The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) will host a USAC dirt race to kick off NASCAR weekend this fall. With the Brickyard 400 set for September 9, officials are hoping to draw new fans. The USAC P1 Insurance National Midget Series will take part in the two-night event known as the Driven2SaveLives BC 39 on September 5-6, an evening honoring the late sprint car driver Bryan Clauson.

The news comes after the announcement that this year's Brickyard 400 moves from its traditional late-July date to September.

With plans to host the dirt race in Turn 3, IMS President Doug Boles has reportedly enlisted the help of Kokomo Speedway’s Reece O’Connor to design and prepare the quarter-mile dirt oval track. The track will feature 60-foot wide straightaways and eight-degree banking in corners.

Track preparations began Tuesday, with eventual plans to erect bleachers able to hold 5,000 spectators.

"This is an exciting new chapter of the longtime relationship between USAC and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and reinforces the connection between short-track racing and this facility," Boles said. 

IMS previously build a dirt track in Turn 3 to honor Tony Stewart’s final NASCAR season. Boles noted, however, that IMS has no interest in weekly dirt racing, and the track is a “one-time deal.”

(Image courtesy of IMS.)

Following a successful launch last year, the Featured Products Showcase will return to the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, December 6-8, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, giving exhibitors and attendees unprecedented product access and exposure during the three biggest business days in racing.


This year's Featured Products Showcase, located in the new Lucas Oil Exhibit Area, will enable exhibitors to further highlight their products and increase connectivity with buyers at the world’s premier gathering of motorsports professionals through marketing and promotional exposure before, during, and after the PRI Show.

"The overwhelmingly positive response we received from last year's inaugural program reflects the significant value to both buyers and exhibitors,” said PRI General Manager Bill Miller. "The Showcase makes it easy for buyers to see hundreds of relevant products in one location, and for motorsports media professionals in attendance to gain increased access to these amazing products so they can report on them."


For buyers, the Featured Products Showcase makes it possible to see all the top products at the PRI Show in one place and easily identify where to find them on the Show floor.


“I like the Featured Products Showcase because we get to see new products without having to go booth to booth. We can just look around the Showcase and see what’s new,” said Jared Johnson of Kennard Speed Freakz. “It’s all in here for you in one area, as opposed to having to walk the entire Show trying to find all the new products.”

Exhibitors can enter an unlimited number of products into the Featured Products Showcase. Cost is $50 for the first entry and $75 for each additional product before November 8, 2018. Following the deadline, products must be submitted on-site and will be accepted based on space availability. The cost for on-site entries is $100 for the first product and $125 for each additional item.


All entered products will be professionally photographed on-site for future promotional use, and a description will be displayed alongside the product in the Featured Products Showcase. Additionally, participants will receive promotional signage to use in their booth, product promotion on PRI’s social networks, and additional exposure during the Featured Products Showcase Media Breakfast on Friday, December 7.


Exhibitors can increase their exposure by purchasing an upgrade option that includes placement in the Featured Products Preview section of the official PRI Trade Show Guide, published as the November issue of Performance Racing Industry magazine, as well as inclusion in the 2019 Products Preview section in the PRI Show wrap-up issue in early 2019. Both listings will include a photo, company name, and product description. In addition, upgraded companies will be listed on Featured Products Showcase meter board signage at all entrances to the 2018 PRI Show.


"Exhibitors can substantially increase their ROI at the PRI Show by taking advantage of all the promotional opportunities available through the Featured Products Showcase," said Miller. "It's another easy way to increase their business impact at the three-day trade-only event."


The 2018 PRI Trade Show will feature over 1,100 companies exhibiting in more than 3,300 booths, showcasing the latest developments in auto racing technology to tens of thousands of buyers from all 50 states and 70 countries.


In addition, the days leading up to and including the PRI Show, which have come to be known as Race Industry Week, will offer a range of motorsports-related activities in and around the Indiana Convention Center beginning on Monday, December 3. Numerous conferences, seminars and other special events will offer unlimited business opportunities and provide invaluable insight into the latest technologies and how to apply them throughout the racing world.


To learn more about the Featured Products Showcase, or to submit products, log on to pri2018.com/featuredproducts. For more information on the 2018 PRI Trade Show, visit pri2018.com.

Dayco Products, LLC has announced the appointment of Angela Golden as the new head of marketing. Golden will lead all automotive and industrial aftermarket marketing efforts in the United States.

Golden joins Dayco from NGK Spark Plugs, where she was responsible marketing NGK and NTK brands through advertising, promotions, product launches and events. She has spent over a decade working with the automotive industry in B2B and B2C markets.

Passionate about results, Golden has driven product launches, promotions and marketing programs through various traditional and social media platforms to facilitate market growth.

“Angela is a great addition to our refreshed and reinvigorated aftermarket team,” Dayco Products Vice President of US Aftermarket Sales Daniel Sheehan said.

Golden is an active member of various industry associations, including Auto Care Association Marketing and Communications Committee, Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG), AASA Marketing Executives Council (MEC) and AASA Modern Industry eXpertise (MiX). She earned a bachelor of Business Administration from Northwood University with a triple-major in advertising, marketing and management.

