The Professional Drag Racers Ass’n announced Thursday that the Pro Extreme category is being discontinued due to lack of support.

This season, the PDRA has worked diligently to revive the Pro Extreme category, a class that first debuted 10 years ago but has been losing racer support in recent years. The PDRA secured new sponsors and programs designed to ensure the class’ longevity with the series, but racer support continued to wane.

A small handful of racers remained faithful to the class, but the lack of strong competition was said to be evident.

“The competition is not there,” PDRA’s Bob Harris said in a statement. “While the racers appreciated the PDRA paying the full payout for races for only a few Pro Extreme cars, they expressed they would rather enjoy strong competition than just show up for easy money. Our Pro Extreme racers have begun looking at other options. Terry Leggett and Jason Scruggs both plan to move to a roots-style blower and run Pro Boost.

“A few weeks ago we stated we would support the class all year,” Harris continued. “Since then we have talked to the racers that have been involved in the class this year and racers that we thought may come on board and we realize that continuing the class would have little benefit for the series or our racers."

Pro Extreme will not be contested at PDRA events for the remainder of the year.

“We’d like to thank class sponsors Bryant Industrial Crane and Rigging, ProLine, and Quick Drive, as well as class supporters Leggett Logging and Scott Farley and Michelle and the contingency partners that supported the class,” Harris said.

The team behind the No. 23 Toyota and driver Gray Gaulding in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is reportedly up for sale. The sale will include the team’s charter, which guarantees a start in Cup Series races.

BK Racing had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy back in February, and Matt Smith was named the court-appointed trustee in place of team owner Ron Devine.

According to The Drive, the new owner, who must be approved by the court, will acquire the race team’s assets, including the charter, but none of the outstanding debts.

BK Racing made its debut in NASCAR’s premier series six years ago, operating as a two-car team before this year.

Registration for the 2018 SCCA Time Trials Nationals at NCM Motorsports Park September 28–30 will open on Wednesday, June 20.

The three-day event is one of the first of its kind and will be limited to 225 drivers. Results will be determined by competitor’s best times in two formats—traditional lapping sessions where drivers will have a set amount of time to set a fast lap, and a Point-to-Point format where drivers get three chances to set their fastest time on a standing-start marked run on a segment of the course.

The event will start with unscored lapping sessions on Friday for practice, evaluation and to set the run order during scored sessions. Saturday morning will begin scored sessions, starting with lapping on the Grand Full course. Saturday afternoon will then have two point-to-point events on the east and west courses. Sunday will start with lapping sessions on the Grand Full course and the event will finish with a point-to-point on a portion of the Grand Full course.

For the SCCA Time Trials Nationals, drivers will need to be a full SCCA member with a valid state driver’s license and SCCA competition license or equivalent recognized motorsports license. Drivers with limited or no track experience will be monitored during Friday sessions and issued a Novice Permit for competition elements.

More event specifics will become available when registration opens, including scoring and format details.

For more information, including the 2018 SCCA Time Trials Nationals Schedule, visit here.

NASCAR released the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedules.

Both series begin their respective seasons at Daytona International Speedway and conclude with finales at Homestead-Miami Speedway, akin to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and mirroring recent years with a tripleheader at both sites. All three series also will be off Easter weekend (April 20-21), and track dates bring a measure of consistency to both series.

The current Camping World Truck Series will be renamed the Gander Outdoors Truck Series beginning in 2019, which NASCAR announced in May.

What we’ve been trying to do the last couple years is getting the schedules out, along with the start times, as early in the process as possible,” NASCAR Vice President of Broadcasting and Production Steve Herbst said. “It’s just a real positive for everyone involved; (for) NASCAR in getting their plans together, for the tracks to start getting their marketing materials together and marketing the races for next year, for the fans to make their plans as ahead of time as possible.

The race weekend for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series event at Eldora Speedway is moved to later in the season, set to run on Thurs., Aug. 1. One of the series’ races at Texas will also be moved from November to Friday, March 29, shortening the long spring break for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series. The rest of the schedule closely mirrors the 2018 lineup for both series.

