The 2019 IMSA season will see the debut of a new, seven-race competition called the “IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup” for GT Daytona (GTD) class competitors.

“Beginning next season, GTD competitors have the opportunity to compete for three different IMSA titles. The IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup offers GTD drivers and teams a relatively cost-effective option to compete at the top level of North American sports car racing. We are grateful to WeatherTech Founder and CEO David MacNeil for his enthusiastic support of this new program,” IMSA President Scott Atherton said.

The IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup will use the same points system and sporting regulations as the GTD class uses for the 10-race WeatherTech Championship GTD season but creates new opportunities for class competitors.

Teams will have two-driver lineups every round, including a minimum of one Bronze- or Silver-rated driver paired with another Bronze or Silver or a maximum of one Gold or Platinum driver. Drivers, teams and manufacturers all will earn points based upon the overall finishing position of the car in the GTD class, all accumulating toward season-ending awards.

Most events will be 2 hours and 40 minutes long, except for the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix in Detroit, Michigan, which will be 100 minutes long and is still pending approval.

Winners of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup will be recognized alongside champions in the WeatherTech Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup at the season-ending WeatherTech Night of Champions awards celebration in October.

For more information, and to see the complete 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup schedule, visit here.

PRI Exhibitor Meyer Distributing, Inc., one of the leaders in automotive specialty products marketing and distribution, announced the addition of a new location in Springfield, Missouri.

The cross-dock will have a direct, next-day feed from Meyer's Dallas, Texas, distribution hub which houses one of the largest inventories of automotive accessories and RV parts in the region.

“We continue to expand delivery to reach more customers in less populated markets,” Meyer CFO Jeff Braun said. “We are expanding delivery service to Branson, Harrison, Mountain Home, West Plains, Lebanon, Camdenton, and Bolivar on our own trucks connecting our popular truck service to those customers who were previously serviced only by a third party. We are also now providing daily service to the Springfield metropolitan area.”

Through numerous strategically positioned warehousing facilities, Meyer serves thousands of customers nationwide via Meyer Logistics direct ship.

USAC’s recent social media poll to complete the 2018 list of inductees into the USAC Hall of Fame has resulted in inductions for driver Jason Leffler and the pair of Ohio car owner brothers Bob and Gene Shannon.

The new inductees, who received the most votes from a select list of 14 candidates, will join the six previously-announced inductees in the ceremony accompanying the September 5–6, Drive2SaveLives “BC 39” USAC P1 Insurance National Midget race on the brand new dirt track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Previously-announced 2018 inductees include (alphabetically) Mike Devin, Tony Elliott, Paul Goldsmith, Bill Lipkey, Troy Ruttman and Jimmy Sills.

Leffler—who raced out of Long Beach, California, until he passed away in a sprint car crash at Bridgeport, N.J. in 2013—earned a trio of USAC National Midget Championships in 1997-98-99 and capped his USAC career with a 1998 USAC Silver Crown title.

Leffler also won six Silver Crown races and captured 19 trophies in the National Midget series. A winner of the famed “Copper World Classic” at Phoenix, Arizona, and two-time winner of the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at Gardena, California, he also won the famed Belleville Midget Nationals in 1997.

Leffler also excelled in a variety of disciplines, including scoring victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, and competing in the Indianapolis 500 in 2003. He was also inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame the same year.

The Shannon Brothers of Dayton, Ohio, earned 45 total USAC National feature victories with a variety of drivers. They also won the 1972 USAC National Midget Car Owner title along with driver Larry Rice and were enshrined in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1991.

Drivers that helped the Shannon Brothers score victories were Gene Force, Dane Carter, Bob McLean, Bob Wente, Sam Sessions, Dave Strickland, Bill Engelhart and Pancho Carter.

NASCAR Vice Chairman and Executive VP Jim France has assumed the role of interim chairman and CEO following the arrest of previous chairman and CEO Brian France for allegedly driving while intoxicated and possessing a controlled substance.

A statement from Brian France following his arrest in Sag Harbor, New York, indicated he is “taking an indefinite leave of absence from my position to focus on my personal affairs.”
 
The Sag Harbor Police Department released details in a press release about the Sunday, August 5, arrest, and France's subsequent release Monday morning.

Jim France is the son of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., and the brother of the past NASCAR CEO Bill France Jr. Jim has been involved in motorsports his entire life, being credited with founding GRAND-AM Road Racing in 1999 and with the merger of the series with the American Le Mans Series, which now operates under the IMSA banner as of 2014.

Jim has also served as a board member for the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS) and served in Vietnam during his active duty with the US Army from 1969-1970. 
 
Brian France was named the CEO of NASCAR in 2003. His father, Bill France Jr., ran the stock car racing organization from 1972 to 2000 after taking over operations from his father—and NASCAR founder—Bill France Sr.
 
(Photo of Jim France in April 2018 courtesy of NASCAR.)

King Engine Bearings is now a certified data supplier to the SEMA DATA CO-OP (SDC) after achieving platinum status. Platinum is the highest status rating that can be achieved through the data management organization.

King currently offers over 4,000 SKUs, one of the broadest range of bearing materials and undersizes.

As a platinum data provider, King published a complete set of data on each application including PIES and ACES data, with descriptions, images, tariff codes and sales metrics. This data makes it easy for retailers to understand the product they are selling and gives full information to the buyers.

“Being an SDC supplier is another step in our strategy to expand our presence in the domestic market,” King Engine Bearings VP Sales & Marketing Limor Karpatkin said. “We are pleased to set a new standard in the industry, by being the 1st engine bearing manufacturer to reach the highest scoring level and supply with the best data in the industry. We look forward to continuing to expand on our relationship with SDC.”

