More than 70 historic race cars with ties to the Indianapolis 500 return to the Brickyard May 24–26, for the 20th annual Historic Racing Exhibition presented by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum.

The event is open to cars that either qualified for or were entered for the Indianapolis 500 and will include a display of the cars in "Historic Gasoline Alley" next to the Museum and on-track laps for the participants. The vehicles that are eligible for the exhibition range from 1911 to 1993 models.
 
Fans can hear iconic engines from the mighty Miller that dominated in the 1920s and 1930s, to the roar of the popular, hard-luck Novi which participated in the "500" from 1946 to 1965 and the distinctive turbocharged Cosworth of the 1980s.

Some of the iconic cars that will participate in the exhibition include the 1949 Blue Crown Spark Plug Special that powered Bill Holland to victory in the "500," the 1975 McLaren M16 that finished second with Johnny Rutherford behind the wheel and A.J. Foyt's first Coyote.

The display is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. each day, and the cars will be on-track for exhibition laps on the following schedule.
    •    Thursday, May 24: 2:45–4 p.m.
    •    Friday, May 25: 8–9 a.m.
    •    Saturday, May 26: 11:15 a.m.–12:20 p.m.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will no longer be required to start the race with the tires on which they qualified, according to an official NASCAR Rule Book update.

Starting on the qualifying set will be optional beginning with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 27 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Teams will be allotted four sets of practice and qualifying tires moving forward, with the exception of superspeedway events, which will have three sets. For enhanced weekend and superspeedway events, teams will be allowed to carry over their qualifying set to the race. If teams do not put laps on their qualifying set, teams will then be required to carry over a scuff practice set for the race.

Wednesday’s rulebook update also reflects that teams have been granted one less set of tires for practice and qualifying, and one more set for the race.

For example, teams were allotted five total sets for practice and qualifying tires at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. When teams return to Las Vegas in September for the first race of the NASCAR Playoffs, four sets will be permitted.

Additional changes announced with the Rule Book update include the following:

The second annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals have been scheduled for December 14–15.

The event will be returning to the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, where the race was held for the first time this past December.

“The Dirt Nationals was a race that was talked about all winter,” Indoor Auto Racing Series Promoter Len Sammons said. “Everyone was thrilled by the track surface, which offered three grooves of racing. The top drivers in the wingless 600cc micro sprints thrilled the fans running low, pounding the outside cushion or sneaking in between. The fast-paced presentation of the event left the fans wanting more. This year’s race should be even better.”

In the inaugural running, Whitey Kidd III made a late-race pass of Alex Bright to win the event over Bright, Brian Carber, Tim Buckwalter and Austin Quick.

Aside from Kidd’s drive to victory, the big story of the first Nationals was the meticulously prepared track, which is said to have produced no dust during the races.

Sammons envisions a schedule of 600cc micro racing that will mimic last year’s racing program, in which over 90 drivers competed in the one division program.

That schedule called for heat races with passing points and four A-qualifier races on Friday night. On Saturday, alphabet mains including F, E, D, C and B-Mains will precede the 40-lap A-Main.

Entry blanks and rules information will be posted shortly on the Indoor Auto Racing website.

The American E-Kart Championship (AEKC) powered by Monster Energy announced its national indoor electric karting series schedule with races starting Monday, May 21, and culminating with the Championship Weekend on Saturday, August 11, and Sunday, August 12.

AEKC is the first officially sanctioned race series by the World Karting Association (WKA). Series officials say AEKC offers practically anyone the opportunity to be a champion racer.

“What makes this series special is that everyone who participates has an equal shot at winning. It’s not about sponsors or having the best engine program. Everyone drives the same karts on the same tracks, and anyone who is old enough and tall enough to drive a kart can show up,” Commissioner of the American E-Kart Championship Donald Wagner said. “This year, an entirely unknown driver could lay claim to being America’s fastest E-kart racer.”

