UNSERS TO HEADLINE GRAND OPENING BREAKFAST AT 2018 PRI TRADE SHOW
Motorsports legends Al Unser Sr. and Al Unser Jr. will help kick off the world’s premier event for motorsports professionals by headlining the Grand Opening Breakfast presented by MAVTV at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show on Thursday, December 6, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Hosted by distinguished racing journalist and broadcaster Dave Despain, the Breakfast takes place immediately before the PRI Show opens its doors for the three biggest business days in racing. Despain will interview the Unsers in a casual, talk show-style setting, where they will share personal stories and experiences for a captive audience of more than 3000 industry professionals.
“We are excited to kick off the 2018 PRI Show with not only one, but two Indy 500 winners,” said PRI General Manager Bill Miller. “The insights and stories shared by these legendary racers will make for a very entertaining Breakfast, led by the great Dave Despain.”
During his legendary racing career, Al Sr. won the Indianapolis 500 four times and earned three series championships (1970, 1983, and 1985). In 1990, Al Jr. joined his father as a series champion before joining him as an Indy 500 winner in 1992. The younger Unser went on to win a second series championship in 1994, a season in which he also won the second Indy 500 of his career.
The Grand Opening Breakfast is offered exclusively to PRI attendees and exhibitors (not the general public). The event, which includes a hot catered meal, takes place in the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom. Doors open at 7 a.m., and the program begins at 8 a.m. PRI attendees are admitted to the Breakfast free of charge, but guests are advised to arrive early, as seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
This year’s PRI Trade Show will feature over 1100 companies exhibiting in more than 3300 booths, showcasing the latest developments in auto racing technology. Tens of thousands of buyers from all 50 states and 70 countries will be on hand to conduct business and discover innovative solutions.
In addition, the days leading up to and including the PRI Show, which are commonly known as Race Industry Week, will offer a range of motorsports-related activities in and around the Indiana Convention Center beginning on Monday, December 3. Numerous conferences, seminars and other special events will offer unlimited business opportunities and provide invaluable insight on the latest technologies and how to apply them throughout the racing world.
To register for the 2018 PRI Trade Show, log on to pri2018.com.
RTBC ANNOUNCES EXPERT PRESENTERS FOR 2018
Industry leaders from across racing will be among expert presenters at the 2018 Race Track Business Conference (RTBC) during this year’s Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The event, which takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5, in Rooms 201–203 of the Indiana Convention Center, introduces attendees to new vendors, as well as innovative products and services for tracks and series. Throughout the day, industry leaders and experts in race track management, promotion, operations and more will offer insights on economic challenges and winning strategies through panel discussions and Q&As.
At press time, speakers for RTBC-2018, presented by National Speedway Directory, included: Mark Basso of Autobahn Country Club, Laura Cooper of Cooper Consulting, Lauri Eberhart of Apollo Sports Law Group, David Froscheiser of Security4Sports, Kendra Jacobs of Knoxville Raceway, Randy Lewis of World’s #1 TrackChaser, Jim Liaw of Formula Drift, David Morton of Fifth Third Bank Motorsports, Chris Myers of Charge Sports Marketing, Jeremy Porter of Atlanta Motorsports Park, Ralph Sheheen of Turn 3 Media, Ken Ungar of Charge Sports Marketing, John Waraniak of SEMA, and Wes Zirkle of Keller Macaluso LLC.
More information on session topics and speakers will be announced online at rtbc.speedwaysonline.com in the coming weeks.
The cost to attend RTBC-2018 is $250, which covers speakers, lunch, and admission to the PRI Trade Show. Additional information can be found at racetrackbusinessconference.com or by contacting Tim Frost at twfrost@speedwaysonline.com or 847/853-0294.
STEVE PHELPS NAMED NASCAR PRESIDENT, BRENT DEWAR ASSUMES ADVISORY ROLE
Steve Phelps was recently named President of NASCAR, while his predecessor, Brent Dewar, has elected to step down and will remain with the company through the end of the 2018 racing season, transitioning to a senior consulting and advisory role in 2019.
