Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) officials announced that online registration for the 2018 Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals contingency programs is scheduled to close Monday, September 3, at 11:59 p.m. Central.

Competitors may add or subtract contingency programs up to the deadline. After that, changes will need to be made upon arrival at the Solo Nationals venue.

A full list of programs, including details and instructions, can be found by clicking individual contingency links in the Solo Nationals drop-down menu at scca.com/pages/solo-contingency.

In related news, SCCA officials also announced nominations are now being sought for the 2018 Mechanic of the Year. The award winner is selected annually by SCCA technical staff based on submissions received through an online survey.

Nominations need to include description of the nominee's accomplishments during the 2018 Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing season and the Runoffs. The deadline is October 31, 2018.

The newest member to join the Edelbrock Performance team is Brian Hatano, who takes on the newly created role of digital content creator in the company’s marketing department. Hatano comes from the motorcycle industry, where he was the digital editor for Motorcyclist magazine, and social media specialist for all 11 of the Bonnier Motorcycle Group’s brands.
 
In his new role with Edelbrock, Hatano will be responsible for producing specialized content about the company’s line of high-performance products and keeping its website blog active with stories about featured vehicles, custom installations and engine build-ups in the Edelbrock Garage.
 
Hatano previously worked as editor of several automotive publications, including Car Craft, Petersen’s Drag Racing and Sport Compact Car.
 
His work as a fabricator and custom painter first put his name in print with editors from Hot Rod, Custom Rodder and Popular Hot Rodding. Some of Hatano’s high-profile builds include cars from The Fast and the Furious and 2Fast 2Furious, Vin Diesel’s GTO in XXX, Sylvester Stallone’s ’50 Merc in the movie Cobra, the hazmat van in ET, the life-size Lightning McQueen, Sally Carrera and Tow Mater for the Pixar movie Cars and the official Mystery Machine seen on the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour, to name a few.

Formula E will oversee the new “Extreme E” series featuring electric SUVs set to race on demanding locations such as the Himalayas and the Arctic, according to a recent report by Autosport.

The spec-series, which is expected to launch in 2020, will feature cars that resemble road SUV models and will have limited areas for open development, including motors and bodywork (but not chassis).

Currently led by McLaren Formula 1 sporting director Gil de Ferran, the project is also reportedly supported by Formula E CEO and founder Alejandro Agag, who told Autosport that de Ferran would make an announcement about the new series soon.

Extreme E would resemble Formula E’s current technical competition, which sets strict limits on development areas but allows for potential manufacturers to invest their technology in specific parts. The series would also allow manufacturers to use “silhouette” racing designs of their own SUV models, Autosport said.

The final entry list is set for the Driven2SaveLives “BC39” presented by NOS Energy Drink, featuring 118 USAC P1 Insurance Nationals Midgets entered for the September 5–6, event at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Dirt Track.

The figure topples the record book for the most cars to ever to enter a USAC National Midget event in its 63 years of history, according to a release by the sanctioning body.

The all-time highest car count in the series came in 1990 when 109 competed in the final race at the famed Ascot Park half-mile in Gardena, California, for the annual “Turkey Night Grand Prix.”

The Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink kicks off the week of racing at IMS leading up to the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard powered by Florida Georgia Line on Sunday, September 9.

The race will take place at the new quarter-mile dirt oval located inside turn three of the famed 2.5-mile oval and will include a unique format that concludes with a 39-lap feature September 6, in the richest midget racing event in recent history. The event will feature more than $70,000 in purse and incentives, including a $15,000 winner's purse – one of the largest in midget racing.

Tickets and all the race info can be found on theBC39.com.

(Photo courtesy of USAC).

For the first time, Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars will be making an appearance at an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event as part of the 64th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

Mountain Motor drivers from around the country will descend on Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis to showcase their machines at the “World’s Biggest Drag Race” with two runs on Saturday, September  1, and two more on Sunday, September 2.

This unique category boasts 800-plus cubic inch engines and drivers such as John Montecalvo, Trevor Eman, John Konigshofer, Brad Waddle, Dwayne Rice, John DeFlorian, Elijah Morton and Dillon Voss.

The prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is one of the most-coveted victories in drag racing, offering competitors across 12 categories the opportunity to write the ultimate legacy in their careers by holding the Wally trophy on Labor Day Monday.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the NHRA Ticket Sales Center at (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or online at www.NHRA.com/tickets. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. To honor the Salute to First Responders, military and first responders can save 20 percent on general admission tickets at the gate.

(Image courtesy of NHRA).

Race Winning Brands, Inc. (RWB) has announced the acquisition of Dart Machinery, the Warren, Michigan-based manufacturer of high-performance engine blocks, cylinder heads, and intake manifolds.

In addition to retaining the current Dart management team, including Vice President Dave Tratechaud, former Dart General Manager Ted Keating returns to the organization in a new role as the company president.

Dart’s founder, Richard Maskin, will continue to play a leading role within the organization as a partner and chairman of Research & Development. Maskin founded Dart Machinery in his two-car Oak Park, Michigan, garage in 1981. The 2015 Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee has earned multiple National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock world championships as an engine builder.