Participating tracks, which can be found online here, include:
– Autobahn Indoor Speedway & Events, with multiple locations across the US
– Xtreme Racing in Wichita, Kansas
– Veloce Indoor Speedway Milwaukee in Waukesha, Wisconsin
– Need2Speed in Reno, Nevada
– Overdrive Raceway in Colorado Springs, Colorado
– MB2 Raceway in Grimes, Iowa
– High Voltage Indoor Karting in Cleveland, Ohio
– Accelerate Indoor Speedway & Events - Chicago in Mokena, Illinois

Planning for the potential expansion of Runoffs-eligible classes in the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program, Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) Board of Directors approved a process by which classes would be selected for future National Championship Runoffs events. The new process will provide each class an opportunity to guarantee its invitation based on its respective entry total over the previous two seasons.

Beginning in 2019, any Runoffs-eligible class averaging four cars per event over the two previous US Majors Tour and Runoffs seasons will automatically be invited to the Runoffs. Additional classes will be added as venue space and event format allow.

Eric Prill, SCCA Vice President and COO, said this new method provides a clear, understandable and transparent process for participants to have control over their class destiny, should the number of classes and run groups need to be limited at future Runoffs.

SCCA has developed a tracking system to follow the progress of each class over the two-season period. For the 2019 Runoffs at VIR, the 2017-2018 seasons will determine which classes are guaranteed positions at the Runoffs.

The 2019 Runoffs participation tracker can be viewed online at crbscca.com/public/runoffs/runoffsTracking.php and will be updated following each Majors and Runoffs event. SCCA will announce the full list of classes for the Runoffs no later than January 1 of that year.

Unlike previous participation-based criteria utilized, the new system does not automatically put a class in a probationary status or exclude it from the Runoffs if it does not meet the number. Additionally, it does not define a finite number of classes eligible for the Runoffs, but allows organizers to determine what it can accommodate through class groupings.

NGK Spark Plugs (U.S.A), Inc. was named a Supplier of the Year by General Motors (GM) for the 10th time during GM’s 26th annual Supplier of the Year awards ceremony held in Orlando, Florida.

GM recognized 132 of its suppliers from 17 countries who are said to have consistently exceeded GM’s expectations, created outstanding value or brought new innovations to the company.

The award builds upon NGK’s decades-long partnership with GM as an original equipment supplier of both ignition and emissions parts.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award from General Motors and we thank them for the opportunity to be a part of their growth,” Toshio Lewis, NGK’s general manager and head of Global Key Account Management, said. “The global NGK team responsible for GM are the ones who made this achievement possible. My deepest thanks to these team members for their professionalism, dedication and grit.”

GM’s Supplier of the Year award is reserved for suppliers who distinguish themselves by meeting performance metrics for quality, execution, innovation, and total enterprise cost, according to GM.

Creek County Speedway, a 1/4-mile dirt track in Belleville, Oklahoma, will be managed by the Hahn family beginning with Friday’s ASCS Red River Region Sprints event.

Creek County Speedway had been leased and managed by Steve Gran for the past five years. A long-time friend of the Hahn family, Gran had been in talks with Creek County Speedway owner Emmett Hahn about stepping down for some time.

“Steve had spoken with me several times about things he had going on, and projects that he was needing to get done. This was going to be his last season, but it just got to where he was getting so far behind on his own work and projects that something had to give,” Emmett said.

“In no way are we upset with Steve or his decision to leave. He works with us at Shootout and Chili Bowl and is one of the smartest people I know. To put it bluntly, the man can fix just about anything. I understand completely needing to reprioritize to make sure you’re able to take care of family and work obligations.”

Creek County Speedway will continue to operate weekly on Saturday nights with champ sprints, modifieds, dwarf cCars, factory stocks and mini stocks on the card.

Creek County Speedway is located between Sapulpa and Kellyville on Hwy. 66. The track was first built by the Hahn family in 1985 as a 1/8-mile Micro track, expanded to a 1/5-mile in 1989, and set to its current 1/4-mile configuration in 1992 as a lead up to the formation of the American Sprint Car Series.