Phelps will assume the duties held by Dewar and will report to Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As President, Phelps will be responsible for all competition and business operations for the Daytona Beach, Florida-based sanctioning body.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Steve Phelps as our leader,” France said. “His passion for NASCAR and proven ability to work with our partners has been unparalleled over the years. We thank Brent for his service and leadership to our sport. His energy and vision have been of tremendous benefit to our employees and our industry.”
Joining NASCAR in 2005, Phelps has played a key role in significant initiatives, including negotiating partnership agreements with Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, Comcast and Camping World; the acquisition of NASCAR’s digital and social rights; and leading industry collaborative efforts such as the Industry Action Plan and industry-wide marketing platforms. Phelps brings more than three decades of experience to the role, including senior leadership roles at the National Football League and Wasserman.
Dewar joined NASCAR in 2013, serving as Chief Operating Officer and later as NASCAR President. “It has been a privilege to serve this sport these past five years,” he said. “NASCAR is a close-knit family and I have been blessed to be part of a great team and industry, working collaboratively to deliver great racing for our fans. I look forward to continuing to work with the industry and the France family.”
For more information, visit nascar.com.
JE PISTONS TAPS VERKOOIJ FOR GM POST
Cypress, California-based JE Pistons has announced Cindy Verkooij as the brand’s new General Manager. A 21-year veteran of the performance aftermarket industry, Verkooij’s leadership experience includes both sales and marketing, as well as a deep knowledge of the performance piston and connecting rod marketplace.
“Cindy brings industry veteran leadership to JE Pistons, reinforcing our commitment to increase focus on customers and lead racers to victory,” said Race Winning Brands CEO Brian Reese. “We’ve spent the last year innovating leading-edge piston technology and making significant investments in manufacturing, [and] adding Cindy is the next strategic move for JE Pistons.”
Verkooij comes to JE after 11 years in a senior leadership position with CP-Carrillo. In her new post, she will fulfill a valuable role in the executive leadership team and further JE’s commitment to the company’s market position. Verkooij brings with her a wealth of industry experience, relationships, and a track record of success, company officials added.
ENGINE PRO NAMES NEXT PRESIDENT
Engine Parts Group, Inc. (Engine Pro) has named William E. (Bill) Cook as President of the Denver, Colorado-based engine parts distribution group.
In his new position, Cook will oversee the growth of Engine Parts Group, Inc., manage product buying, and work with suppliers to expand sales opportunities. He will also work with shareholders and staff to provide competitive products, pricing and service to Engine Pro’s customer base of 12,000 engine professionals.
Cook will be based in Kansas City, Missouri, which is also home of the central distribution warehouse for Engine Pro; the business office will remain in Denver.
“Bill has in-depth management experience in the worldwide automotive parts distribution industry,” said EPGI’s current chairman, Paul Van Woensel of Engine & Performance Warehouse, “and is also extremely knowledgeable in the automotive repair and machining fields.”
Cook most recently served as National Sales Manager for SFA Companies. Prior to that he was Business Development Manager for The Network and was employed for 15 years by Automotive Parts Associates, Inc. (APA), as VP of Program Development. Early in his career, Cook owned a successful retail auto parts business; he also is an avid restorer of classic cars.
Cook assumes the position of President from Don Weber, who passed away in March.
AEROMOTIVE ADDS NEW SALES MANAGER
Lenexa, Kansas-based Aeromotive has announced the addition of Johnson Barrick as the company’s new Sales Manager. In his new role, Barrick will report directly to Aeromotive Vice President Jeff Stacy.
Barrick’s experience to date has been in event management for Belmont University, the Air Force Academy, and the University of Texas, San Antonio. He most recently served as dual sales manager for Concord Hospitality in San Antonio, working directly with the director of sales developing and implementing sales forecasts and proposals for both government and corporate markets.
“With a steady increase in sales and new product development, we felt that this was the ideal time to increase sales support for all markets,” said Aeromotive President Steve Matusek. “The success of our company is determined by our success in operating as a unified team. Johnson has never met a stranger and brings strong leadership skills in sales, along with an outgoing personality and an innate ability to connect with both his customers and his team. [He] has a proven track record cultivating and maintaining relationships in personal and business-to-business environments. He will play a key role in creating, maintaining and enhancing our business-to-business relationships.
