Power Automedia has announced the addition of Art Michalik as editorial director to Power Automedia’s staff. Michalik joined the team in early 2019.

“Art is eager to share his knowledge, and is a wellspring of content ideas. His influence on TURNology is already apparent, and I am excited to see his effect on other magazines at Power Automedia,” Power Automedia Vice President of Content Scott Parker said. “Art will be a key driver in the growth and success of the editorial department in 2019 and beyond.”
 
An avid car enthusiast, Michalik raced in the SCCA Formula Vee series in his early days and translated his passion into a professional career. He graduated from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, with a degree in journalism.

Early in his career, Michalik worked as the director of Client Services for Stewart Holt Advertising and was involved in managing many premium automotive brands including Brembo, Toyota Racing Development, PowerTrax, K&N, and others, which gave him a unique insight into how products go to market.

Later, Michalik worked at both Yokohama and Bridgestone in a marketing capacity, served as the general manager of the Skip Barber Racing School at the legendary Laguna Seca road course in California, and also was employed as a senior marketing manager at eBay Motors. He also has a longstanding history of producing top-quality editorial content, as he has written for multiple publications, manufacturers, and national dealerships.

For more information, visit the Power Automedia website.

VP Racing Fuels, Inc. announced today that Chris Wall will be assuming responsibilities for a broad portfolio of the company’s initiatives.

In this newly created role, Wall will be overseeing VP’s race fuel sales on the US East Coast, leading the National Sponsorships division, and leading OEM Relationships as senior director.

“Chris brings a unique blend of experience in automotive after-market and motorsports required to tackle these diverse but related initiatives,” VP Racing Fuels President & CEO Alan Cerwick said. “His industry knowledge and established relationships are second to none, and we expect accelerated growth activity in his areas of responsibility.”

Wall joined VP as Chief Marketing Officer in 2014, where he was responsible for all marketing “during a tremendous period of growth,” VP says.

More recently as senior director of Branded Retail, Wall helped grow the division to close to 300 VP branded c-stores in less than two years. In the last year, he has also spearheaded VP’s most recent retail expansions with VP Powerwash car wash systems and VP FastLubes oil change centers. Prior to joining VP, Wall held management positions with Porsche Cars North America, Pirelli Tire, and Yamaha Motor Corporation.

For more information, visit the VP Racing Fuels website.

Alamo City Motorplex, located in Marion, Texas, just east of San Antonio, has joined the NHRA Member Track Network in Division 4, the South Central Division.

Opened in 1999, Alamo City Motorplex (formerly San Antonio Raceway) will become a valued addition to the NHRA South Central Division, the NHRA said.

Alamo City Motorplex was also recently purchased by Essie Mianabi. Madyson Ayesh will oversee the day-to-day operations as the track’s general manager. Ayesh previously served as the track manager for Kansas International Dragway.

As an NHRA-sanctioned track, the facility will be eligible to offer racers a variety of NHRA racing opportunities, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Jr. Street and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. Additionally, the track has the opportunity to host NHRA’s specialty events including the NHRA.tv Challenge, NHRA Summit King of the Track, Ellis County Auto Good Guy Challenge Series, and NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge.                

“Our goal and vision for Alamo City Motorplex is to bring our racers and fans the premier drag racing experience in South/Central Texas,” Ayesh said. “Through consistency, transparency, and honest business practices, we will execute our vision and provide our racers, fans, and business partners a positive, prosperous and enjoyable racing experience.”

Alamo City Motorplex is a multi-use facility boasting a quarter-mile drag strip, drifting track and concert venue. Both 1/8-mile and 1/4-mile events are on the track’s 2019 schedule.

For more information, visit the Alamo City Motorplex website or the NHRA website.

INDYCAR has signed a contract with manufacturer MoTeC to equip NTT IndyCar Series cars with LED displays in 2019.

The display will better assist fans with understanding how each driver is performing and will also aid the efforts of the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team in attending to disabled cars.

The Indy cars were equipped with the previous-generation matrix LED technology in 2018, but was discontinued midway through the season due to performance inconsistency on the cars.

"We know that fans at racetracks and watching from home appreciate the LED system that helps them keep track of how their favorite cars and drivers are performing," INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. "That's why we worked hard in the offseason to develop a more reliable system that will have even brighter displays that make them more visible to everyone. Our thanks go to MoTeC and Jon Koskey, INDYCAR's senior director of technology, who led the effort on this important project."

The new LED displays—which are lighter and still mount on either side of the Dallara chassis' roll hoop for easy viewing—have been tested on track during the offseason and will be affixed to all cars starting with the season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

The LED system is linked to INDYCAR's timing and scoring system that is continually updating via the numerous timing loops embedded in each series track. The 2019 LEDs provide more real-time display information as the cars cross each timing loop. Advanced RGB (red, green, blue) technology also permits the use of an unlimited number of colors for the displays.

Among the items that the LEDs can display during any NTT IndyCar Series session are:
    •     A car's running position on the leaderboard, updated each time it crosses a timing loop and signified by a red number;

    •    When the driver has engaged the push-to-pass overtake assist button, signified by a flashing green "PP";

    •    A clock timing a car's pit stop, shown in red numbers counting up by tenths of a second until a pit stop reaches double-digit seconds, then in each increasing second;

    •    The ability to show whether a disabled car's engine is running, allowing the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team to more quickly respond to, restart and release the car back into competition. The display will show if the engine is running (or not), and what gear the engine is in.

The 17-race NTT IndyCar Series season kicks off with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race weekend from March 8-10.     

For more information, visit the INDYCAR website.