NBC Sports Group will debut a new 30-minute show, the Dale Jr. Download, on Thursday, June 21 at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

In collaboration with NBC Sports’ newest on-air contributor Dale Earnhardt Jr., NBCSN will take viewers couch-side for the taping of the motorsports icon’s weekly podcast. The latest addition to NBC Sports’ motorsports lineup, the Dale Jr. Download will air each Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET following NASCAR America.

NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for an unprecedented 15 consecutive years (2003-17) and winner of two Daytona 500s, Earnhardt co-hosts the show with Mike Davis. Thursday’s debut episode surrounds Father’s Day, Earnhardt’s first as a dad. Earnhardt will reflect on his time as a new parent and share some of his favorite memories of his own father, Dale Earnhardt Sr.

“Our approach with the TV show will be no different than our approach with the podcast – buddies hanging out, talking racing, sharing life stories, and telling jokes that may or may not be funny only to us,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I’m having a lot of fun with the podcast, and we are excited to be bringing it to TV. If we have a guest join us, it’s only because they’re relevant to whatever has my attention that week. It could be a NASCAR driver, or it could be my plumber – depends on who’s more important to me that week. The Download is as transparent as I can be when it comes to my life and thoughts.”

Produced on-site at Dirty Mo Media Studios in Mooresville, North Carolina, Earnhardt and Davis will offer “unparalleled perspective, candid commentary, and first-person insight” into the life of a broadcaster and celebrated race car driver.

The full Dale Jr. Download podcast is available at DirtyMoMedia.com and all major podcasting platforms.

(Photo courtesy of NBC Sports.)

CTW Automation of Lexington, North Carolina, has announced the addition of Bryan Pittman as the company’s new senior electrical engineer.

Pittman previously held electrical engineering roles with Roehrig Engineering Inc. and most recently MTS Systems Corporation. Before this, Pittman worked as an engineering technician for suspension dynamics research and development at the Virginia Institute of Performance Engineering and Research (VIPER).

“Bryan has such a wide ability level that it is hard to give him a title or area. As another ex-Roehrig employee, we hired him knowing his talents. He fits in perfectly to our growing company,” the company said in a release.

Pittman will be responsible for the company’s linear actuator development as well as provide a high level of professional electrical engineering expertise to the company's products.

Continuing the recent tradition of moving the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) annual national championship to a different region of the country each year, the SCCA announced that the Runoffs will return in 2020 to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Road America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit.

The 57th SCCA National Championship Runoffs is scheduled to take place Oct. 5-11, 2020, at the storied track located midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Previously, the Runoffs called Road America “home” from 2009 to 2013.

“Some of the most memorable races in SCCA history have occurred at Road America, a track that requires a blend of car performance, skill and courage,” SCCA Vice President/COO Eric Prill said. “We look forward to returning in the fall of 2020 to beautiful Elkhart Lake. From the new Paddock Shop to new restroom and shower locations, and a new trail allowing access to fantastic spectating from The Kink to Canada Corner, Road America continues to enhance the participant, worker and fan experience.”

The Runoffs, which caps the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program each year, has evolved into what is now said to be the pinnacle of American motorsports. Since 1964, the SCCA has crowned national champions through the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format.

Currently, the Runoffs crowns national champions across 28 separate classes. Racing is preceded by a handful of test days, followed by multi-day qualifying to identify Tire Rack pole award winners.

Racers are currently qualifying for the 2018 Runoffs being held October 16-21, at Sonoma Raceway in California. In 2019, the Runoffs are scheduled to make a first-ever visit to VIRginia International Raceway October 8-13, 2019, at the venue located along the border of Virginia and North Carolina.

The staff and management of Weedsport Speedway has announced that an all-new clay karting oval is nearing completion on Speedway grounds and will be known as Weedsport Kartway.

The idea of a karting facility at Weedsport has been more than a year in the making, with ground finally being broken just prior to spring.

As of mid-June, some 45 loads of clay have been dropped on the Kartway’s surface with bleachers now on site and track crews working daily to prep the 3/16-mile oval for testing later this summer.

“We’ve been trying to make this happen for quite some time,” said Weedsport Speedway promoter Jimmy Phelps. “This year we were finally able to put the pieces together and start to make it happen.

“The more we can do to get people on the grounds more times during the year, the better,” Phelps added. “On top of that, it has been proven locally that young kart racers advance to become full-size dirt racers and if we can create a culture that exposes young people to our sport and promotes their growth, it’s a win-win for everyone.”

The Kartway’s racing surface is anticipated to be completed in the coming weeks, allowing for practice sessions and a soft opening later this summer.

By fall, officials hope to have the majority of the Kartway’s infrastructure in place in order to hold a two-day grand opening event in mid-October.

For more information on the Weedsport, New York-based facility, visit weedsportspeedway.com.

Officials with the FIA World Endurance Championship have announced that a new top class will be launched for 2020-2024 featuring sleeker prototypes with more marque cachet. While these racing cars will cut quite an imposing figure, officials said, they will also retain the usage of a hybrid system while leaving free the choice of combustion engine at a predetermined and fixed cost. The name of the new class will be chosen by popular vote.

