HWA AG is set to join the ABB FIA Formula E Championship as a new customer team for next season, taking the total amount of entrants to 11.

After working in close collaboration with the Venturi outfit throughout the current campaign as a provider of technical support, HWA AG will extend their existing partnership with the Monaco-based team to receive powertrains for the 2018/19 season.
 
The full entry list is scheduled to be confirmed and published by the FIA shortly in advance of season five along with the introduction of the next generation of Formula E cars, said to be faster and more energy efficient.

“It’s rewarding to see a name so synonymous with racing join the already impressive and growing list of teams and manufacturers competing in Formula E,” Formula E Founder & CEO Alejandro Agag said. “They have a proven track record in other categories and will surely push to replicate similar achievements in Formula E as we enter a new era of fully-electric racing. I’m glad to welcome Ulrich and HWA AG to the Formula E family.”

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) is honoring Indy car mechanics past and present on the walls of its Gasoline Alley garages at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) this month.

The Verizon IndyCar Series team unveiled the garage art that will adorn its space for the INDYCAR Grand Prix and the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. This is the third year that SPM has decorated the concrete walls of its garages.

This year’s theme pays tribute to mechanics that not only have turned wrenches in the past but also those that currently build and maintain the cars.

In addition to the garage art, the team decided in 2016 to change the layout in its garage space so fans could see the sides of the cars instead of just the back. That tradition has continued so that the cars driven by James Hinchcliffe, Robert Wickens, Jack Harvey and Jay Howard will be more visible.

SPM also announced that it had signed GEARWRENCH as the team’s new tool partner for the rest of the season.

The INDYCAR Grand Prix airs live at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 12, on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network. The 102nd Indianapolis 500 airs live at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 27, also on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.

(Photo courtesy of INDYCAR).

Racers and fans can get their Memorial Day Weekend race fix when the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Summit Sportsman Spectacular heads to the historic Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, South Carolina, May 25–27.

Only a few days remain for racers to receive a buy one/get one free entry for Saturday and Sunday’s IHRA Summit Sportsman Spectacular.

The event features payouts of $10,000-to-win on Moser Engineering Saturday and $5,000-to-win on Sunday.

The IHRA Summit Sportsman Spectacular was created to provide a fun-filled double-race weekend with increased purses that are affordable for grassroots, bracket racing-competitors who support their local tracks, according to the IHRA.

The Summit Sportsman Spectacular events will also feature a set of unique bonus opportunities for all current IHRA Summit SuperSeries racers as well as a national contingency program.
 
Pre-entries are available until Monday, May 14, 2018. Click here for online registration. For more information on the IHRA Summit Sportsman Spectacular, visit the IHRA website.

IRG Sports + Entertainment (IRGSE), the marketer and promoter of sports and live entertainment, announced it has expanded its leadership team.

Joining the IRGSE team are Ryan Perezluha as the new public relations manager, Justin Kamm as the new director of corporate partnerships for Palm Beach International Raceway and Lee Lyons as the new senior manager of corporate partnerships.

Located at IRGSE’s West Palm Beach, Florida, headquarters, Perezluha, Kamm and Lyons will report to IRGSE Senior Director of New Business & Industry Relations Dana Landry.

Perezluha has over a decade of experience as a publicist and marketing manager for various NASCAR and drag racing teams. He has specialized in the procurement of sponsorship, public relations and content generation throughout his career.

Kamm, a sports marketing professional, most recently served as the director of marketing and sales for New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J., and prior to that, he worked in operations with SMI-owned zMax Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.

Lyons has worked for a range of marketing companies, including PGA of America, The Gab Group, and MELT. She has specialized in account management and partnership activation for many prestigious companies handling their marketing strategies and providing day-to-day management.

The 2018 POWRi Pavement Midget Series schedule has been revised in order to allow the greatest opportunity for the newly formed pavement series to be successful, according to the series.

The season opener is now scheduled for Saturday, June 2. The series schedule has also been updated and can be found under the Midget League/Pavement/Schedule banner in the POWRi website.

The POWRi Pavement Midget Series progressive payout has been released and can also be found on the POWRi website under the Rules banner.

Officials also noted that the POWRi Pavement Midget Series will have an official Facebook page under “POWRi Pavement.”

For more information, visit POWRi.com.

NASCAR legend Richard Petty will auction off some of his most famous race cars during an auction at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, over the weekend.

“The King” announced plans for the auction earlier this year, telling AP he has more cars and memorabilia than can be showcased in his Level Cross, North Carolina-based museum.

“We’re putting some pretty good stuff out there, some winning Daytona cars, some rings, some watches, some knives,” Petty told the AP. “You name it, we’ve got a little bit of everything. Some of the uniforms, some stuff that really meant something in my career.”

Perhaps the most well-known vehicle up for sale is Petty’s 1974 Dodge Charger, pictured above, that drove the now 80-year-old to win his fifth Daytona 500.

Other notable items up for auction are Petty’s 1981 Daytona 500 trophy, the 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix driven on Petty’s farewell tour, and the 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that drove him to his seventh series championship in 1979.