For the complete 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedules, visit the NASCAR website here.

Custom Automotive Network (CAN) has announced the nominees for the 2018 CAN Member Awards. Nominees are selected based on significant contributions the company or individual has made to support the custom automotive distribution channel during the previous 12 months.

“We are honored to announce the nominees for the 2018 Custom Automotive Network awards. Every nominee demonstrates a true automotive passion and has positively impacted the distribution channel. These member-driven nominations are a testament to each nominee’s commitment to excellence and support of the Custom Automotive Network community,” CAN President Tracie Nunez said.

Membership voting will take place from June 19 – July 3. The 2018 member award winners will be announced during the CAN Connect Reception on Sunday, September 9, in Frisco, Texas.

The nominees for the 2018 CAN Member Awards are as follows:
 
CAN Person of the Year
Adrian Murray - Painless Performance
Bob  West - Westin Automotive Products
Jim Hairston - PerTronix Performance

CAN Manufacturer of the Year
Fragola Performance Systems
RaceQuip
Truck Hero

CAN Reseller of the Year
Motovicity Distribution
National Performance Warehouse
Tri-State Enterprises

CAN Manufacturer Rep of the Year
Bob Cook Sales
Harry Miller Sales
KAM Marketing

In preparation for the SCCA Runoffs taking place October 16–21 at Sonoma Raceway just north of San Francisco in California, the SCCA Road Racing Department has released a tentative event schedule, as well as current supplemental regulations and Test Day regulations for the national championship.

The 55th Runoffs will again crown national champions in 28 separate classes. The event is preceded by three days of testing October 13-15, with qualifying running Tuesday, October 16 through Thursday, October 18; followed by three days of racing Friday, October 19 through Sunday, October 21.

Earlier this year, SCCA announced Sonoma Raceway’s traditional 12-turn, 2.52-mile layout will be utilized for the Runoffs. As host of the 55th Runoffs in 2018, Sonoma Raceway will become the third California track to host the SCCA’s national cChampionship, joining Riverside International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Since 1964, the SCCA has crowned Road Racing’s National Champions at the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format through dozens of separate races over three days.

Note that the Chief Steward may alter the supplemental regulations and schedule before September 8, 2018, so competitors should occasionally check for updates at the Runoffs webpage. For more information and links to the supplemental and Test Day regulations, visit here. 

In related news, SCCA officials also announced the ProSolo events in Toledo have been canceled. Refunds will be made to entrants over the next two weeks.

“We hope you understand that on occasion situations arise that are beyond the control of the SCCA or its Regions and we must make the best of it. The Northwestern Ohio Region and the Toledo Express Airport are to be commended for their efforts in trying to keep this event on the 2018 schedule,” officials said in a release.

NASCAR Hall of Fame member and championship winning driver Rusty Wallace, along with Penske Corporation Executive Vice President and Team Penske Vice Chairman Walter Czarnecki, were announced as the latest members of the Team Penske Hall of Fame in a special ceremony on Sunday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway.

Of all the drivers who’ve raced for Team Penske throughout the team’s 52-year existence, none followed the path to prominence like Wallace. Wallace made his first two starts for Roger Penske in 1980, finishing second in his debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The short-track ace from Missouri wouldn’t return to the Captain’s team until 1991, piloting the iconic yellow and black Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac. Wallace accumulated the final 37 of his 55 career premier series victories for Team Penske, ranking him third on the all-time wins list for Penske. Wallace was the 1989 Winston Cup Champion and a 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee.

Czarnecki began his relationship with Roger Penske and Penske Corporation in 1970 through his duties with American Motors, later operating one of the nation’s leading Chevrolet dealerships located in Southfield, Michigan. During that same time, Penske purchased Michigan International Speedway out of bankruptcy, with Czarnecki serving as the track president. During his tenure, the speedway grew from 25,000 seats to over 125,000, hosting races for NASCAR, IndyCar, IROC, ARCA and many other top-tier sanctioning bodies.