For more information on Aeromotive, visit aeromotiveinc.com.
PREMIER PERFORMANCE NAMES NEW CUSTOMER CARE MANAGER
Premier Performance Products Distribution has announced Nicolette Allen as its new Customer Care Manager. A member of the Premier team for 11 years, Allen has served the company in several different roles, including customer service representative, Idaho warehouse manager, customer service manager, Southeast sales representative, and, most recently, training and development manager.
In her new position, Allen will be instrumental in leading the Customer Care team and overseeing new improvements to the department.
“Premier has given me opportunities throughout the years to pursue new responsibilities. I have a list of goals and ideas for the Customer Care Department that I want to roll out right away. I’m excited to see what we can achieve and how we can simply become the best Customer Care Department in the industry,” Allen said.
Rexburg, Idaho-based Premier also recently announced that it will change the structure of its Customer Service Department, which will now be compromised of two teams: Order Entry and Customer Resolution. Order Entry will be responsible for receiving and processing new orders, while Customer Resolution will be responsible for problem-solving and issue resolution.
For more information, visit premierwd.com.
DAYCO ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE VP OF US AFTERMARKET
Dayco Products, LLC has announced the appointment of John Kinnick as Executive Vice President of US aftermarket. In his new role, Kinnick will be accountable for US aftermarket strategy for all functions including sales, marketing, and operations within the US.
“I am excited to be taking on this leadership role as Dayco continues to build for the future,” Kinnick said. “Dayco recognizes the importance of the US aftermarket and is excited with new direction of our team as it capitalizes on opportunities to support our customers.”
Kinnick brings more than 22 years of experience driving performance within global organizations with diverse product offerings, including three years in the Asia Pacific region. Most recently he served as the Chief Transformation Officer at Dayco, where he led strategy and transformational activities.
For more information on Dayco, visit daycoproducts.com.
HUTH BEN PEARSON ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS
Huth Ben Pearson International has announced two key management appointments, as Mark Purman has been appointed Operations and Product Director, and Chris Wronski has been named Engineering Team Manager.
Purman has been with the company 36 years, most recently serving as Product Manager. Wronski has been employed with Huth Ben Pearson for three years, most recently as Product Designer.
“Few people know shop and manufacturing cell-level tube fabricating equipment like Mark, and Chris brings imagination and competence to our new product development effort,” said company President Ken Murray. “Both of them interact with our fabricator customers every day, and have a great understanding of their needs.”
Hartford, Wisconsin-based Huth Ben Pearson International manufactures pipe bending and end forming equipment, as well as related tooling. For more information, visit huthbenders.com.
MAHLE AFTERMARKET IN EUROPE WELCOMES NEW LEADERSHIP
MAHLE Aftermarket in Europe has a new leader, as Joanna Szkudlapska-Wlodarczyk recently took over the unit’s business activities.
A 17-year veteran of the MAHLE Group, Szkudlapska-Wlodarczyk now serves as the Head of European Aftermarket Business at MAHLE; most recently, she was Head of MAHLE Aftermarket for Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states since 2006.
In her new function, Szkudlapska-Wlodarczyk reports to Olaf Henning, Corporate Executive Vice President and General Manager Aftermarket at MAHLE.
“Europe continues to be a promising market for MAHLE Aftermarket,” said Henning, “in which we will step up our efforts even further. This is also demonstrated by the majority takeover of BRAIN BEE and the planned takeover of Behr Hella Service. In doing so, we are expanding our comprehensive solution and service expertise for workshops—be it in workshop equipment or in areas such as thermal management, which will play a key role regardless of future types of powertrain. With Joanna Szkudlapska-Wlodarczyk, we now have a proven market expert in a key position to further develop MAHLE Aftermarket in Europe.”
For more information, visit us.mahle.com.
PRO-FABRICATION PURCHASES CLARENDON’S COAST FAB MUFFLERS BUSINESS
Clarendon Specialty Fasteners has announced that Pro-Fabrication of Concord, North Carolina, recently purchased the designs, specialized manufacturing equipment, inventory and raw materials for its Coast Fab Mufflers line of ultra-lightweight racing mufflers, which had been produced in Huntington Beach, California, since 1995.
