Kansas International Dragway, the 1/4-mile drag strip, has new owners. Jason Caldwell, J.R. Sandlian and Dave Dockens have purchased the Maize, Kansas-based facility from the previous ownership group, which incidentally included Dockens.

The track has a full slate set for 2019, including black races, No Prep races, Fun Day Friday Drags, Midnight Grudge Fests and more.

The new owners are looking into upgrades for the facility, including additional signage, additional spectator gates and more.

The new ownership group has signed a three-year lease with the option to sign on for another decade. As of now, Dockens will run daily operations of the track.

For more information, visit the Kansas International Dragway website here.

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (NSCHoF) has announced the names of its eight inductees for 2019, broken into four different categories.

Drivers that will be inducted into the NSCHoF on Saturday, June 1, during the 30th annual ceremonies in Knoxville, Iowa, are Richard Griffin, Jason Johnson and Stevie Smith.

Two inductees have been added from the Owners, Mechanics, Builders, Manufacturers and Car Builders category, Mose Andy “M.A.” Brown (Owner) and C.K. Spurlock Jr (Car Builder).

Of the Promoters, Officials, Media Members, and Event and Series Sponsors category, two inductees have been added, Thomas J Schmeh (Official) and Greg Stephens (Media).

Finally, from the Pre-1945 category, “Wild” Bill Endicott has been inducted.

“This year’s inductee group is another testament to the hard work put in by our 72-member National Induction Committee,” NSCHoF & Museum Foundation Executive Director Bob Baker said.

The NSCHoF & Museum Foundation will also hold an auction to benefit the Foundation and The Parent Child Center of Tulsa on Thursday, January 17, at 11 a.m. at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds’ River Spirit Expo Center.

For more information, including short biographies of each inductee, visit the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame website here.

The Motorsports Industry Association (MIA) awarded suppliers of motorsports hydraulic and electronic brake, clutch systems and engine components Alcon Group as its Business of the Year.

The Business of the Year Award, partnered by Xtrac, was presented by MIA Honorary President, The Rt Hon the Lord Astor of Hever PC DL.

“2018 was a year of records for Alcon in growth, overall sales, and the bottom line. We have welcomed several significant new customers and extended our market footprint through business investments in the UK and USA. Our team are immensely proud to have won this award,” Alcon Group Managing Director Alistair Fergusson said.

The honor took place during MIA’s 25th annual Business Excellence Awards at the National Exhibition Center (NEC) Birmingham last week. A total of 400 guests celebrated winners in seven categories during the Autosport International, one of Europe’s largest pre-season motorsports shows.

MIA 25th Annual Business In Excellence Award Winners
MIA Service to the Industry Award (Partnered by Goodridge)

Winner – Nielsen Sports

MIA New Markets Award (Partnered by 920 Engineering and Shiftec)

Winner – KW Special Projects

MIA Export Achievement Award (Partnered by WMG)

Winner - AP Racing

MIA Technology & Innovation Award (Partnered by Ricardo)

Winner – Integral Powertrain

MIA Teamwork Award (Partnered by Grainger & Worrall)

Winner – Racing Point Force India F1 Team

MIA Business of the Year Award (sales under $6.4 million) (Partnered by Lestercast)

Winner – Precision Technologies

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday the creation of the J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund in honor of its team co-founder and former president, who died Friday after a long battle with a neurological illness.

The team also announced that public memorial services will be held Friday morning, January 25 at Belk Arena at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. The organization asks that in lieu of flowers for the memorial service to please consider a donation to the legacy fund.

The J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund will benefit Young Life Ministry, a program that Gibbs actively participated in at the local and national level. The fund plans to reach youngsters of all socioeconomic backgrounds and provide financial support for facilities at Young Life’s Windy Gap Camp in Weaverville, North Carolina (pictured above).

Gibbs, the eldest son of Coach Joe Gibbs, passed away at age 49 after fighting a chronic, degenerative neurological condition. His death was met with an outpouring of support and tributes from the NASCAR community for his role as a crew member, driver, and determined team executive.

For more information, and to donate, visit the J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund website.

(Photo of Young Life’s Windy Gap Camp courtesy of J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund).

United States Auto Club (USAC) officials have announced its quarter midgets program (the USAC.25 Series) has hired seasoned motorsports official John Darby to oversee the technical and safety processes, effective immediately.

Darby, the former Managing Director of Competition at NASCAR, brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to USAC.25, most notably from his more than 30-year career span at NASCAR.

In 1998, Darby was named the Series Director for the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series). Three years later, Darby was promoted to Director of Competition for the Winston Cup Series (now Monster Energy Cup Series).

“Youth involvement in motorsports is more important than ever to ensure a healthy future for the sport. I want to be able to use some of my experience to continue making racing quarter-midgets fun, yet safe and competitive for all kids and families involved,” Darby said.

In addition to working with USAC.25’s technical officials at national events, the Rockford, Illinois-native will work quarter midget engine and chassis manufacturers.

There are over 45 USAC.25 clubs located nationwide. Thousands of families and kids aged five and up participate in the USAC-sanctioned quarter midget series. Some notable quarter midget graduates include NASCAR stars Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Alex Bowman along with IndyCar drivers Sarah Fisher, Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt.

For more information, visit the USAC.25 website here.

INDYCAR announced today during the North American International Auto Show that global information technology and communications leader NTT has signed a multiyear agreement to become the IndyCar Series title partner. In addition, NTT becomes the official technology partner of INDYCAR, the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400 beginning in 2019.

INDYCAR will partner with NTT to deliver digital innovations that enhance the fan experience, which includes the evolution of INDYCAR's mobile application and the adoption of NTT's proprietary Smart Platform to support the sport and its venues in delivering better insights into the racing series.

