Team Kalitta Owner Connie Kalitta released Jim Oberhofer from Kalitta Motorsports and his position as crew chief for the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster team driven by Doug Kalitta, effective immediately.

Oberhofer has been a member of Kalitta Motorsports for more than 30 years and has held numerous positions including vice president of operations as well as being crew chief on Kalitta’s dragster where he helped secure multiple top-ten point finishes for the veteran driver.

“I want to thank Jim for his years at Kalitta Motorsports and appreciate everything he accomplished here. I wish him the best in the future,” team owner Kalitta said.

Troy Fasching will continue as crew chief for the Mac Tools team for the remaining five races of the Countdown to the Championship beginning this weekend in St. Louis.

Kalitta currently sits sixth in the standings, 116 points behind leader Steve Torrence.

SEMA has submitted comments to the US Trade Representative (USTR) in opposition to threatened 10 percent or 25 percent tariffs on more than 6,000 tariff lines valued at $200 billion in imported products from China. The list covers everything from engines and metal fasteners to wheels, tires, steering wheel components, gaskets, transmission belts, brake pads, windshields and suspension springs. The tariffs are in addition to 25 percent tariffs already imposed on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods.

Despite widespread industry opposition to the tariffs, President Trump could decide to begin imposing them as early as October. Further, the USTR has been directed to identify another $267 billion in Chinese imports subject to potential tariffs later this year if the US and China fail to resolve trade disputes. The US is seeking to lower the US/China trade deficit and to deter cybertheft of intellectual property by Chinese government and companies.

In comments submitted to the USTR, SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting noted that, “SEMA and its members believe in fair and reciprocal trade, and support efforts to protect intellectual property rights. However, SEMA opposes the imposition of tariffs on a vast and seemingly indiscriminate selection of products worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The U.S. tariffs along with equal retaliatory tariffs imposed by China have harmed American businesses, workers and consumers. The additional tariffs being proposed only threaten to escalate the problem rather than resulting in constructive negotiations and meaningful results.”  

Click here for a copy of SEMA’s comments.

Below is a quick summary of currently imposed and threatened US tariffs:

1. Steel/Aluminum: The US government has imposed global tariffs on steel (25 percent) and aluminum (10 percent). Most of the tariffs began June 1, 2018. To date, only Argentina, Australia, Brazil and South Korea have trade agreements exempting them from the tariffs. The tariffs apply to processed raw materials (steel/aluminum plate, sheets, bars, etc.), but not finished products (e.g., wheels, exhausts, etc.).

2. Chinese Products: President Trump directed the US government to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports. Tariffs on another $200 billion worth of goods is expected to be implemented this fall, and tariffs on an additional $267 billion in Chinese imports have been threatened. The tariffs are an attempt to lower the US/China trade deficit and to deter cybertheft of intellectual property by Chinese government and companies.

    •    On July 6, customs began collecting duties on about $34 billion worth of products, including miscellaneous metal and rubber parts for auto equipment.
    •    On August 23, tariffs on $16 billion worth of products took effect, including many types of plastics.
    •    25 percent tariffs on another $200 billion worth of products are being finalized and could start as early as October. The list includes many auto parts, from engines and metal fasteners to wheels/tires, steering wheel components, rubber gaskets, transmission belts, brake pads, windshields and suspension springs.

3. Imported Automobiles/Auto Parts: President Trump directed the US Department of Commerce (DOC) to investigate whether imported automobiles and auto parts pose a threat to America’s national security (manufacturing base). The DOC will issue its findings and recommendations for presidential actions, if any. President Trump has stated that he is considering global tariffs of 20 to 25 percent that could begin this fall or winter. The DOC investigation applies to all types of cars and auto parts, including new cars, classic cars and off-road vehicles.  

SEMA has joined several coalitions to oppose the various tariffs. To date, the US tariffs have produced more tit-for-tat retaliation than productive negotiations with trading partners. With respect to potential tariffs on imported motor vehicles and auto parts, eight major trade associations have formed the “Driving American Jobs” Coalition. It includes SEMA and represents the broad scope of the auto industry, from automakers and dealers to parts manufacturers, distributors, retailers and service providers. The Coalition is united in opposing the referenced tariffs as being counterproductive and threatening American companies, workers and consumers.  The message to the president and lawmakers has been to pursue trade infringements in a fashion that does not inflict unintended economic harm.

International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) member track Bunker Hill Dragstrip, in Bunker Hill, Indiana, has been named the Division 5 Track of the Year.

The 1/8-mile asphalt track celebrates 62 years of operation this year, and is owned by Adam Confer who grew up watching his father race down the track before getting in the driver’s seat himself in 2002.

In 2016, Confer purchased “Indiana’s oldest continuously running dragstrip,” saving it from being closed forever after former owners Steve and Darlene Daniels put the 23-acre property on the market.

“Adam Confer has literally put his heart and soul into the facility after moving back to Indiana and purchasing the track,” IHRA Division 1, 3, and 5 Director Jon O’Neal said.

Babcox Media Inc. has announced that Dean Martin, group publisher, will be assuming responsibility for the Tire Review brand, effective October 1.

Martin joined Babcox Media in 1996 as a regional sales manager and was later named publisher of Fleet Equipment and Tomorrow’s Technician.
 
Since 1901, Tire Review, the oldest brand in the Babcox Media portfolio, has been committed to helping today’s independent tire dealers run and grow a stronger, more competitive business.

Babcox Media also announced that Jim Merle, group publisher, will be assuming responsibility for the Tomorrow’s Technician brand, also effective October 1.

