 and 1994.

For more information, including the autograph session, track laps and entertainment set for the exhibition dates, visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website.

Martin Truex Jr. joined Auto Club Speedway’s Walk of Fame today, etching his footprints and signature in the fresh cement surrounding his Walk of Fame plaque and putting the finishing touches on one of his career highlights.

Located on the east end of the FanZone just outside of the track’s Gate B entrance, the Auto Club Speedway Walk of Fame inducts all of its past NASCAR Cup Series race winners and is "always a fan-favorite, must-see landmark."

“It’s just cool to think about how long this is going to be here. Knowing how long Auto Club Speedway has been around and is going to be here, it’s going to be here long after I’m done,” Truex Jr. said. “I’ve always really, really loved this race track and to finally get a win here and break through; it’s cool. A lot of great race fans out here.”

Truex Jr.’s plaque rests to the right of 2017 champion Kyle Larson and immediately below Jimmie Johnson, Auto Club Speedway’s winningest driver, and Jeff Gordon, Auto Club Speedway’s first NASCAR Cup Series race winner (in 1997) and first Walk of Fame member.

For more information, visit the Auto Club Speedway website.

FIA Director of Formula 1 Charlie Whiting, 66, passed away March 13, in Melbourne, Australia, as the result of a pulmonary embolism, just days before the Australian Grand Prix, which will open the F1 season.

Whiting began his F1 career in 1977 working at the Hesketh team, then in the 1980s at Brabham. He has been an integral part of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship since he joined the Federation in 1988, and has been the Race Director since 1997.

“It is with immense sadness that I learned of Charlie’s sudden passing. I have known Charlie Whiting for many years and he has been a great Race Director, a central and inimitable figure in Formula One who embodied the ethics and spirit of this fantastic sport,” FIA President Jean Todt said.

"Formula 1 has lost a faithful friend and a charismatic ambassador in Charlie," he added. "All my thoughts, those of the FIA and entire motorsport community go out to his family, friends, and all Formula 1 lovers.”

For more information, visit the F1 website.

An update to this story has been published. Click here to visit "FIA Names New Race Director For Australian GP." 

(Photo courtesy of F1)

Mercer Raceway, the 3/8-mile dirt oval in Findley Township, Pennsylvania, near Mercer, has new owners. Edward Michaels has purchased the motorsports facility and renamed it Michaels Mercer Raceway.

The purchase returned the raceway to the Michaels family as Edward’s father first bought Mercer Raceway in 1994. Edward and his brother Earl helped his father run the facility until it was sold in 1997.

The track then went through several hands of owners before Michaels purchased the facility in 2018.

A full schedule has been released for the track, which regularly runs big block modifieds, FASTRAK Limited Modifieds, Racesaver 305 sprints, Mod Lites, Dwarfs and Mini Stocks.

The first major race of the year is the Chiller Thriller set for March 30, which will pay $2000 to win.

For more information, visit the Mercer Raceway website.

The Trans-Am Race Co. has announced that Prefix has been selected as the exclusive supplier of the brand new TA2 Choice engine.

The durable Choice engine is a lower-cost model that performs at the same level as current engines. The Choice engine is eligible to be used in all three marques in the TA2 class.

The announcement does not change the eligibility status of existing certified TA2 Approved Engines built by approved/certified builders and rebuilders.

“We expect a motor to be good for an entire season of Trans-Am racing, and have a rebuild cost that is half of what it has been in the past,” Trans-Am TA2 Technical Director Ricky Brooks said. “We’ve also engaged DeLand, Florida-based Koury, Inc. as an approved rebuilder to give our competitors another choice in terms of geography of where they are getting the rebuilds done and that can also be factored into the cost savings.

“Additionally, Prefix will support the rest of the country with rebuilds by offering a cost neutral shipping solution regardless of where a competitor is located within the Continental US to accommodate the growing interest in the West as a result of Trans-Am’s West Coast Championship.”

Michigan-based Prefix Corp. creates prototype designs, mock-ups, and full-scale concept vehicles for the automotive and aviation industries. Prefix is an Approved Engine Builder/Rebuilder (AEBR) for the Trans-Am series “with a reputation for solid performing and reliable engines.” Prefix currently builds all three (Chevy, Dodge, and Ford) race engines for the series.

For more information, visit the Trans-Am website.

The Utah State Legislature has approved a $5 million appropriation to restore the Bonneville Salt Flats as part of the state budget. 



In the past few weeks, Utah legislators received upwards of 1000 emails from the motorsports community, which helped focus much needed attention on the critical funding request. The money will help support a program to restore the iconic land formation in northwestern Utah.



“This marks the first public dollars appropriated to restore the depleted salt surface since the land speed racing community began its quest more than 30 year ago,” said Save the Salt Foundation Vice Chairman Tom Burkland. “This is a job well done. Land speed racers the world over say, ‘Thank You Utah!’”



Lawmakers authorized the Utah Department of Natural Resources to create a “Restore Bonneville” program to increase the volume of salt being pumped onto the Bonneville Salt Flats by Intrepid Potash, Inc. Racing community representatives have worked with lawmakers, regulators and Intrepid Potash, Inc. to craft the 10-year project. Salt brine pumping levels will dramatically rise as a result of infrastructure upgrades. The racing venue should gradually expand from its current length of about 8 miles with the goal of reaching its original 13-mile length.



State funds become available on July 1, 2019. Utah lawmakers made the appropriation contingent on securing a commitment for monies from outside sources. The bulk of the estimated additional $45 million needed over 10 years will come from the federal government, with contributions as well from the motorsports community. Attention will now turn to the US Congress and US Bureau of Land Management to appropriate funds and make commitments so that Restore Bonneville becomes a reality.



The Bonneville Salt Flats is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Save the Salt Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the Bonneville Salt Flats in conjunction with the Utah Alliance, a Utah-based organization with the same mission. The Save the Salt Coalition is an umbrella group comprised of automotive and motorsports companies and organizations with a vested interest in this national treasure. For more information, visit savethesalt.org.