Motovicity Distribution was named Custom Automotive Network (CAN)’s 2018 Reseller of the Year. The prestigious award is voted on by CAN membership in recognition of outstanding contributions to the custom automotive distribution system and in appreciation of conscientious dedication to the industry. The award was presented by CAN President Tracie Nunez at the 45th annual CAN Connect Conference in Frisco, Texas, on September 9, 2018.

Motovicity’s mission is to offer a specialized distribution service to jobber shops and particular independent retailers by developing business relationships with companies and enthusiasts who support the aftermarket automotive industry. Motovicity is a true warehouse distributor, dedicated to stocking more inventory, adding new product lines and giving their customers the best service they can offer.
 
Motovicity Distribution offers a newly designed and innovative customer website, an ASE certified sales team, and same day shipping until 8 p.m. EST.

“It is wonderful to see Motovicity being honored as CAN’s Reseller of the Year. Passion, service and innovation truly describe what their team brings to the industry brands and their customers,” Nunez said.

As the East Coast prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Florence, multiple race tracks have opened its campgrounds to local evacuees free of charge in preparation for the Category 2 storm, set to hit late Thursday.

Among those opening their facilities for evacuees are Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tennessee), Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina), and Atlanta Motor Speedway (Hampton, Georgia).

Bristol released the following statement regarding the opening of its facility: Evacuees may call toll free 866/415-4158 for more information. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those in the path of Hurricane Florence.

Charlotte Motor Speedway provided some additional information for its free of charge campgrounds, including the following: Evacuees are asked to check in at the Camping World Racing Resort office, which can be accessed at the entrance to zMAX Dragway. After-hour arrivals should call the speedway's Guest Services department at 704/507-5612.

Meantime, Atlanta Motor Speedway noted: The campgrounds, which are equipped to handle thousands of campers during the track's annual NASCAR weekend, will again be made available free of charge for dry RV and tent campers in the Legends Campground.

After an overwhelming response in 2017 when the Speedway hosted more than 100 campers during Hurricane Irma, a limited number of camping spaces with water, power and sewer have been made available for a nominal fee of $20 per night in the Premier Campground.

Those interested in RV or tent camping in the free Legends campground at Atlanta Motor Speedway should enter the facility at Entrance "E" off GA Highway 19/41.

For more information on the evacuation sites, visit here for Bristol Motor Speedway, here for Charlotte Motor Speedway, and here for Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Dan Robinson (pictured at left), General Manager of Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, since 2009, has been promoted to Lucas Oil Director of Racing Operations for the speedway, the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series, the Lucas Oil MLRA and the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League.

Since coming to Lucas Oil Speedway in 2007 and quickly working his way through the ranks, the track has enjoyed unparalleled success at the dirt oval and with the addition of the drag boat lake in 2011 and off-road track in 2016. Robinson has presided over a diverse schedule of events at the dirt track, including weekly races, the nationally televised Show-Me 100, Diamond Nationals and ASCS Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial.

In a related move, Danny Lorton (pictured at right) has been elevated to Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager. Lorton had previously been Assistant General Manager and Competition Director at the Wheatland, Missouri motorsports complex since December of 2015.

Lorton was a co-founder of the United Late Model Association, a cost-affordable series for Late Models in 2006, as well as serving on the ULMA Board of Directors until the Lucas Oil MLRA and its Series Director, Ernie Leftwich, began overseeing the series in 2018.

Lorton remained active as a racer until 2013 when he was named Race/Competition Director of the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly. He spent three years there until his hiring as Lucas Oil Speedway's Assistant General Manager in December of 2015.

Robinson and Lorton will begin a search for a new Lucas Oil Speedway Assistant General Manager with more information to be posted over the next few weeks at LucasOilSpeedway.com.

Clarendon Specialty Fasteners Inc. has announced that Pro-Fabrication of Concord, North Carolina, has purchased the designs, specialized manufacturing equipment, inventory and raw materials for the ultra-lightweight racing mufflers (Coast Fab Mufflers) that have been produced in Huntington Beach, California, since 1995.