A new desert race is coming to the 2019 King of The Hammers (KOH) Week lineup. The Toyo Tires Desert Invitational Presented by Monster Energy will feature 30 elite off-road desert racers in an invitation-only, traditional open-desert, off-road truck race in Johnson Valley, California.

The event marks the return of unlimited off-road racing to the birthplace of the sport, Southern California, and is also the first time that four wheel-drive will not be required of trucks to compete during KOH Week. The invited teams will vie for a $125,000 prize purse—said to be the richest off-road race in the history of the sport. 

Drivers will qualify and race on the same day on Thursday, February 7, 2019.

The winner will take home $100,000, second place will earn $15,000, and third place will grab $10,000. The driver with the fastest lap of the day earns an additional $3,750. With increases in prize money to the Ultra4 class to match, the payout for KOH week exceeds $300,000.

There will be a “Last Chance Qualifying” opportunity for teams that did not receive an automatic invite. Officials will announce details in the coming weeks.

Registration for KOH Week is expected to open in the fall and will be available, along with news, competitor information and updates, at ultra4racing.com.

The NMCA stop at Summit Motorsports Park on August 23–26, 2018, will be the official host of the Ford Performance 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion, a celebration within the Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals.

The 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet Reunion, which is presented by TascaParts.com, is one of the largest gatherings of Cobra Jets in the world and features modern and nostalgia Cobra Jet drag racing categories, a Cobra Jet car show, guest speakers and more.

“Not only will fans get to see the usual exciting line-up of NMCA street and race categories, but they will get to enjoy a slice of Cobra Jet history that helped define the factory drag racing wars over the last half-a-century,” NMCA President and CEO Steve Wolcott said.

A portion of the left side of Summit Motorsports Park will be turned into a Cobra Jet village with massive tents housing some of the most storied vehicles in Ford’s history.

NMCA and Ford Performance officials have already lined up Al Joniec’s Cobra Jet that won the 1968 NHRA Winternationals, a ’68 Cobra Jet #1, a special 50th-anniversary edition Cobra Jet, and several other significant and historical vehicles.

Outside the tents will be the Cobra Jet car show and the pit area for vehicles that are in the drag racing competitions. There will also be autograph sessions and exclusive merchandise on sale.

Registration for the Cobra Jet drag racing classes, car show, and VIP fan experience closes August 15. Visit CobraJetReunion.com for more information.

The Congressional Motorsports Caucus recently hosted an event at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the informal, bipartisan group is to work toward common legislative goals concerning motorsports of all varieties and their impact on American culture.

The briefing, Motorsports 101, was designed to educate members of Congress and their staff on everything motorsports.

A key topic was the importance of passing the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act, which clarifies that it is legal under federal law to modify the emissions system of a motor vehicle that is converted for race-use only.

Panelists, from all forms of racing, included Walt Czarnecki, the executive vice president of Penske Corp., NHRA Pro Stock driver Alex Laughlin, and Wayne Allard, the vice president of government relations at the American Motorcycle Ass’n. Also in attendance was Julie Bennett, the vice president and general counsel of the dragway at Bristol Motor Speedway, Daniel Ingber, managing director, government and legal affairs at SEMA, David Prater, the director of operations for Feld Entertainment’s Monster Energy Supercross, and Tim Frost of the National Speedway Directory.

The event was hosted by co-chairs of the Congressional Motorsports Caucus, Representatives Bill Posey and Mike Thompson.

(Photo courtesy of SPEEDSPORT).

In conjunction with its first year anniversary, GET'M Garage has announced the acquisition of the MaxJet, the subsidiary of the Memphis, Tennessee-based Comp Performance Group.

"The move is a perfect fit for our business, especially with the launch of our Phillips headed jet," GET'M Garage Co-Owner Trevor Wiggins said. "Adding the MaxJet brand to our product line enhances our ability to provide our customers with the most complete offering of performance fuel tuning products."

The carburetor and tuning products manufacturer will incorporate the traditional MaxJet “hex” jet, the MaxJet Phillips jets, and the MaxJet Junior jets into its GET’M Garage brand.

MaxJet products will continue to be made in the U.S.A., produced from virgin brass and be precision machined. Each MaxJet is said to be reamed to a precise size, with a tolerance of 0.0004 inches held on each jet.

MaxJet sizes can be crossed-over from other manufacturers' jets and are available for all fuel applications.

INDYCAR has announced a new licensing system that will require aspiring drivers to meet specific criteria in order to become eligible to race in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Similar to Formula 1’s super license requirements, future Verizon IndyCar Series drivers will gain automatic entry if they have raced in F1 or the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series or have found success in other categories, detailed below.

“Not every series in the world is mentioned, so we’ll take each case individually, and some are streamlined for licensing like Formula 1 and the Monster Energy Cup Series,” IndyCar Competition Director Jay Frye told RACER.

The news comes after the recent announcement of a five-year plan to strengthen Indy Lights and bring it closer in alignment with the Verizon IndyCar Series. Subsequently, drivers who may previously have been able to move into the top-tier IndyCar series may now have to start in Indy Lights.

“Overall, we want to focus this process and use Indy Lights as a training ground, where necessary, to get drivers ready for our diverse set of tracks and challenges in IndyCar,” Frye said.

Indy Lights drivers will be eligible for the Verizon IndyCar Series after competing for one full-season and finishing in the top three of the championship.

Pro Mazda drivers will be eligible to drive in the top-tier series after scoring three wins.

Drivers not in F1, NASCAR, Indy Lights or Pro Mazda may gain entry into the Verizon IndyCar Series will be evaluated using their race records in a global motorsports series, with a minimum of 30 points required over two years.

IndyCar also outlined testing license requirements, which include competing in eight Indy Lights races—or scoring two wins in the current season.