Legendary businessman and motorsports team owner Roger Penske will be the recipient of this year’s Spirit of Competition Award from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.

The award gala will be held on Wednesday, October 31, at the famed museum in Philadelphia.

“No one epitomizes the ‘Spirit of Competition’ more than Roger Penske,” Simeone Executive Director Fred Simeone said. “He not only was an outstanding driver in his own right, but Team Penske is also one of the most successful racing teams in the history of motorsports.”

Penske’s love of racing began racing in 1951 when he attended his first Indianapolis 500 with his father. Eventually, Penske became a winning sports car driver and was named Sports Car Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1961. He retired from racing in 1965 to open his first automotive dealership in Philadelphia.

Roger Penske Racing – which would eventually become Team Penske – was formed in 1966 and debuted at the 24 Hours of Daytona, with headquarters initially in the Philadelphia suburb of Newtown Square.

Since then, Team Penske has become one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 500 major race wins, over 570 pole positions and 32 championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition.

Throughout its 52-year history, the team has also earned 17 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 triumphs, a Formula 1 win and overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Team Penske currently competes in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske.

The Spirit of Competition is the theme of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum and the focus of its annual fundraiser.

Past recipients of the award include Mario Andretti, Janet Guthrie, John Fitch, Craig Breedlove, Sam Posey, Hurley Haywood, Bobby Rahal, David Hobbs, Peter Brock and Derek Bell.

Darrell Wallace Jr., the MENCS driver known as Bubba Wallace, has been named to the EBONY Power 100 list published by Ebony Magazine.

Wallace was listed as an “MVP” and joins athletes such as Stephen Curry, Antonio Brown, Venus Williams as well as former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama.

The list recognizes and celebrates the most inspiring and influential leaders of color who are impacting and shaping the world.

“This is quite an honor to be recognized with others in the African-American community,” Wallace said in a release. “It’s humbling to join a list of the other star athletes, artists and community and national leaders. I’m just trying to be the best driver that I can be and focus on winning races for Richard Petty Motorsports and our partners. To be recognized for some of our accomplishments this season is an honor and I’d like to thank EBONY for the recognition.”

Wallace started his rookie Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season with a bang, finishing second in the season-opening Daytona 500. He has two top 10s this season, and has led laps at Bristol, Pocono and Talladega.

Wallace has also been named as one of the top 50 Most Influential People in Sports Culture by Bleacher Report and one of the World’s Most Marketable athletes named by SportsPro.

“We are proud of what Bubba is doing both on and off the track for our race team and our partners,” Richard Petty Motorsports Chief Executive Officer Brian Moffitt said to NASCAR.com. “We know that we have something very special with him and he continues to break barriers outside our sport to be a first-class athlete, spokesperson and inspiration to many.”

National Trail Raceway, the NHRA-sanctioned 1/4-mile track serving the Columbus, Ohio, market, has bolstered its ownership group and management teams.

Columbus citizen Jay Livingston, who grew up in the family business of managing drag racing facilities in the northwestern US, has been named as the track’s new general manager and co-owner. Livingston’s current duties include finalizing remaining events on the 2018 schedule and planning the 2019 season.

In addition to his race track management skills, Livingston has also been a drag racing participant, competing in NHRA’s Super Comp and Top Alcohol Dragster classes.

Racers and fans will see Livingston step to the front of facility leadership and drive the continued growth of National Trail Raceway. His goal is to continue to increase racer entries and bring a high level of entertainment for fans. 

"I believe our ideas to make this the hub of racing in central Ohio can be realized with our knowledge of the racers, the fans and all the business owners that support the racing community,” Livingston said. “It is my expectation that once the racers see how we operate the track, the community will embrace us with open arms."

Chris Payne, who purchased the facility from the NHRA in 2017, will continue to be involved in the background operations of the facility.

Daytona International Speedway will hold an Open House on Sunday, November 4, giving the Central Florida community an opportunity to explore the state-of-the-art facility.

Fans can check out the amenities inside the venue with guided tours of the Axalta Injector, Trioval Club, start/finish line seating, Harley J’s and Rolex 24 Lounge hospitality venues and the Tower roof.

