Edelbrock has announced the appointment of Rob Morse to the position of account sales manager at Edelbrock, LLC.

Morse brings 28-years of experience in the automotive industry to the Edelbrock Sales Team. He was most recently the sales operations manager at AutoRep Sales Company. Morse’s expertise is in project management with performance OEM and private label sales.

Prior to this, Morse spent 15-years in the performance aftermarket at Ford Motor Company holding various management positions including senior zone manager, regional marketing manager and retail development manager before culminating his career at Ford as global representation planner.

"I am honored to be joining the Edelbrock team. Not only have I spent my entire career working in the automotive industry, I also have been a performance enthusiast, race fan and drag racer since I was a teenager. To be joining one of the most historic and founding companies of the performance aftermarket is truly a great opportunity,” Morse said.

To celebrate the modern horsepower wars, NMCA is teaming up with Mickey Thompson Tires to host a racing category directly aimed at those ranks—Mickey Thompson Heavy Street.

The new class is slated for competition during the Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park (Norwalk, Ohio) August 23–26, 2018. The winner will walk away with $1000.

“We are using a different type of format for Heavy Street. The class will run as a heads-up eliminator, but there will be no qualifying ladder,” NMCA General Manager and Event Director Rollie Miller said. “Competitors will make three qualifying runs to get their car tuned up but not formally put on an elimination ladder. The pairings on Sunday will be randomly selected using chips pulled from a hat, much like we do in Outlaw True Street and No Time competitions.”

The focus is on cars in street trim with no gutted interiors or lightweight race seats.

Open to IRS-equipped modern muscle cars, all vehicles must tip the scales at a minimum of 4000 pounds. Heavy Street is open to 2015-newer Mustangs, 6th Gen Camaros, 2005-newer Challengers/Chargers/Magnums/300Cs, as well as modern high-performance sedans such as the CTS-V, Chevy S/S and the Pontiac G8.

Under the hood, all is fair provided the original engine platform is intact—Gen III HEMI for Dodge/Mopars, LT or LS powerplants in GMs and the Coyote powerplant for Mustangs. Blowers, turbos and nitrous are all welcome individually or all stacked on top of each other and OEM-equipped transmission for the year/make/model is required. All cars must utilize a minimum rear wheel diameter of 17-inches and run on DOT-approved tires.

The NMCA Drag Racing Series, presented by E3 Spark Plugs, is said to be the second largest drag racing sanctioning body and is known as “The World’s Fastest Street Cars.” For more information about the NMCA Drag Racing Series, visit www.NMCAdigital.com.

There’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve hit on a sure thing.

It’s how my parents must’ve felt when they bought me my first slot car race set for Christmas. In the months before I had hinted—not so subtly—that this set, which may or may not have been Dukes of Hazzard-themed, was all I really wanted. I talked about it nonstop, possibly to the point of obsession.

Hey, I was seven, gimme a break.

So in retrospect, once the holidays arrived it wasn’t a tough call—that set was about as close to a sure thing as you can get.

Well, here at Performance Racing Industry we celebrate our own version of Christmas, albeit a few weeks earlier than most. It’s called the PRI Trade Show, and this year it falls on December 6–8.

As many of you know, Show preparations take place year-round. In fact, not long ago our Trade Show Director Karin Davidson was in Indianapolis putting the finishing touches on one of the new and exciting features for this year’s Show. Call it our rendition of a sure thing, because…

Beginning in 2018, all trailers, motorcoaches and haulers on display at the PRI Trade Show will be moved indoors. Yes, we’ve managed to secure an additional 40,000-plus square feet of exhibit space inside Lucas Oil Stadium for unbeatable side-by-side shopping of transport equipment by ATC Trailers, Bruce Litton Trailer Sales, Look Trailers, RPM Trailer Sales and a host of other top manufacturers.

We’re confident that bringing our trailer exhibits into a dedicated, climate-controlled zone—which connects directly to the Indiana Convention Center—will provide buyers with greater access and convenience to compare features and technology, all in a single location. It’ll also allow our exhibiting companies to better connect with racers and show off their latest and greatest offerings.