“The Dart team has built a new manufacturing center of excellence in Warren, Michigan, to power the brand with leading-edge products. We plan to leverage Richard Maskin’s championship engine building expertise across RWB’s portfolio of race winning products,” RWB Chief Executive Officer Brian Reese said. “This strategic acquisition helps drive our mission of leading racers to victory and enthusiasts to enjoyment, while extending RWB adjacently into new engine parts categories.”

Race Winning Brands, Inc. (RWB) is a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, LLC, and headquartered in Mentor, Ohio. Its brands include JE Pistons, Wiseco Performance Products, K1 Technologies, Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance, Rekluse Motor Sports and ProX Racing Parts.

(Photo of RWB CEO Brian Reese, left, Dart Machinery Founder Richard Maskin, center, and RWB Chairman of the Board Bob Romanelli, right.)

TechnoCraft/TrailerCabinets.com of Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, will increase its booth space at this year’s Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show scheduled for December 6–8, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“The big news is that we plan to take nothing home—everything in the booth is for sale. We’ve sold the display every year since we began attending PRI and our customers seem to love the arrangement. Consequently, all cabinets and toolboxes displayed will be at 10 percent discount. And, to sweeten the pot, we’ll offer the same discount to all orders placed at the show,” TrailerCabinets.com President Brian Hope said.  

TrailerCabinets.com was founded in 1998 and is known for its fast, efficient service and the use of high quality, lightweight aluminum, as well as durable components assembled in the US. ‘Thin Line’ wheel-well cabinets and multi-drawer tool boxes are among the company’s race trailers and storage systems set for display during PRI 2018.

For more information about the 2018 PRI Trade Show, including how to contact a PRI sales rep for expanded booth space, visit pri2018.com.

SRO and WC Vision, producers of the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC), announced the expansion of the all-new TCR class for 2019. The “TCR-Cup” division will be designed for amateur and gentleman drivers in the popular TCR category.

While the TCR class will continue to field Gold, Silver and Bronze FIA ratings in 2019, the new TCR-Cup division will only be available to Bronze and Bronze* drivers. The TCR class will continue with TCR International Balance of Performance (BoP) rulings, but the TCR-Cup BoP regulations will be controlled by the PWC Competition Department next year.

The new TCR-Cup grouping will include new technical guidelines that will have the Audi and Volkswagen DSG Gearbox cars as the BOP baseline of the class. Other models will be approved on a case-by-case basis by the PWC technical staff.

“We have had a great initial season with the TCR competition this year,” said Jim Jordan, Touring Car Class director for the three Touring Car classes. “The TCR cars proved to be fun to drive in 2018 and we wanted to expand this type of vehicle to other racers with less experience. The TCR-Cup class will open up a new option for Touring Car competitors with interest in the TCR vehicles.”

The TCR-Cup machines will have specific technical rules as opposed to the race cars in the TCR division. The new TCR-Cup parameters will be announced at a later date.

In addition to the new TCR-Cup announcement, TCR entires are invited to participate in the California 8 Hours sports car event serving as the SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge round four set for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on October 26–28.

Mike McWilliams (pictured at right), a fixture at Talladega Superspeedway since 1992 and the current vice president of operations, will make the transition to owner’s superintendent of International Speedway Corporation’s (ISC) Design & Development team for “Transformation” – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project. The transformation is set for completion in October 2019.

McWilliams’ facility operations team is in charge of maintenance of all facilities at the mammoth 2.66-mile venue, which includes nearly 3,000 acres of property—the largest in all of NASCAR. In addition, McWilliams oversees all aspects of fire and safety, security, parking and camping cleanup, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame operations, as well as the Talladega Airport operation.

McWilliams will continue those duties through the track’s upcoming NASCAR weekend doubleheader (October 12–14) before moving to his new role. At the time of his transition, his son, Andy McWilliams (pictured at left), the current director of operations who has been a staple of the track since 1996, will take the helm.

The approximate $50 million Transformation redevelopment (talladegasuperspeedway.com/transformation) endeavor is part of parent-company ISC’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes.

The project is highlighted by a Garage Fan Zone Experience (140,000 square foot of social and engagement areas) that will feature “up-close” fan access to the drivers and teams, interactive attractions, Wi-Fi, a 35,000-square foot covered Open Air Club, complete with 41-foot diagonal video screens, a new Gatorade Victory Lane, a Pit Road Paddock Club, and enhanced amenities in the iconic Talladega infield. In addition, there will be more than 300 new RV spaces configured inside the track.

McWilliams will assist with the construction process of Transformation and will retire in November 2019 after the project’s conclusion.

The FIA has confirmed 11 teams are set to compete in the FIA Formula E Season 5 Championship through 2018 and 2019.

This is the first time in history that the number of Formula E teams exceeds 10, according to the series, with a record amount of 22 cars set to be featured on the grid during the kick-off race in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on December 15, 2018.

Official pre-season testing will take place at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, from October 16–19. This will be the first time all of the Gen2 cars run together. For more information, including how to attend the testing, visit here.

Updates to the FIA Formula E Championship’s Sporting Regulations, which were approved at the last meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, have been published and can be viewed here.

Team Entry List for FIA Formula E Championship 2018-2019
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Formula E Team
BMW I ANDRETTI MOTORSPORT
DRAGON
DS TECHEETAH
Virgin Racing
HWA
MAHINDRA RACING
NIO Formula E Team
Nissan e.dams
Panasonic Jaguar Racing
VENTURI Formula E Team