NASCAR announced the inductees who will comprise the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The five-person group—the 10th since the inception of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010—consists of Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Jeff Gordon, Roger Penske and Jack Roush.

In addition, NASCAR announced that Jim Hunter earned the 2019 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. The distinguished group will be honored during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on February 1, 2019.

The Class of 2019 was determined by votes cast by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel. This includes representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and, for the fifth year, the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion (Martin Truex Jr.).

The Class of 2019 Induction Weekend is set for Thursday, January 31, 2019, through Saturday, February 2, 2019, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Class of 2019 marks a total of 50 legends inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. To celebrate, NASCAR has added new events and special programs throughout the extended weekend.

For additional details about the Class of 2019 Induction Weekend schedule and ticket packages, visit nascarhall.com/inductees/induction-ceremony.

(Photo courtesy of Erica Fisher, MyGrandPrarieNow).

Evergreen Raceway, the 1/3-mile asphalt oval in St. Johns, Pennsylvania, has announced a partnership with JDA Ventures Ltd. to rename the track JDA Raceway.

JDA is an oilfield hauling company first established by Jarvis and Kim Dawson in 1994 with locations in Grand Prairie and Whitecourt, Pennsylvania.

The 10-year agreement, valued at $250,000, is the first of its kind for the track, according to EverythingGP.

NASCAR and Rev Racing announced 13 college athletes from across the country who will compete as tire changers, carriers and jackmen in the third annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity National Pit Crew Combine in Concord, North Carolina, on Friday, May 25.

This year’s combine competitors include college football, basketball, tennis and track and field athletes looking to transition to a professional career in NASCAR. Each will put their pit crew skills to the test and be evaluated based on a series of fitness, agility and crew member drills and competitions at the NASCAR Research & Development Center.

Top-performing participants will receive invitations to join the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development program and train as pit crew members with Rev Racing beginning later this year. More than 50 graduates of the program are currently working in the NASCAR industry and 25 are pitting in the sport’s top series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

As part of the program’s scouting process, NASCAR and Rev Racing hosted spring tryouts for college athletes at Alcorn State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University.

The athletes invited to Friday’s combine will take part in a four-hour skills competition led by Phil Horton, Rev Racing director of athletic performance.

For more information, including the complete list of competitors, visit the NASCAR website here.

Hellwig Suspension Products, the manufacturer of towing, hauling and performance suspension products, has announced the promotions of its two senior employees. Melanie Hellwig White has been promoted to president, while Mark Hellwig has been named the new CEO.

As a family owned and operated business for over 70 years, Hellwig has been manufacturing its precision-engineered suspension products in the United States at its facility in Visalia, California.  

While serving as vice president, White implemented an effective marketing strategy for the company and helped solidify its brand identity. As the fourth generation in the Hellwig family to work for the company, White forged new paths for the company by actively volunteering time with Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade organization, participating in the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) and more.

As the first female president at Hellwig, White will usher in a new era of leadership for the company and grow the company she and her family helped build. While president, White plans to expand the company’s aftermarket presence and more.

Hellwig has been promoted to CEO after serving as president for 25 years. Hellwig ingratiated himself in the business at an early age, helping his father in the shop until becoming an expert in the field and industry. As CEO, Hellwig will continue to innovate and advance the company’s product line while also expanding the applications for Hellwig’s products.

Motovicity Distribution has announced that Greg Atkins will join the company to fill the newly created role of chief information officer.

Atkins brings nearly 20 years of IT systems implementation and project leadership to the company, including work in the manufacturing industry. Before accepting his new role with Motovicity, Atkins served as the president of the Troy, Michigan-based The IT Management Group; a company he founded in 2003.

The addition of Atkins for the recently created CIO position is said to continue Motovicity CEO Brian Lounsberry’s strategic initiative to strengthen the company’s executive leadership team, which recently included the addition of CFO Peter Martz and VP of Sales & Marketing Rob Weir.

“Continually investing in the best talent and technologies to better serve our brand partners and customers will always be at the forefront of Motovicity’s initiatives,” Lounsberry said. “We’ve made significant progress in these areas in recent months and will have even more positive news to share in the near future.”

Super DIRTcar Series Director Mike Perrotte has announced he will step down from his post at the conclusion of the current season.

The New York native says he plans to retire from series management while remaining active in DIRTcar as a driver of the No. 35 car at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, New York.

Perrotte has been active in auto racing for years, first racing at Airborne Park Speedway in the 1970s. He briefly served as the promoter of Airborne Park Speedway before being hired by DIRTcar Racing in 2015 to serve as the director of the Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Northeast.

Under his guidance, the Super DIRTcar Series and the DIRTcar Northeast have thrived. According to Perrotte, the success of the series is built on teamwork and all the good people surrounding him.

“Everyone’s looking out to make things run well,” Perrotte said.