The 2020-2024 plan will usher in a new era of endurance racing with an ultramodern style of prototype called… whatever the fans of the discipline decide: Super Sportscar, GTPrototype, Le Mans Supercars or Le Mans Hypercars or something else entirely.

The regulations, devised by the ACO and the FIA, focus on the appearance, style and lines of the cars in the new premier league. They will compete on circuits like Le Mans, Spa, Silverstone, Fuji and Sebring in the day and night, rain or shine, in hot weather as in cold.

Being the top class, these new prototypes must be technologically powerful and compelling in design, and will therefore remain hybrid, with a KERS system in front and 4WD to ensure energy efficiency, the FIA announced. This technology will become more popular as the KERS system developed by some constructors will have to be used on production cars at a pre-defined price, they added.

These new prototypes will have an alluring design and incredible pace, as regulations seek excellence: 3:20.00 per lap at Le Mans with limited fuel, according to the FIA. The other priority is cost, as they are meant to be remarkable, competitive, innovative and affordable—requiring a quarter of current budgets. Costly developments will be kept in check by a new homologation procedure and technical rules that will naturally reduce budgets.

However, there will be no restrictions on engine selection. Consumption rules will ensure fair competition between different systems. The new regulations will take effect for 2020-2024.

For more information, click here.

BorgWarner has opened a new 100,000-square-foot technical center in Noblesville, Indiana. Combining operations from existing facilities in Anderson and Pendleton, Indiana, the new technical center features a state-of-the-art lab, which increases the company’s research and development capacity to meet growing customer demand for these products by expanding the prototype building and testing capabilities for its electrified products.

“We are thrilled to open our new technical center in Noblesville, allowing us to bring all our area employees under one beautiful new roof,” said Dr. Stefan Demmerle, president and general manager, BorgWarner PowerDrive Systems. “The new facility with its state-of-the-art lab and creative workspaces enables the research, development and testing of current and future hybrid and electric propulsion systems and components. This facility will be a key site in BorgWarner’s mission of developing clean, energy-efficient propulsion technologies.”

The new technical center’s 40,000-square-foot lab will conduct testing and prototype building along with expanded operations dedicated to BorgWarner’s growing electrified portfolio. With a combination of new and existing resources, the Noblesville location will develop and validate a variety of power electronics products as well as the company’s motor, alternator and starter products.

In addition, a dedicated sound chamber will conduct noise, vibration and harshness testing, dedicated shaker tables will test for vibration and the lab will conduct metallurgy testing and analysis, and metrology, including coordinate measuring machine measuring capability and calibration. Two new system test cells will allow engineers to validate the company’s products as part of an entire propulsion system. The lab also increases the ability to test key technologies, including BorgWarner’s variety of 48-volt products and P2 hybrid modules. The lab will house six 48-volt test stations with the opportunity to increase the number of test stations as demand increases.

Employees from the existing facilities began moving into the Noblesville Technical Center in April, with full occupancy expected by 2020.

The floor plan for the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show is now available at pri2018.com/floorplan. Highlights include a new indoor trailer exhibit area at Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as the return of PRI’s Featured Products Showcase, Machinery Row, Education areas, and full-service Media Center.
 
As the premier event where the motorsports industry gathers to do business, the 2018 PRI Trade Show, taking place December 6-8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, will feature more than 3,300 booths showcasing the latest developments in auto racing technology and tens of thousands of buyers from all 50 states and 70 countries on hand for the three biggest business days in racing.
 
The interactive floor plan enables attendees to prepare for the PRI Show by developing a personalized plan online. Users can flag key exhibitors, products, events, and other features they want to see during their time at the three-day Trade Show.

"Successful Show attendees plan before they arrive, and the PRI Show Floor Plan is the best tool to prepare for the event,” said PRI General Manager Bill Miller. “Along with the online planner, attendees can create a pre-event personal agenda and access it later on the Show floor from a mobile device."

One of the newest elements of the 2018 PRI Trade Show is the indoor trailer exhibit area at Lucas Oil Stadium, where trailer exhibitors will now be able to show off their product lineups alongside their booths. The new exhibit area will also house PRI’s Featured Products Showcase, which returns for a second year following an overwhelmingly successful inaugural program in 2017.

Other highlights of the 2018 PRI Trade Show include an exclusive Unser Family Tribute exhibit, the Race Track Business Conference and the Advanced Engineering Technology Conference. Details about Show features and events, along with featured exhibitors on the floor plan, can be saved in the PRI Show Planner. Available at pri2018.com/planner, this dynamic resource makes it easy for attendees to develop a personalized list of must-see exhibitors and activities to attend.
 
"The online floor plan is a great tool to identify where the more than 1,100 companies exhibiting at the 2018 PRI Show will display their latest products and services,” said Miller. “With the addition of the new trailer exhibit area at Lucas Oil Stadium and all the new features at this year’s Show, using the floor plan will help attendees navigate the Show.
 
To register for the 2018 PRI Trade Show, log on to pri2018.com.