Pro-Fabrication, a manufacturer of racing headers and exhaust components for professional race applications since 1995, is currently in the process of expanding its offerings to the automotive aftermarket. According to a company statement, a pair of Pro-Fabrication employees spent two weeks in Huntington Beach in September to learn the equipment and processes, and Clarendon began referring new orders for mufflers to Pro-Fabrication on September 1; all muffler production in Huntington Beach had ceased by September 21.
Pro-Fabrication has since transferred existing inventory and equipment back to North Carolina, and in-house production is expected to begin on November 1. Both Clarendon and Pro-Fabrication noted that supply disruptions will be minimal and short-lived.
For more information on Pro-Fabrication, visit profabrication.com. And for more on Clarendon, visit clarendonsf.com.
WISECO HIRES NEW NATIONAL & DISTRIBUTION SALES MANAGER
Wiseco Performance Products has hired industry veteran Kirk Tenney as the company’s National and Distribution Sales Manager.
The Ohio University graduate arrives at Wiseco and its parent company, Race Winning Brands (RWB), following professional stops at the Jim Wrobleski Company, US Safety Gear and Mr. Gasket Performance Group.
Tenney will be tasked with carrying out long-term sales objectives while focusing on customer service and promoting Wiseco’s automotive product offerings. A lifelong performance enthusiast, Tenney also will promote the Mentor, Ohio, organization’s strategic sales plan to spur growth and process improvement across the company.
With a coast-to-coast domestic distribution system and international customers in Europe, South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia, Wiseco manufactures high-performance, forged pistons for the automotive performance, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, personal watercraft, and outboard marine markets.
“Kirk’s extensive relationships and depth of experience in the distribution channel are a welcome addition to the Race Winning Brands team,” said John Oradzansky, Vice President of Sales for RWB. “We look forward to having Kirk be the face of RWB to our automotive customer base in the United States.”
For more on Wiseco Performance Products, visit wiseco.com.
EDELBROCK APPOINTS NEW REGIONAL ACCOUNT SALES MANAGER
Edelbrock has announced that Chris Crecelius has joined the company’s sales team as its new Regional Account Sales Manager. Working out of Memphis, Tennessee, Crecelius will handle accounts throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Western Tennessee.
A 24-year veteran of the aftermarket performance industry, Crecelius comes to Edelbrock after 13 years as National Sales Manager for Hypertech, Inc, where he was responsible for the company’s sales and marketing programs for all sales channels including retail, wholesale, dealer, and specialty markets. Prior to that he was the Regional Sales Manager for Holley Performance Products, where he managed $20 million in sales for all accounts in the Midwest.
Crecelius will report directly to Cary Redman, Edelbrock’s National Sales Manager.
“We are extremely excited to have Chris join our Edelbrock Sales Team,” said Redman. “His many years of experience, product knowledge, and personality will fit right in with us at Edelbrock.”
In addition to his background in aftermarket sales, Crecelius is also a past SEMA leader who has served on the Young Executives Network Committee and the Emerging Trends and Technologies Select Committee.
For more information, visit edelbrock.com.
MOTOVICITY DISTRIBUTION ANNOUNCES NEW MARKETING MANAGER, CATEGORY MANAGER
Madison Heights, Michigan-based Motovicity Distribution recently announced that Theresa Evens has joined the company to fill the role of Marketing Manager.
“We are excited to have Theresa join our team,” said Brian Lounsberry, Motovicity CEO. “Her creativeness and experience in wholesale distribution brings a wealth of hands-on knowledge that will undoubtedly move Motovicity’s marketing efforts forward.”
Evens brings over 20 years of wholesale distribution experience to Motovicity. She has a proven track record in marketing and trade show coordination, event planning, co-op program management, merchandising, and vendor relations, according to a company statement.
In related news, industry veteran Wayne Howard has joined Motovicity’s purchasing team as a Category Manager.
Howard brings over 20 years of automotive aftermarket experience to his new position, including previous roles in category management, purchasing, merchandising, and vendor relations.
For more information on Motovicity, visit motovicity.com.
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