The Rolex 24 Lounge and Harley J’s, two of the Speedway’s premium hospitality experiences, will have the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race from Texas Motor Speedway on televisions and will be serving light snacks and beverages.

The Harley J. Earl DAYTONA 500 champion’s trophy will be on display for photo opportunities and there will be special giveaways including VIP experiences, race tickets and autographed items.

Tickets will be on sale for future Daytona International Speedway events including the 61st annual DAYTONA 500 and the 57th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA. Staff will be on-site to view seating areas that are currently available with guests.

The Open House will take place between 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. and is free of charge. Fans are encouraged to RSVP to daytonainternationalspeedway.com/OpenHouse and can also walk-up the day of the event.

The format of the WRC’s principal WRC 2 support category will be significantly restructured for next season.

WRC 2 will continue to host four-wheel drive R5 cars like the Skoda Fabia, Ford Fiesta and Citroën C3, but will be split into two separate series. One will cater for registered manufacturer teams and drivers and the other will be open to private entrants.

The new WRC 2 Pro Championship will award titles to drivers, co-drivers and registered R5 manufacturers.

The same specification car will be used in the FIA WRC 2 Championship, which will be solely for privateer entrants with the intention to attract more drivers from national and regional championships.

In related news, The WRC 3 category for two-wheel drive cars has been dropped although the Junior WRC, which caters for young drivers in similar machinery, will remain. Non-Junior WRC competitors in two-wheel drive cars will still be eligible to enter events. Dates for the Junior series will be announced shortly, according to officials.

The format changes were approved by the recent FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris.

Other decisions passed at the meeting for 2019 included:
• Factory-entered drivers can choose their own permanent car number, except for the reigning world champion who will always carry No 1. 

• In a bid to cut costs, the number of tests days will be reduced from 55 to 42 for manufacturer teams

• The maximum competitive distance of WRC events has been reduced from 500km to 350km.

SAE International is expanding to launch Formula SAE North next year, a program previously overseen by Formula North Inc., a not-for-profit organization that organized the Formula North competition series in Ontario.

The SAE International Formula SAE program (FSAE) is an engineering design competition for undergraduate and graduate students, providing participants with the opportunity to enhance their engineering design and project management skills by applying learned classroom theories in a challenging competition. The engineering design goal for teams is to develop and construct a single-seat race car for the non-professional weekend autocross racer with the best overall package of design, construction, performance and cost.

Formula SAE North will allow SAE International to immediately service 40 additional university teams, comprising Electric Vehicle and IC Engine classes, as well as expose students to potential team sponsors and future employers.

“Logistically, it made sense to incorporate Formula North because of the similarity to Formula SAE,” SAE International Program Manager Kaley Zundel said. “This new offering will address growing demand, while expanding our efforts to move universities into targeted workforce development activities, especially in the Formula SAE Electric Class.”

Each student team designs, builds and tests a prototype based on a series of rules whose purpose is both to ensure onsite event operations and promote clever problem-solving. The vehicle will be inspected in a series of tests to ensure it complies with the competition rules. The driver will also be judged in many performance tests on track. The rest of the judging is completed by experts from motorsports, automotive, aerospace and supplier industries on student design, cost and sales presentations.

The 2019 Formula SAE North competition dates are May 30–June 2, 2019, in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

IndyCar team owners Jimmy Vasser and James Sullivan have expanded into sports car racing with the announcement of a new team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The team, backed by automaker Lexus and AIM Autosport, is named Aim Vasser Sullivan and will field two Lexus RC F GT3 race cars in IMSA’s GT Daytona class beginning in 2019. A driver lineup will be announced in the following weeks.

Aim Vasser Sullivan replaces 3GT Racing, which was a part of Lexus’ sports car program in 2016.

Vasser and Sullivan worked together as IndyCar team owners from 2011 through 2016 with IndyCar’s KVSH Racing and even won the Indy 500 in 2013 as owners of Tony Kanaan’s car. The pair returned to IndyCar this year with a partnership with Dale Coyne Racing and driver Sebastien Bourdais.