But wait, that’s not all…

Last year we introduced a new element to the PRI Show in the form of our Featured Products Showcase, where hundreds of new and highlighted race parts and equipment were displayed in an exhibit room just off one of the main halls. Buyers and media alike applauded the Showcase as a tremendous time-saver that allowed them to work up a list of booths to visit and products to track.

We knew it was a winner early on, and so the challenge for this year became how to improve Showcase 2.0. And wouldn’t you know it, the solution was right under our noses. Remember that indoor space we’d just landed for our trailer exhibits? As luck would have it the area is also tailor-made to accommodate the fast-growing Featured Products Showcase.

Which means that come December, this newly available exhibit hall will house rows of the latest hauling equipment alongside an expansive display of new and spotlighted products. A high-traffic location ideally suited for a pair of popular Show features.

Returning Trade Show attendees and exhibitors understand that we always welcome feedback, and that we’re fully committed to producing the best experience possible for buyers and sellers of new racing technology. These latest developments are just another step in that direction.

Speaking of which, if you haven’t already, please go online and register for the Show today. As you can see it’s shaping up to be one blockbuster event—dare we say, another sure thing.

Plymouth Speedway will make its debut on USAC's Indiana Sprint Week schedule after being tabbed as the opener for the 31st edition of the series, which kicks off on Friday, July 20.

The addition of the three-eighths-mile dirt oval expands the Indiana Sprint Week schedule to northern Indiana for the first time since 1988.

Now the seven-race summer series encompasses venues from the north, south, west, southeast and central regions of the state and its proximity to the following night’s race at Kokomo Speedway makes the hour drive feasible for teams and fans.

Plymouth Speedway has made great strides over the past few years in facility upgrades, with new press boxes added, a permanent video board, new concourse area, the construction of a towering grandstand and its conversion of the track surface from pavement to dirt.

The USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship has made two previous appearances at Plymouth over the past two seasons.

Plymouth Speedway becomes the newest first-time addition to the Indiana Sprint Week schedule since Brownstown Speedway in 2010 and the 14th track overall to host an Indiana Sprint Week event since its inception three decades ago.

Following Plymouth, the Indiana Sprint Week schedule carries on to Kokomo Speedway on Saturday, July 21, Lawrenceburg Speedway on Sunday, July 22, the Terre Haute Action Track on Wednesday, July 25, Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville on Thursday, July 26, Bloomington Speedway on Friday, July 27, and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt on Saturday, July 28.

NMRA has teamed with Weldon Pump to throw the True Street Racer Happy Hour to celebrate this year’s NMRA SuperNationals.

NMRA officials have secured over $10,000 in parts, prizes and gifts that will be raffled for free to all True Street contestants during the SuperNationals.

The annual event held at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, attracts diverse fields of QA1 True Street entries from the ‘60s-era Mustangs up to the newest offerings from the dealership.

The True Street Racer Appreciation Happy Hour begins shortly after the True Street competition concludes on Saturday, June 9, 2018. The True Street Awards Ceremony will follow the happy hour.

For more information, including the complete list of potential prizes, visit the NMRA website here.

The annual SCCA National Convention will return January 17-19, 2019, to South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This year’s event will implement the theme “Celebrating Our Legacy, Building Our Future” and will serve as the official start of the SCCA’s 75th-anniversary celebration.

The convention will again encompass leadership development and skills training for Club members. The annual meeting and welcome reception will be held Thursday, followed by two days of training. The SCCA Hall of Fame and Awards banquet will take place Saturday night.

Details on times and a full schedule, including of social activities, will be announced later this year.

Organizers are also seeking additional topics and presenters for convention leadership and training sessions. The submission deadline is June 15, 2018, for presentation proposals.

Visit here for more information about the 2019 SCCA National Convention.

NASCAR and Rev Racing have announced two additional drivers set to join Rev Racing’s youth driver lineup as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program.

Kaylee Bryson, 17, and Hayden Swank, 16, will compete with previously announced drivers Isabella Robusto and Nick Sanchez at the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway, beginning June 11.