Weekly racing hours of operation will see gates opening at 5 p.m., followed by Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m. Races get underway at 7 p.m. Normal admission prices are $10 for adults, $6 for kids 11-14, and free for children under the age of 10.

Registration for the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, held December 6-8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, is now open at pri2018.com/attend. Housing reservations are also open online at pri2018.com/hotels.

By registering early, buyers and exhibitors will receive their credentials before the Show — beginning in October — allowing them to save time and bypass lines at the registration desk on-site. Journalists covering the PRI Show will be able to pick up their credentials on-site in the PRI Show Media Center, located in the Convention Center’s Green Hall, which offers Wi-Fi, printer access, work tables, and a theater-style press conference area, among other amenities.

New for this year's PRI Trade Show, an indoor exhibit area at Lucas Oil Stadium will be added to provide trailer exhibitors more space to display their product lineups and conduct business. The Lucas Oil Exhibit Area will also house PRI’s Featured Products Showcase, which will return for a second year following an overwhelmingly successful inaugural program in 2018.

Additionally, an exclusive Unser Family Tribute exhibit and dozens of conferences and seminars, among them the Race Track Business Conference and Advanced Engineering Technology Conference, will make the PRI Show the premier place for racing professionals to network and conduct business face-to-face.

Tens of thousands of buyers and media professionals from all 50 states and 70 countries will traverse more than 750,000 gross square feet connecting with exhibitors during the world’s premier gathering of motorsports professionals. Every type of racing discipline is featured at the PRI Show, including drag racing, sprint cars, stock cars, road racing, modifieds, dirt late models, off-road racing, open wheel, muscle car, performance marine, and many more.

Additionally, 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 on the latest technologies and how to apply them throughout the racing world.
 
For more information, visit pri2018.com.

NASCAR has released this year’s group of emerging stars for the 2018 NASCAR Next Class which includes the Rookies of the Year in both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, as well the ARCA Rookie of the Year, a former USAC Midget Champion and Lucas Oil Off Road Driver of the Year.

In alphabetical order, the 2018 NASCAR Next Class includes:

– Anthony Alfredo, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
– Hailie Deegan, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, Lucas Oil Off Road Driver of the Year
– Riley Herbst, ARCA Racing Series, ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year
– Derek Kraus, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Rookie of the Year
– Chase Purdy, ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year
– Will Rodgers, NASCAR K&N Pro Series
– Zane Smith, ARCA Racing Series
– Tanner Thorson, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
– Ryan Vargas, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

Now in its eighth year, NASCAR Next spotlights the best and brightest young stars in racing. Alumni of the program include current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stars Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Elliott, Gray Gaulding, Erik Jones, Corey LaJoie, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suárez and Darrell Wallace Jr.
 
The NASCAR Next selection process includes input from industry executives, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Drivers Council and media members. Drivers must be between the ages of 15-25, aspire to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and show potential – on and off the track – to reach that goal.

Since its inception in 2011, 39 of the 51 drivers who have been selected for the program have progressed to compete in one of NASCAR’s three national series, while a quarter has gone on to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
 
For more information, visit NASCAR.com/Next. Join the social conversation by using #NASCARnext.

The Bolivar Speedway in Bolivar, Missouri, has reopened after sitting vacant for seven years.

Built in the 1950s, the paved track has been taken over by new owners Jim and Vicki Benner who have spent the past few months getting the track into working condition.

"We just love racing, and thought we need to do something to help out the racing community,” Owner Jim Benner told local news KY3. “Between the two of us, we probably got three to five thousand hours in it since February."

The track, located at 4829 S 133rd Rd., features weekly racing on Saturdays or Sundays with Pro Late Models, modifieds, Big 10 Late Models, street stocks, Chargers, Hornets, B-Mods, trucks, powder puff, pure stock and pure stock trucks.

Local fans and racers are excited to get back to the track now that racing has returned.

"I think [the reopening] is awesome, totally. We ran back here in the '80s and '90s and had a blast doing it and I'm glad it has reopened," local driver Brian Lewis said to KY3.

For more information and the track’s upcoming races and events, visit here.