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has announced additions to its leadership team with two executive hires and two promotions.

In racing operations, Ned Walliser rejoins NHRA, now as vice president of competition. Walliser previously worked with NHRA from 1994-2000, first as Pacific division director and then as director of racing operations. Walliser returns to NHRA from his role as the chief operating officer for MainGate, Inc. and serving on the board of SFI Foundation, Inc.

Jeffrey Young is joining NHRA as vice president of marketing and communications. 

Young joins NHRA from the Professional Bull Riders Association, where he spent eight years, most recently as regional vice president since 2015. Young will oversee all NHRA marketing initiatives.

Kristen Wentzell has additionally been promoted to vice president of national event marketing.

Wentzell has been with NHRA since 2012 as director of advertising and promotions where her primary focus has been driving awareness of and attendance at the organization’s premier NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. In 2017, she was promoted to senior director of marketing and has handled social media and digital marketing, as well as ticketing and membership.

Evan Jonat has been promoted to vice president of live event marketing.

Jonat has been with NHRA for the past 12 years, most recently as senior director of national event marketing. Jonat’s focus is on enhancing the fan experience at NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing events and delivering, or overdelivering, on sponsor commitments, through his marketing services team. Jonat also interfaces with NHRA’s in-venue production and broadcast teams, including responsibility for on-track announcers.

(U.S. Sen. John Tester, second from right, joined, from left, SEMA President & CEO Chris Kersting, SEMA Senior Director-Federal Government Affairs Stuart Gosswein, and SEMA Chairman of the Board Wade Kawasaki during the 2018 Washington Rally.)

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) members recently urged Congress to pass H.R. 350/S.203, the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act. The bipartisan bill would protect Americans’ right to modify street vehicles into dedicated race cars and industry’s right to sell the parts that enable racers to compete.

The RPM Act now has 145 cosponsors in the House and 38 cosponsors in the Senate, and the number continues to grow.

Members also raised awareness for other issues facing the specialty equipment and racing industries, including harmful tariffs, preventing higher ethanol content in gasoline and saving the Bonneville Salt Flats.

More than 110 representatives from SEMA descended on the nation’s capital to participate in SEMA’s 2018 Washington Rally on Wednesday, May 16.

"I thank the SEMA members who took valuable time away from their businesses to fight for the issues that matter most to our industry, including the RPM Act," SEMA Chairman of the Board Wade Kawasaki said. "This year’s turnout makes one thing certain—our industry is committed to getting the RPM Act across the finish line in 2018. Passage of this bipartisan bill is the only way to ensure it is legal to modify a street vehicle into a race car used exclusively at the track, now and into the future. It’s time for Congress to act. We urge Members of the House and Senate to pass the RPM Act and protect motorsports for generations to come."

This year’s event, which was one of the largest SEMA rallies to date, marks the 15th time representatives from SEMA have held a fly-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. To learn more about the SEMA Washington Rally or the association’s other legislative efforts, contact san@sema.org.

Sonny Leonard and the team from Sonny’s World Class Racing, Lynchburg, Virginia, have volunteered to build a high-performance engine for the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes.

This drawing will be the 30th anniversary of the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes, with all proceeds going to the Victory Junction, a camp for children living with serious medical conditions founded by NASCAR’s Petty family. Officials will draw the winning ticket at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, December 6–8.

This year’s engine is a custom-built 727-cubic inch Hemi engine valued at more than $60,000. The engine can be street-driven on 93 octane fuel, producing 1310 HP, naturally aspirated. The engine will also include Sonny’s fully in-house ported hemispherical cylinder heads, Sonny’s/Brodix 5.000 B.S. block with 1.000” raised cam with special hi-flow water jackets, a Bryant billet crank, Carrillo steel billet rods, and much more.

Over the past 30 years Sunnen, PRI and many well-known engine builders have teamed up to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities within the racing community. To purchase tickets for the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes or for more information on Victory Junction, visit victoryjunction.org/sunnen-sweepstakes/.

The Race Team Alliance (RTA), an association of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams, announced the hiring of Jonathan Marshall as its executive director.

Marshall, formerly the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the World Surf League, will begin work as the RTA’s first executive director immediately following the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“The RTA has matured to a point where its board and members determined it was time to have a full-time executive who wakes up every day thinking of how to move the collective interests of the RTA member teams forward,” Co-Owner of Chip Ganassi Racing and Chairman of the Race Team Alliance Robert Kauffman said.

“I’m a race fan, first and foremost,” Marshall said. “I’ve been impressed by what the RTA has been able to accomplish in its short history. It shows the strength of the teams working together on common goals. There is no doubt that stock car racing, like all major sports, is evolving and working on new ways to engage their fans in deep and meaningful ways.

Prior to working at the World Surf League, Marshall held positions at USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Westwood One. Marshall will be based in the Charlotte area.