The Motorsports Safety Group will host the second in a series of scheduled Safety Seminars Saturday, May 19, at Toledo Speedway in Ohio, as announced by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA).

Dr. Jason Cormier (pictured), founder of Motorsports Safety Group and a top neurosurgeon, will present a 30-minute session at ARCA’s hometown, half-mile Toledo track, immediately following Saturday’s Driver/Spotter meeting. The Seminar, scheduled for 11 a.m., will include general health and wellness material specifically related to race drivers and crew members, plus a detailed look at spinal injury and treatment.

Attendance for all entered drivers is required, and the seminar is open to all licensed participants. Crew chiefs and car owners are encouraged to attend. Practice and qualifying activities for Sunday’s Menards 200 will follow Saturday afternoon.

“We had some travel challenges that caused us to put the Salem 'wellness' seminar out digitally,” said Dr. Cormier. “We covered a lot of ground last summer, and look to take a little deeper dive this year. We’ll cover some of the wellness information at Toledo, as well as covering information relating to spine and brain injuries.”

The Toledo seminar is the second of four scheduled meetings with Motorsports Safety Group. Additional Safety Seminars are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 24, at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Thursday, June 28, at Chicagoland Speedway.

For more information, visit motorsportssafetygroup.com.

The World of Outlaws (WoO) Craftsman Sprint Car Series and Brad Sweet announced that the rescheduled Placerville Showdown on September 12 will now become the “biggest” 410 sprint car race in the state of California.

The race, now known as the 49er Gold Rush Classic presented by Riebes/NAPA AUTO PARTS, will feature a 49-lap distance and pay $20,000 to the winner and $1000 to start.

WoO sprint car driver and Grass Valley, California-native Brad Sweet, who has promoted this event the past three years, is said to be thrilled to have this event come to fruition.

“The reason for changing the name is gold was discovered less than 10 miles from the race track in 1849 by the miners known as the 49ers. So it seemed fitting to change the name to the 49er Gold Rush Classic and add nine more laps for the drivers in search of the $20,000 prize,” Sweet said.

Visit here to purchase tickets to the 49er Gold Rush Classic presented by Riebes/NAPA AUTO PARTS on Wednesday, September 12.

(Image courtesy of World of Outlaws).

SCCA Pro Racing announced the dates for the inaugural F3 Americas Championship Powered by Honda season.

The 2018 calendar features six tripleheader race weekends, visiting prestigious open wheel tracks in North America with stops at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Series and Circuit of The Americas supporting the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Texas.

According to officials, the F3 Americas series continues the evolution of affordable, competitive and technologically advanced open wheel racing which was established by the successful F4 US Championship that debuted in 2016.

Since its reveal at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) last October, the new series has generated significant interest in the racing community. Seventy-two chassis purchase agreements have already been sent to teams and drivers.

Featuring an all-new F3-FIA spec Ligier JS F3 race car chassis that is built and developed by Onroak Automotive in North Carolina, the F3 Americas car will run on Pirelli tires. The cars will also be powered by a 270-horsepower Honda Performance Development (HPD) version of the new Honda Civic Type-R turbocharged K20C1 motor.

The F3 Americas Championship aligns with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to US, or global, racing success.

For more information, visit the F3 Americas website.

F3 Americas 2018 Event Schedule
—Aug. 4-5; Pittsburgh International Race Complex (Trans Am, Formula Race Promotion, F4 US)

—Aug. 9-11; Mid-Ohio Sports Complex (NASCAR Xfinity Series, Trans Am)

—Sept. 14-16; New Jersey Motorsports Park (Formula Race Promotion, F4 US)

—Sept. 21-31; Road Atlanta (Historic Sportscar Racing)
—Oct. 13-14; NOLA Motorsports Park (Xtreme Xperience)

—Oct. 19-21; Circuit of The Americas (F1, F4 US)

Porsche will debut a new customer race car, the 911 GT3 R, beginning in 2019.

The new 911 GT3 R is based off the 911 GT3 RS street-legal production sports car. Special attention was said to be paid to particularly efficient aerodynamics, further optimized safety as well as lowering the cost of servicing and spare parts.

Powering the new 911 GT3 R is a four-liter flat-six unit which is largely identical to the production engine of the road-legal 911 GT3 RS. Direct fuel injection, as well as variable valve timing adjustments of the intake and exhaust camshafts, are also installed.

Another development focus was on the safety features of the 911 GT3 R. To improve pit stop performance, the 120-liter FT3 safety fuel cell can now be refilled from the left or the right depending on the circuit layout. The doors and the side windows can be removed.

The driver is also protected thanks to a side impact element positioned in the driver’s door, which consists of a carbon-fiber Kevlar aluminum construction with energy-absorbing plastic foam.

All technical details and data are provisional until the final approval is received through FIA. For more detailed specifications, visit the Porsche website here.

(Photo courtesy of Porsche).

UltraSonic LLC has announced the launch of its new website, ultrasonicllc.com.

The new site is said to provide fast and easy access to comprehensive information about the complete line of tabletop, mobile and lift table ultrasonic cleaning machines.

The UltraSonic website also includes a host of other user-friendly features designed to help users understand the power and cost-saving associated with ultrasonic cleaning. as well as the advantages of UltraSonic LLC cleaning machines over competing designs.

For more information, visit ultrasonicllc.com.

QA1 has named Dave Kass as its new marketing manager.

A QA1 team member since 2009, Kass started his career with QA1 on the technical support team. He has worked in a variety of sales positions, most recently as the customer service manager, leading the customer service and technical support team.