"Having a strong technology partner is critically important to INDYCAR's continued growth, so we are thrilled to welcome NTT as our new title sponsor. INDYCAR's rise in popularity is a testament to the fact that we've made the sport as accessible as possible to our fans and we plan to continue in that mission," said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Company, which owns INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We have a history with NTT through NTT DATA's involvement in the sport with Chip Ganassi Racing. We know this partnership will help us attract the next generation of fans to what remains the most competitive racing program on the planet."

Now known as the NTT IndyCar Series, the series is regarded as one of the quickest, most diverse and challenging racing programs in the motorsports arena today. The series competes on permanent road courses, temporary street circuits, short ovals and superspeedway ovals, including the iconic IMS.

The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season features 17 races, starting with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 10, and later including the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on May 26 and concluding with the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey on September 22.

For more information, visit the INDYCAR website or the NTT website.

Thompson Raceway Park, nicknamed “Ohio’s Thunder Capital,” has renewed its sanctioning agreement with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).

Located less than an hour east of Cleveland in Thompson, Ohio, Thompson Raceway Park is the oldest drag strip in the Buckeye State, first opening in 1958 as Thompson Drag Raceway. It has undergone many upgrades over the last six decades and features a 1/4-mile drag strip.

The IHRA Division 3 (North Stars) track helped launch the career of such drag racing icons as “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and “TV” Tommy Ivo. For the last several years, it has featured such amenities as a pedestrian bridge and a paved pit area for the racers.

“There are only a handful of places left in the world where one can stand on top of two race cars as they leave the starting line,” IHRA Division Director Jon O’Neal said. “There’s a character that emanates from a track such as Thompson. The history, the amazing layout of the facility and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes are what make it notable.”

The track features special events such as the Gasser Nationals and the Independence Eve Explosion, as well as an active program in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries. Track champions for 2018 who qualified for the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals were Mike Capazzio (Top), Ray Babb (Mod) and Robert Richard (Junior).

For more information, visit the IHRA website or Thompson Raceway Park website.

Industrial 3D printing company 3rd Dimension has welcomed Amy Hoage as its new vice president of Business Development and Marketing.

“Through the process of getting to know Amy, it has become very clear that she shares the same way of doing business and providing the  value add solutions that our customers have come to expect from 3rd Dimension,” 3rd Dimension President Bob Markley said in a statement. “Her extensive experience, engineering background, and drive to provide a complete and appropriate solution to our customers make her a great addition not only to our team, but to the additive manufacturing industry as a whole.”

With more than 18 years in the aerospace industry, Hoage joined 3rd Dimension from Ducommun, Inc., where she was strategic customer director managing key customers. She previously held positions with Veridiam, gaining experience in the nuclear and medical industries and Smiths Group, which does business under the name Titeflex Aerospace. Before that, she was vice president of Business Development for PAS Technologies.

In addition, Hoage was director of Aerospace Business Development for engine components at Goodrich Corp., where she held progressively responsible positions in business development and sales.
 
Hoage holds an MBA from Drake University and a bachelor's degree in engineering from Iowa State University.

In related news, 3rd Dimension is in the process of building out a new “world-class facility” in Westfield, Indiana. In addition to supporting the company’s current processes, the new building will allow for continued growth. Officials expect the move to be completed by the end of this quarter.

For more information, visit the 3rd Dimension website here.

Created “for drivers by drivers with over fifty years combined experience in the sport,” the inaugural V6 Euro Pickup Series will feature 27 rounds of racing across six events at Raceway Venray (Venray, Netherlands) and Race Park Meppen (Meppen, Germany).

Most notably, the series’ championship winner will receive one full season in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, the official NASCAR stock-car series based in Europe.

Similarly, the second place driver will be awarded two race weekends in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series while third place will get one race weekend. Meantime, the top driver over 40 will receive one race weekend in the V8 Masters Series (Cape Town), while the top rookie will receive one full test day in a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series car.

The series, including its fleet of four-liter “racing pickups,” will be centrally run by Total Motorsports’ Stephen Young and Hebertus Heyman.

"We have an outstanding and unique prize fund that will help further the careers of European drivers wishing to race in the States,” Young said to Autosport.

Open to everyone from complete novices to professional drivers, the V6 Euro Pickup Series will cost about $63,000 (plus VAT) for the full season, with payment plans available.

For more information, visit the V6 Euro Pickup Series website here.

(Photo courtesy of V6 Euro Pickup Series).

J.D. Gibbs, the 49-year-old son of NASCAR Team Owner Joe Gibbs, passed away last week from complications following a long battle with a degenerative neurological disease, according to a team statement.

NASCAR drivers remember the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) co-chairman as a humble, gracious and incredible person as respects for J.D. Gibbs began to pour in in the form of tweets, posts and tributes on social media.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to success succeed and for guiding me along the way. We won together and we lost together, but you had a way to light up a room and bring peace to all. It was truly an honor to call you a friend,” JGR Driver Kyle Busch said on Twitter.

Before his position as president and later co-chairman of the NASCAR team built by his father Joe, Gibbs served as an over-the-wall crew member and driver, with a total of 13 NASCAR national series starts ranging from 1998-2002.

“We were privileged to watch J.D. Gibbs grow within the sport, displaying an endearing personality, a keen eye for talent and the strong business acumen that helped grow Joe Gibbs Racing into a pre-eminent NASCAR team,” NASCAR Chairman & CEO Jim France said in a statement. “The NASCAR family has lost a truly special member. On behalf of NASCAR and the France family, I extend my deepest condolences to Joe Gibbs, Pat, Melissa, Coy and the entire Gibbs family.”

Visit the NASCAR website or JGR website for more information.

(Photo of J.D. Gibbs courtesy of NASCAR).