Aim Vasser Sullivan will operate out of the AIM Autosport facility in Ontario, Canada, as well as in a new Charlotte, North Carolina-based shop.

In related news, IMSA officials have released the schedules for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama.

2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama Schedule
Date                              Venue
May 17-19                     Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario
June 7-9                        Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal, Québec
July 5-7                         Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario*
July 12-14                     Honda Indy Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Aug. 2-4                        Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA*
Sept. 27-29                   Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, Québec
 
*— In conjunction with IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events

PRI exhibitor Melling Engine Parts, the manufacturer of oil pumps and related powertrain components, has announced the acquisition of Preferred Components Inc. (PCI), an aftermarket timing systems supplier. PCI is based in the Seattle area and will continue to operate in its current location as a separate division of Melling Tool Company.
 
"PCI is a perfect acquisition for Melling, bringing with it additional skills, knowledge and resources to strengthen our timing line,” Melling CEO Mark Melling said.
 
"After 26 years I have decided to retire and couldn't be more confident and thrilled with the acquisition by Melling Tool Co. We have developed what we feel is the best quality timing line in the aftermarket. Knowing that Melling Tool Co. will continue business as usual with our same highly dedicated team, should ease customer's minds. To everyone who supported our efforts over the years, I want to say Thank You. It has been a sincere pleasure working with all of you,” PCI President Mike Rose said.

Melling is based out of Jackson, Michigan, and serves the global automotive original equipment and aftermarket industries. For more information, visit melling.com.

Watkins Glen International has announced its 2019 schedule of spectator racing events, headlined by a tripleheader NASCAR weekend and a crown jewel of the international endurance racing calendar.

The 63rd official season since the permanent course was opened in 1956 opens on April 6-7, with an event providing fans with an opportunity to drive their vehicle on the track to benefit the facility’s Racing and Community Enrichment (R.A.C.E.) Foundation.

The SCCA U.S. Majors on June 21-23, marks the first spectator racing event on the new slate, bringing with it the pinnacle of amateur championship racing in the US. This event, like many at The Glen, offers fans the opportunity to experience the paddock and garage area with the purchase of their ticket.

One of the most revered events on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar arrives in late June with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen (June 27-30, 2019). The weekend is complete with nearly 24 hours of on-track activity, featuring the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Porsche GT3 Cup and Lamborghini Super Trofeo.

NASCAR returns to the Finger Lakes region for the Go Bowling at The Glen (August 1-4) tripleheader weekend. In addition to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, fans can enjoy the Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday afternoon and Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

In 2019, the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Watkins Glen (August 29-September 1) will play a major role in determining series championships. Boasting one of the sport’s most diverse fields of sportscar manufacturers, the weekend provides a perfect opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with your favorite teams and drivers.

Finally, the Hilliard U.S. Vintage Grand Prix (September 6-8) has become one of the largest vintage racing events in the country. Paired with Friday’s Grand Prix Festival in downtown Watkins Glen, the Vintage Grand Prix weekend is a celebration of the sport’s past, along with the cars and people who have made it what it is today. In addition to the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), the on-track portion of the weekend also includes the Trans-Am Championship.

For more information, visit theglen.com.

PRI exhibitor International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has announced that IHRA-member Greer Dragway in Greer, South Carolina, has been named the Division 9 (Raiders) Track of the Year.

The upstate South Carolina track is a 1/8-mile dragstrip located between Greenville and Spartanburg and was first opened in the 1950s by the Greer Jaycees as a community project.

All labor used to open the track was done by the Jaycees, neighbors and groups of concerned citizens. Its original purpose was to provide money for needy children in the Greer area. In addition to races, the track has hosted fireworks shows and other entertainment. Fast forward to today and Greer Dragway is noted for its being a clean, racer-friendly facility featuring a top-notch racing surface, TSI timing system and other amenities.
 
“It’s an honor to have a track like Greer in our family of IHRA tracks,” IHRA Division Director Josh Peake said. “Greer is a staple in this area and has had many influences on drag racing over the years. Mike Greer and his daughter Alisha do a wonderful job running a great family-oriented facility.”
 
For more information on Greer Dragway, visit greerdragway.com. For more information on the IHRA, visit ihra.com.