SEMA Action Network (SAN), the nationwide partnership between vehicle clubs, enthusiasts and members of the specialty auto parts industry, is urging the industry to help save the Bonneville Salt Flats in Toole County, Utah.

The future of land speed racing at Bonneville is in jeopardy. The once 13-mile race track is now less than 8 miles due to salt erosion. The Utah legislature is considering a 10-year program to dramatically increase the amount of salt pumped onto Bonneville.

SAN has drafted an email message to easily contact lawmakers to request their support for the State of Utah to appropriate $5 million to “Restore Bonneville.”

“You can help restore Bonneville before it's too late. Please urge Utah lawmakers to help fund the Restore Bonneville program through the State budget,” a SAN statement said. “Please feel free to personalize the draft letter provided and write about what Bonneville means to you. If you are a Utah resident, note it accordingly. Feel free to amend the title of the email as well to say ‘I visit’ or ‘I race’ at the Bonneville Salt Flats.”

For more information, and to send a message to Utah lawmakers, visit the SEMA Action Network website.

Meyer Distributing, Inc announced the addition of its new Flagstaff, Arizona-based location. The cross-dock will have a direct, next-day feed from Meyer's Ontario, California, distribution hub, which houses one of the largest inventories of automotive accessories and RV parts in the region.

“There are a lot of Jeep and 4x4 enthusiasts near Arizona, Utah, and Nevada,” Jamin Hochgesang, the 4x4/Off-Road Sales Manager for Meyer, said. “We are attending rallies and events in the region and learning what is important to the customer base for optimal performance and are tailoring our stock accordingly. It’s been a great growth region for us, and it’s time to give the customers extra delivery days from our new service point in Flagstaff.”

Meyer Distributing is one of the leaders in automotive specialty products marketing and distribution. Through numerous strategically positioned warehousing facilities, Meyer serves thousands of customers nationwide via Meyer Logistics direct ship.

For more information, visit the Meyer Distributing website.

North Florida Speedway, the dirt track in Lake City, Florida, is reportedly for sale.

The current owners of the facility have an asking price of nearly $800,000, according to WCJB News. 

The entire facility, which is considered a turnkey operation and includes the concession stands and the website, is for sale.

Racing is scheduled to continue with a season-opening event featuring $1000 and $1500 to win races on March 9. Current weekly racing includes Late Models, UMP open wheel modifieds, C-class/Limited Late Models, Thunder stocks, street stocks, box stocks, E-modifieds, and Daytona Antique Automobile Racing Association (DAARA) classes.

For more information, visit the North Florida Speedway website or contact lizspeedway@yahoo.com.

Performance Open Wheel Racing, Inc. (POWRi) has announced a revision to its current 2019 engine rules "in an effort to grow the sport of midget racing and make the cost of the sport more affordable to a broader spectrum."

Officials of the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget & West Midget League have announced the following changes to the 2019 Rule Book:

Fontana – Maximum of 179 CID (2934cc)
Gaerte Block – Maximum of 177 CID (2900cc)
Mopar Block – Maximum of 171 CID (2803cc)
Esslinger ST, XT & RSI Only – Maximum of 166 CID (2721cc)

To view or download the complete 2019 POWRi Official Lucas Oil National Midget & West Midget League Rule Book, or for more information, visit the POWRi website.

Wheeler Motorsports Consulting has announced that a new slick track karting league, Tuesday Night Thunder at Speedway Indoor Karting, will begin March 5.

TNTatSIK will be an eight-week series from March 5 to April 23, with each week’s event consisting of pill draw, hot laps, heat races, qualifiers and features from the I Main to an A Main. Transfers will be based on passing points.

“I am very excited about this program,” TNTatSIK Promoter Chris Wheeler said. “We’ve assembled a great team of technical partners and sponsors. The effort put in by Wheeler Motorsports, Race Track Engineering, Swindell Speedlab and Speedway Indoor Karting has been amazing. None of this happens without this great group.”

Thirty-five full-season entries go on sale Wednesday at noon and are available on a first come, first served basis. A limited number of individual entries for the March 5 event will also be available at that time. The field will be limited to 42 entries each night. All events will be live streamed on the Swindell Speedlab Facebook page.

"Speedway Indoor Karting is thrilled to partner with Chris and a great group of supporters to host of Tuesday Night Thunder,” SIK General Manager Rockie Piccione said. “We are always looking for innovative ways to bring the fun and excitement of racing to the public, and I have no doubt that this series will do just that.”

For more information on Tuesday Night Thunder at Speedway Indoor Karting, visit the series website.

Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, California, appoints Charles Myers to the Position of Dragstrip Manager and NASCAR Technical Director. 
 
"We are extremely excited to have Charles Myers join us at Irwindale Speedway. His experience in NHRA racing, and passion for all things automotive, adds to the culture that we are looking to bring to Irwindale in 2019 and beyond. With his knowledge of NHRA and Dragstrip operations, Charles will be an important part of the race day operations and rebuilding the race program at Irwindale Dragstrip. That same personality and background was also just what we needed as a Tech Director for the NASCAR Whelen All American Race Series,” Irwindale Speedway Vice President Kevin Stevens said.
 
A graduate of UNC-Charlotte, Myers background in motorsports began as the Media Relations Coordinator at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, North Carolina. Myers held similar positions at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield and the NHRA in Glendora, CA. After serving as Manager of Sportsman Racing for the NHRA, Myers comes to Irwindale as one of Drag Illustrated's "30 under 30.”

Charles can be contacted by emailing Charles@irwindalespeedway.com.

For more information, visit the Irwindale facility website.