Merle joined Babcox Media in 1993 as a regional sales manager and was later named publisher of Brake & Front End, ImportCar, Underhood Service, Shop Owner and Servicio Automotriz.

Tomorrow’s Technician assists instructors and educators with a real-world supplement to classroom assignments and is designed exclusively for a core target audience of automotive students and expands on the technical experience of its readers.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum has recently acquired several original motorsports-themed works of art painted by the distinguished fine artist John C. Orfe III. Many of Orfe’s incredible works were featured in a one-artist show at the IMS Museum’s gallery during its inaugural art exhibit in 2017-18.

A sampling of the works depicts auto racing legends including Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue, Parnelli Jones, and Joe Leonard. The works also depict famous race cars covering multiple eras, from 1920s Millers to the 1952 Novi Pure Oil Special, to the late 1960s Andy Granatelli STP-sponsored turbines, to the unforgettable 1982 duel between Gordon Johncock’s Wildcat and Rick Mears’s No. 1 Gould Charge Penske/Cosworth.

The Museum also acquired Orfe originals of early NASCAR racing on Florida’s famed Daytona Beach, plus two large watercolor/gouache paintings of the 1936 and 1937 Vanderbilt Trophy Cup races.

Aeromotive, one of the leading manufacturers of high-performance fuel systems and components for the automotive aftermarket based in Lenexa, Kansas, recently announced Johnson Barrick as the company’s new sales manager. Barrick reports directly to Aeromotive Vice President Jeff Stacy.

“I attended my first drag race four years ago and fell in love with the sport,” Barrick said. “While my professional background has been in collegiate and professional sports, after attending my first drag race, I was hooked. Aeromotive is at the very pinnacle of product development for the race market, and I am excited to take on this new challenge.”

Barrick's experience to date has been in event management for Belmont University, the Air Force Academy and the University of Texas, San Antonio. Johnson 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.

Tenneco stockholders have approved the acquisition of PRI exhibitor Federal-Mogul LLC, a deal that was first announced in April of this year.

With more than 85 percent of eligible shareholders taking part in the vote, a total of three proposals regarding the acquisition was overwhelmingly approved by the group, which included plans for the issuance of stocks regarding the purchase of Federal-Mogul.

“We are very pleased with the results of the meeting and the strong vote of confidence from our stockholders,” Tenneco Chairman Gregg Sherrill said. “This is a major step forward in the creation of two strong leading global companies, each in an excellent position to capture opportunities unique to their respective markets, and realigned in a way to unlock shareholder value.”

Tenneco also announced that it has received regulatory approvals required to close the deal, which is scheduled to happen on October 1.

For more information on the acquisition, visit the Tenneco website here.

Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC), the former Miller Motorsports Park, is close to a sale agreement for the 511-acre facility currently owned by Tooele County.

According to Toole Online, the county has reached an $18.55 million agreement to sell the race track and surrounding motorsports facility to Mitime Utah Investment, LLC.

Mitime is the entity that has managed the facility for the last three years, which features asphalt cart racing along with car events.

The county commission will formalize the purchase contract after a 14-day public comment period, which ends on September 25.

Miller Motorsports Park originally opened its gates in June 2006.

Former IndyCar team owners and partners Sarah Fisher, Andy O’Gara and Wink Hartman have joined together to purchase Whiteland Raceway Park (WRP) in Whiteland, Indiana, as part of a last-ditch effort to prevent the track from being bulldozed this week.

WRP boasts the distinction as the oldest kart track in the country. O’Gara, like many drivers in the area, got his first taste of racing at WRP.

The opportunity came from former owner Mike Swails at the last hour of an attempted sale to a potential real estate developer.

“When Andy called to tell me that Mike had offered us the purchase of WRP,” Fisher said. “We immediately agreed that investing in the karting community by reconditioning the facility was an obvious decision.”

Whiteland Raceway Park is a nine-turn road course, featuring an oval and the only high-banked turn in the state. The partners are working out details for what will happen in the revitalization of WRP but have already started the planning and cleanup process.

WRP will continue to operate throughout the remainder of the season, fulfilling the three remaining races in addition to some open practice days.

The track will be open for practice by the end of the month and are on schedule to maintain the October 13, race as well as the October 27, Halloween Endurance Races. The race currently scheduled for September 22, will be rescheduled as the staff begins the revitalization process, with a new date coming soon.

Formula 1 and the FIA have unveiled three stages of concepts for the 2021 F1 car. Along with the need for a solution to allow cars to follow each other more efficiently, which should increase the opportunities to overtake, F1 officials wanted to have the cars look so good that “kids want to have posters of them on their walls.”

Working in hand with the FIA and participating teams, F1 revealed the three stages of concepts that will continue to be developed until the official release.

The first concept includes a halo cockpit protection device, a new addition to F1 cars this year, that is integrated more seamlessly and more aesthetically pleasing.

The second concept (pictured) has a more refined style that is described as “more aggressive.”

“Concept 2 is a bit more extreme. One of the things you’ll see is the bigger wheels. We’re committed to 18-inch wheels for the future. They look better but there are a lot of technical reasons why we want them,” F1 Motorsport Boss Ross Brawn told Formula1.com.

The third and final concept is said to be the most current design but includes the first signs of devices to control the way the airflow comes to the wheels.

“The tires and the wheels are the dirtiest area[s] of the car, they cause huge disruption in the airflow,” Brawn said. “We are starting to look at devices that can stabilize the flow as it comes of the wheel.

With about another year of further research and development, the current target is to have a framework in place by the end of next year.

For a complete look at the three separate concepts, visit the F1 website here.