The handmade, TIG-welded, stainless steel construction mufflers have long enjoyed a reputation for quality, durability and performance in both professional and amateur motorsports competition as well as in other varied and unique applications, with its signature of versatility of a unique modular design, multiple muffling cartridge options and easy re-packability.

Pro-Fabrication has produced quality racing headers and exhaust components for professional racing applications since 1995 and is currently in the process of expanding its company to supply more exhaust components to the entire automotive aftermarket industry.

Two Pro-Fabrication employees spent two weeks in Huntington Beach, in September, to learn the equipment and processes. Clarendon began referring new orders for mufflers to Pro-Fabrication on September 1, with all muffler production in Huntington Beach, set to cease on September 21.

Pro-Fabrication has transferred existing inventory and equipment back to North Carolina, and anticipates commencing in-house production on November 1. Both Clarendon and Pro-Fabrication noted that the supply disruptions will be minimal and of short duration. Both companies are also noted that Pro-Fabrication is well equipped and committed to continue enhancing the reputation of this unique product.

E3 Spark Plugs, the manufacturer of a full line of ignition products for street and race performance, has announced a new fully functioning e-commerce website where products may be purchased directly from the company.

In addition to the company’s E3 Spark Plugs, E3 also offers DiamondFIRE racing spark plug wires, race distributors, a 6CDI ignition box, a high output CD coil, an external two-step rev control, race O2 sensor, electronic oil-filled can coil and E3 high-output performance coils. E3’s new DiamondFIRE billet distributor line provides an OE fit for most Chevy, Ford and HEI applications.

The e-commerce site provides an easy-to-use platform to find the right product for your application with minimal hassle. Products can be filtered by year, make, model and engine for automotive, powersports including motorcycle, ATV and UTV, marine, golf cart and power equipment for lawn and garden applications.

The e-commerce site also showcases featured products, including the company’s new E3.112 racing spark plug. The cart provides an oversized image, quantity, item number and product description in addition to a notice of special offers.

For more information about E3 spark plugs and performance ignition products, visit e3sparkplugs.com.

This year’s 46th running of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals has reset the event record for the number of participants to cross the start line on one of two courses constructed September 4-7 at Lincoln AirPark in Nebraska.

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) record book will show that 1,375 drivers participated in the 2018 Solo Nationals, beating the previous record set in 2017 by 58 competitors. And of those 1,375 drivers, nearly 240 were first-time competitors at the year-end competition.

After a week of rain and shine, including one day that delivered a record-breaking 2.15 inches of rain to Lincoln, a total of 76 winners were crowned across as many car classes. There were 43 class winners named after the first half of the four-day event, and an additional 33 identified by the end of competition Friday. Howard Duncan, SCCA Rally/Solo Senior Director, said that list of winners includes 25 first-time champions.

SCCA Solo is a competitive motorsport activity where orange traffic cones are used to create a “twisty,” miniature course in large parking lots or unused portions of airports.

One at a time, competitors traverse the temporary circuit to see who can be quickest without hitting any cones or going off course. Drivers range from those using daily commuter cars to professional racers wheeling purpose-built vehicles including race karts.

Jaguar Racing has unveiled the full race calendar for the inaugural Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Championship. Up to twenty identical Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecars will line up on the grid on Saturday, December 15, in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, for the first round of the new global electric production car racing series.

The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race will take place before the main ABB FIA Formula E race on the same city circuits, throughout the 2018-19 season and beyond. The series, a world first, offers teams the chance to showcase driving talent and electric performance in some of the world’s most exciting cities.

“Seeing Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race cars line up on the grid in December will be a proud and historic moment for Jaguar, and spectators can expect plenty of action from the races. As we travel to some of the world’s most exciting cities we’ll be bringing a new kind of electric street racing to the public and inspiring the next generation of electric vehicle owners,” Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Championship Manager Marion Barnaby said.

Later this month, teams will travel to the iconic Silverstone circuit to take delivery of their Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecars and take part in the first of the official pre-season tests.

The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race will be 25 minutes plus one lap. This will follow practice and qualifying sessions in the build-up to each race. Jaguar plan for each race to feature a VIP entrant, with famous faces from the world of motorsports and beyond set to take part. Jaguar recently announced that the prize fund for the series is more than £500,000 ($652,328.50) per season.