Petty has won a record of seven Daytona 500s and seven NASCAR Cup Series championships that brought him to a record of 200 wins.

Today, Petty owns Richard Petty Motorsports which is running the No. 43 car in the Cup Series with driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace.

(Photo courtesy of Julien’s Auctions via AP.)

NASCAR and Camping World have expanded their agreement to provide Gander Outdoors naming rights to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Beginning in 2019, the national series will be rebranded as the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

Camping World initially became the title sponsor of the Truck Series in 2009. In 2014, NASCAR and Camping World signed a landmark seven-year agreement, continuing the partnership through 2022.

This newly expanded agreement provides official NASCAR status and naming rights to Camping World’s partner brand, Gander Outdoors. The remaining years on the deal are still intact.

“Gander Outdoors’ customer base has an affinity to the outdoor lifestyle and will transition seamlessly as the title sponsor of our national series in 2019,” NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve Phelps said. “The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has a consistent and dedicated fan base that will embrace the Gander Outdoors brand. This expanded agreement demonstrates our partners’ confidence in the on-track product and the power of our brand loyal fan base.”  

Gander Outdoors, formerly known as Gander Mountain, was purchased and rebranded by Marcus Lemonis, Chairman of Camping World, in May 2017.

Earlier this year, Gander Outdoors announced its title sponsorship of two races at Pocono Raceway; the Gander Outdoors 150 (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) on July 28 and the Gander Outdoors 400 (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) on July 29.

Additionally, as part of the newly expanded agreement, Camping World partner brands Overton’s and The House Outdoor Gear will also receive official NASCAR status. The recently signed contract includes rights to activate across all retail locations nationwide.

The France family, the majority owners of NASCAR, are exploring options related to the sale of the US stock car racing series, according to reports by Reuters.

While deliberations are early and no agreement is certain, the France family is said to be working with investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc to identify a potential sale of the majority stake of NASCAR.

NASCAR President Brent Dewar has released a memo obtained by AP stating that there would be no comment on "industry rumors" and the France family "remains dedicated to the long term growth of our sport." 

NASCAR was founded in 1948 by Bill France Sr. in Daytona Beach, Florida, following a meeting with influential stock car racing representatives. France was the head of NASCAR until retiring in 1972. His son Bill France Jr. took the reins until his retirement in 2000 following a cancer diagnosis.

The France family has remained in control of NASCAR since, with France’s grandson Brian France currently serving as CEO. Other members of the France family include Jim France, the chairman of the International Speedway Corp., and Lesa Kennedy, the CEO of the International Speedway Corp.

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announced that Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, has reached a multi-year renewal with the drag race sanctioning body.

Wisconsin International Raceway encompasses over 120 acres and features a 1/4-mile dragstrip and 1/2-mile oval with a 1/4-mile, figure 8 track inside it.

After the 2017 season, Roger Van Daalwyk sold the track to his son Dan and his wife, Ginger Van Daalwyk.

“My wife and I just recently acquired the track from my father late last year,” Wisconsin International Raceway Owner Dan Van Daalwyk said. “We are in the process of getting [the] facility up and running for race season and are looking forward to an exciting season.”

During the season the dragstrip plays host to 17 rounds of IHRA Summit SuperSeries bracket racing. 

At the end of the year, the winners of the Top (Box), Mod (No Box), and Junior Dragster divisions all earn the right to attend the IHRA Summit World Finals in Memphis, Tennessee, if they an IHRA member and have an "X" number. (IHRA membership will allow a competitor free entry to the Summit World Finals if they sign up to become a Summit SuperSeries member at their member track and win their track championship.)
 
“I see a lot of our members who run the X number and are excited to represent Wisconsin International Raceway at the World Finals,” Van Daalwyk said.

ESPN announced plans to expand its coverage of next week’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya taking place Friday, May 11, through Sunday, May 13.

Viewers will be able to watch coverage of the initial two practice sessions on ESPNU. These practice sessions were previously only available for viewing on ESPN3 through the ESPN App.

The third Spanish Grand Prix practice session, qualifying session, and the race itself will air live on ESPN2 commercial-free thanks to Mothers Polish.

The news coincides with F1 TV, Formula 1’s new “over-the-top” streaming service that will launch during the Spanish Grand Prix.

ESPN’s full Spanish Grand Prix coverage schedule (all times Eastern):
Friday, May 11
4:55 a.m. – 6:30 a.m. — Practice 1 — ESPNU
8:55 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. — Practice 2 — ESPNU

Saturday, May 12
5:55 a.m. – 7 a.m. — Practice 3 — ESPN2
8:55 a.m. – 10 a.m. — Qualifying — ESPN2

Sunday, May 13
7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. — Qualifying (encore) — ESPN2
8:30 a.m. – 9:05 a.m. —  On the Grid — ESPN2
9:05 a.m. – 11 a.m. — Race — ESPN2
7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. — Race (encore) — ESPN2
10 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. — Race (encore) — ESPNEWS