The youth program targets drivers ages 12 to 17 for INEX Legend Car competition and serves as an entry point to the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. Selected youth drivers are year-long members of the Drive for Diversity team roster.

After several months of evaluation, youth drivers are selected based on overall driving performance, past success on the track and recommendations from members of the racing community.

Bryson is an accomplished race car driver from Muskogee, Oklahoma. She started racing winged karts in 2010 when she was eight years old. In her first two-and-a-half years in winged karts, she accumulated 50 total wins.

In June 2012, Bryson made the transition to Restrictor Micro-Sprint Cars and won 16 races between 2013 and 2015. The following year, she moved up to A-Class and Outlaw Micro-Sprint Cars and claimed multiple top-three, top-five, and top-10 finishes. She claimed the 2016 Port City Raceway A-Class Rookie of the Year and Points Championship honors.

Swank, a North Carolina native who currently resides in Woodstock, Georgia, began his quarter-midget racing career at age seven. Swank promptly won his first 10 races and spent four years racing quarter midgets before graduating to Bandoleros, winning six of his first seven races.

In 2014, Swank won the Bandit class at the Bandolero National Championship. He finished second in Thursday Thunder Outlaw points standings in 2015, earning him the David Ragan Award for the 2015 season.

The first practice session for the 2018 Bojangles’ Summer Shootout is June 5.

For more information, visit here.

Veteran racer and carburetor technician Scooter Vester has joined the GET’M Garage team in a sales role. Vester will work directly with racers and provide technical product support to the company’s growing customer base.

“I’m proud to join the GET’M Garage family and think my skills and carburetor knowledge will be a compliment to the company,” Vester said. “Plus, GET’M Garage’s commitment to racers fits well with my passion for all things racing.”

Before joining GET’M Garage, Vester served in the technical service department for Holley Performance Products. Before that role, he spent more than six years with Quick Fuel Technologies, first as production manager and later in sales and technical support. While with Quick Fuel, Vester developed the company’s stock/super stock carburetor and attended numerous races and events.

He also owned and operated Jett’s Automotive in Carlisle, Indiana, along with his father. He is said to be a “jack of all trades,” having also worked in the Western Kentucky coal mines, as a certified Emergency Medical Technician and as a volunteer firefighter. His passion is said to be carburetors and all things racing, however.

A successful racer in his own right, Vester has numerous class wins in both the stock and super stock categories and earned runner-up honors at the inaugural NHRA Sports Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio.
 
In his spare time, Vester serves as crew chief for his son’s junior dragster and the family can regularly be found at Beech Bend Raceway Park, as well as tracks throughout the Midwest.

Formula 1 has reported Vijay Mallya has stepped down from his role as director of Force India. He will remain a shareholder and team principal of the F1 team.

He will continue to lead the team and be a co-owner, along with Subrata Roy and the Mol family.

The Indian businessman was part of a consortium that bought the Spyker team in 2007 and subsequently renamed it Force India.

Since then, the team has gone from strength to strength, peaking with fourth place in the constructors’ championship in each of the last two seasons.

Force India are currently sixth in the constructors’ championship with 26 points, with Sergio Perez’s podium in Azerbaijan the team’s 2018 highlight so far.

Darlington Raceway is hosting a Goodyear tire test session for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on June 5–6. The test is free and open to the public, giving fans the opportunity to see NASCAR’s stars race around the high banks of the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

Drivers currently scheduled to participate in the Goodyear tire test are Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard and Daniel Suarez.

Darlington Raceway will open one section of the Colvin Grandstands on the backstretch of the track for fans to watch the test throughout the day. Fans must enter through Gate 3 off Highway 151. The parking lot is located next to the track’s administration building.

Fans can also get pictures taken with Darlington’s Chevy Impala pace car, which will be located next to the ticket office.

The Darlington gift shop and stock car museum will be open from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day. An adult admission price for the museum will be $5 for those days only.

Times of the test and driver participation are subject to change by Goodyear, weather permitting.

The test comes ahead of the Bojangles’ Southern 500, as well as the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200, on Labor Day weekend.