2018-2019 Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY Championship Calendar
Round—City—Country—Date
1—Ad Diriyah—Saudi Arabia—December 15, 2018
2—Mexico City—Mexico—February 16, 2019
3—Hong Kong—Hong Kong—March 10, 2019
4—Sanya—China—March 23, 2019
5—Rome—Italy—April 13, 2019
6—Paris—France—April 27, 2019
7—Monaco—Monaco—May 11, 2019
8—Berlin—Germany—May 25, 2019
9—New York City—USA—July 13, 2019
10—New York City—USA—July 14, 2019

Grant Lynch, the Speedway Chairman who joined the staff at Talladega Superspeedway in January of 1993, will retire after more than a quarter century of service to the track, the local community and the state of Alabama in November of next year — just weeks after the completion of Transformation, the Talladega Superspeedway infield project.

“I have had a wonderful ride here at Talladega, and the time has gone by so fast,” Lynch said of the track which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next season. “We have always tried to make this place the very best it can be for the fans, our local communities, and for everyone involved in the sport of NASCAR, as well as ARCA.”

During his reign, Lynch has overseen many changes and updates to make the mammoth track the best in NASCAR as well as the most fan-friendly. Items include the building of garages (1999) as well as the construction of new grandstands with comfortable fold-out chairs and video boards. Also over the course of his tenure, the track’s second major weekend was shifted from summer to the fall and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series made its debut in 2006. There’s also been a host of fan programming that was introduced such as the “Big One on the Blvd.,” the traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert, Kids VIP, Military & First Responders and Teacher & Educator Appreciation.

Lynch started as the track General Manager in ’93 and was promoted to Vice President of ISC and President of Talladega Superspeedway in November of the same year. In 1997, ISC also appointed him to oversee the construction and management of Kansas Speedway, and in January of 2000, he assumed additional operational responsibilities with Chicagoland Speedway before being named ISC Senior Vice President of Business Operations in July of 2007. In July 2009, he became Chairman of Talladega Superspeedway.

Transformation, the approximate $50 million redevelopment endeavor, is part of International Speedway Corporation’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes.

Babcox Media Inc. has announced that Scott Shriber, group publisher, will be assuming responsibility for the Engine Builder brand, effective October 1.

Shriber began his automotive career 47 years ago in an engine remanufacturing shop and is said to be excited to reimmerse himself into the market.

Meantime, Doug Kaufman will continue in his role as publisher and editor, and as an unwavering advocate for the professionals employed in the industry. Randy Loeser, former group publisher of Engine Builder and Tire Review, will be leading a new business unit at Babcox Media, focused on providing creative and custom content strategies and services for clients.

Since 1964, Engine Builder has been an independent voice of the professional engine builder and re-manufacturer, as well as machine shop parts and equipment suppliers across America.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Historian Donald Davidson will be the honored guest for the IMS Museum’s next “Distinguish Speaker Series” event, scheduled for Wednesday, September 26, from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Museum.

Davidson, a 2010 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame inductee, has been an IMS institution since arriving on the Indy racing scene in 1964. His incredible knowledge of year-by-year Indianapolis 500 driver statistics, along with anecdotal driver and team histories, made him an instant hit and celebrity among the racing fraternity. He went back to his native England after the 1964 edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” then returned to the Speedway in 1965 and stayed for good.

Soon after Jim Clark won the 1965 race, Davidson was offered a position with the United States Auto Club (USAC) as the statistician and remained there almost 32 years. He was officially named IMS Historian in 1998.

In honor of Davidson’s 50-plus years of promoting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the sport of auto racing, he was presented with Indiana’s highest civilian award, the “Sagamore of the Wabash,” by then-Gov. Mike Pence in 2016.

Tickets to the event must be purchased in advanced, and are encouraged to be purchased sooner rather than later as the beloved Davidson and his encyclopedic knowledge of Indianapolis 500 history is a popular draw for the IMS Museum’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

Tickets to the event include free hors-d'oeuvres courtesy of Ruth’s Chris Steak House and a cash bar.

To purchase tickets, contact Kelly Hartman at 317/492-6568 or khartman@brickyard.com.