Czarnecki later served as Vice Chairman of Penske Speedways, which owned and operated Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Nazareth Speedway, North Carolina Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 1999, Penske Speedways merged with International Speedway Corporation. Czarnecki remained Vice Chairman of Team Penske, a role in-which he continues to serve. With nearly 50 years of service, Czarnecki has left an immeasurable impact on Penske Corporation, Team Penske and motorsports.

Each year, two inductees are chosen from current and former drivers, employees and partners that have made a significant impact on the team and its history. The Hall of Famers will be honored both at an event at the Team Penske facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina.

The first four inductees to the Team Penske Hall of Fame were: Roger Penske (2016), Mark Donohue (2016), Rick Mears (2017) and Karl Kainhofer (2017).

SV America Holdings, known throughout the industry as CV Products, announced it is changing the company name to Xceldyne Group, LLC effective immediately.

Xceldyne, which is said to stand for “accelerated dynamics,” is a product attribute that is said to reflect the company’s recently announced strategic shift to focus company resources on dynamic precision design and manufacturing.

Four proprietary brands will align under Xceldyne Group, LLC: Xceldyne, CV Racing Products, Cycra and Advanced Material Coatings (AMC).

“This is an exciting time for our organization and our employees,” President and CEO of Xceldyne Group, LLC Steve Lineberger said. “We looked very closely at the marketplace and made a strategic decision to concentrate our team’s efforts on what we do best—manufacturing the most technologically advanced precision parts in the industry. This refined approach will allow us to spend more time developing innovative products and value-added services to satisfy our customers’ growth objectives and achieve high levels of success.”

Xceldyne is an advanced manufacturing and design facility that utilizes CNC and other highly specialized equipment to produce high-performance components for the motorsports and other segments including aerospace and general commercial markets. The facility is AS9100 certified.

CV Racing Products has been one of the leaders in race engine components for over 30 years. The company recently announced a narrowed distribution of race parts to complement their lines of engine components for all levels of racing.

NGK Spark Plugs (U.S.A), Inc. has announced changes to its executive management team.

Senior Vice President of Aftermarket Mike Schwab will assume more duties including a global leadership role in developing targeted initiatives for the Pan-American or “PAMA” Aftermarket regional headquarters.

As vice president of Aftermarket Sales and Marketing, Brian Norko will expand his responsibilities leading all growth initiatives within the brand marketing, product management and category management functions in addition to his current sales leadership role.

Since joining NGK Spark Plugs in 2016 as the vice president of sales, Norko has implemented a streamlined sales structure and realigned sales territories to allow for improved customer service and engagement. This includes added marketing and technical training support.

Before NGK Spark Plugs, Norko was the global director of business and product development at Federal-Mogul Corp. Norko has over 29 years of experience in the aftermarket industry and is a member of the Automotive Sales Council.

Norko has a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration from Aquinas College. He will continue to report to Senior Vice President of Aftermarket Mike Schwab.

The second annual Turn 14 Distribution Car Meet presented by KW Suspension is set for Saturday, June 16, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Taking place at the distributor’s warehouse located at 3035 Campus Drive, Hatfield, Pennsylvania, the car meet will feature an award ceremony for the best vehicle in four categories: modern performance, domestic performance, European performance and truck & off-road.

“Following the success of last year’s event, Turn 14 Distribution has partnered with well-known event promoter Canibeat to share its experience and community reach with respect to producing and organizing high-quality car meets,” the company said in a press release.

Vendors taking part in the event include Vorsteiner, Mackin Industries, BBS, AWE Tuning, Wilwood, Hawk Performance, Rigid Industries, Mishimoto, Thompson BMW and Akrapovic.

Other attractions for the free event open to public include RaceRoom driving simulators, live entertainment, a hospitality tent with seating and food trucks.

Registration is available online here.