Most recently, Kass championed the conception of QA1's #goDRIVEit campaign, which encourages enthusiasts to get out and enjoy their vehicles.

In his new role, Kass will be responsible for the planning and execution of day-to-day marketing activities, driving corporate and product marketing strategies, and monitoring market trends.

"We have a strong marketing team, and with the right focus, I think we can capitalize on the strength of the QA1 brand as we continue to innovate and grow," Kass said. "Applying what I've learned through thousands of interactions with QA1 users will be a great tool when developing various marketing strategies."

A past recipient of SEMA's 35 Under 35 award, Kass is an active enthusiast, taking advantage of any opportunity to drive his 1972 C10. Whether it's to the grocery store or the race track, he embraces the notion that classic vehicles were meant to be driven. He also enjoys spending time with his family and working on his truck throughout the long Minnesota winters.

Officials from Gateway Motorsports Park (GMP) in Madison, Illinois, and the ARCA Midwest Tour announced they are in the initial planning stages for a major asphalt Super Late Model race in 2019.

GMP Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Blair and ARCA Midwest Tour President Gregg McKarns are planning an event to take place in the fall of 2019. The event, a non-points race on the 1.25-mile oval, would take place in late October following the completion of the majority of the regional series in the Midwest and Southeast.

“One of our goals has been to build a true year-end specialty event for asphalt Super Late Models that is in a convenient location so we can reach racers from all areas,” Blair said. “Gregg and I have been kicking around the idea for nearly three years and our next step is to finalize a date and start laying the groundwork for 2019.”

As a result, the Midwest Tour Super Late Models will no longer be part of the June 22–23 racing weekend which features the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Saturday night and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards on Friday night.

“One challenge a mid-season, points-paying event presents is that it requires a tremendous amount of travel for the regional teams, not to mention possible scheduling conflicts with other series,” Blair said. “Gregg and his team and I decided our best effort would be to focus on the future when we can get support from multiple series and produce a major motorsports festival that showcases asphalt Super Late Models and the best drivers in the business.”

Meyer Distributing President and CEO Mike Braun, pictured at center, became Indiana’s Republican nominee for US Senate earlier this week, handily winning the primary election on May 8.

He won the race with 41.2 percent of the vote, defeating US Representative Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN) and Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), who garnered 30 percent and 28.8 percent of the vote (respectively). Braun will face US Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) in the general election, November 6, 2018.

This could be considered Braun’s second win over the past few months, as Meyer Distributing was named the “Warehouse Distributor of the Year” at the 2017 SEMA Show in November.

Braun started working for Meyer Body Co. in 1981, and transitioned its business from manufacturing to distribution, forming Meyer Distributing. Over the following decades, Braun grew the business into a national distribution and logistics company with 65 locations in 38 states.

Braun has also shown a commitment to public service as a member of the Jasper School Board (2004–2014) and as an Indiana State Legislator (2015–2017).

To learn more about the upcoming elections in your state and how to register to vote, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

The 3/8-mile paved oval in Hermiston, Oregon, has been renamed Hermiston Raceway and will be run by a set of new promoters.

Previously known as Umatilla Speedway, Race City USA, Columbia Motor Speedway and finally Hermiston Super Oval, the track has been taken over by Greg Walden and his father, Wayne Walden.

The Waldens bring years of experience to the track, as both have experience in the industry as track operators, racers and fans. Wayne partnered with three individuals to purchase the Tri-City Raceway in 1982, and eventually became the sole operator of the track until selling it in 1998.

Upgrades have been made to the track, including enhancing the wooden grandstands for safety purposes and updates to lighting on the concourse and in the pits.

The next race at Hermiston Raceway is set for May 19, with racing by the Northwest Pro 4 Alliance stock cars, as well as the regular weekly racing lineup of Late Models, street stocks, super mini and mini street stocks, Legends, Bombers and Hornets.

For more information, visit here.

Former NHRA Southeast Division Director Lex Dudas passed away May 8 after a long battle with cancer.

Dudas, who spent the last years of a 55-year career in the sport where he started, at Maple Grove Raceway, retired at the end of 2017.

Dudas first arrived at Maple Grove Raceway as a fan in 1962, then a racer in 1963, competing with a 1963 B/S Plymouth. Dudas joined the Maple Grove team part-time in 1969, working in timing tower organizing handicaps for eliminators and doing other jobs, before joining the staff full-time in 1971.

He stayed at the track for eight years, working his way to the management team, before being recruited by NHRA as its Southeast Division Director in 1978, pictured at left.

Dudas held that position with NHRA until 1991, during which time he successfully helped lobby NHRA to host a national event at Maple Grove Raceway. That quest came to fruition in 1985 and the popular event continues to this day.

Dudas left his division director post to become the general manager of the NHRA-owned Indianapolis Raceway Park known today as Lucas Oil Raceway. In the four years he served there, he also was the group general manager of NHRA-owned facilities.

Dudas left NHRA in 1996 to serve as the director of operations for Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1996-’97) and then the general manager at Pikes Peak International Raceway (1997-’98). In 2000, he was named general manager of the American Speed Association’s ACDelco Series.

Dudas eventually returned to Maple Grove Raceway in 2004 as the director of sales and marketing and was promoted to the vice president & general manager in 2007, a position in which he served until his retirement last year.

 “All of us at NHRA were deeply saddened to learn that Lex Dudas passed away,” said NHRA CEO Peter Clifford. “His many contributions to NHRA drag racing will not be forgotten and we are grateful that he was a part of our sport. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dudas family during this most difficult time.”