LOOK Trailers announced plans to open an additional manufacturing facility in McGregor, Texas, with production scheduled to begin in June of 2018.

The 80,000 square foot manufacturing facility will be the sixth manufacturing location for LOOK Trailers, which also has plants in Indiana, Georgia, Utah, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

LOOK Trailers will manufacture LOOK, Pace American and Cargo Express enclosed cargo trailers with two production lines at the Texas facility, which will employ 50-100 people by December of 2019.

“I am excited with the level of interest in the LOOK brands across the state of Texas,” Matt Arnold, founder and president of LOOK Trailers said. “We have dealers committed to our product already. We are booking orders for this facility and we have begun taking job applications to start manufacturing in May.”

A full line of trailers will be built at the new location, ranging from entry-level enclosed cargo, motorcycle, contractor, ATV and auto trailers to custom-built 53' gooseneck race trailers.

Arnold noted that LOOK Trailers is investing significant capital and making major improvements to the facility with new fencing, a paint booth, and upgrading lights and power to the building.

Interested parties may submit job applications to hr@looktrailers.com.

Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, announced a partnership with KultureCity to assist the motorsports facility in becoming sensory inclusive.

Believed to be the first inclusive race track, the new partnership compliments the #POCONOMTNS Inclusive Playground project, which will be completed before the Pocono 400 this year. The #POCONOMTNS Inclusive Playground was designed for children of all ages and abilities to learn, grow and play together.

KultureCity, through a certification process and with leading medical professionals, will provide training to select Pocono Raceway staff members on how to recognize and handle a sensory overload situation.

Sensory bags, equipped with noise canceling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards and weighted lap pads will also be available to all guests who may feel overwhelmed by the environment.

Fans will also have access to two dedicated sensory rooms, one located behind the grandstand and one in the infield, for those who may need a quieter and more secure environment.

Additionally, a private lactation room will be available for nursing mothers near the sensory room behind the Grandstand.

Sensory sensitivities, or challenges with sensory regulation, are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions. One of the major barriers for these individuals is sensitivity to overstimulation and noise, which is an enormous part of a sporting venue like Pocono Raceway. With its new certification, Pocono Raceway will be better prepared to assist guests with sensory sensitivities in having the most comfortable and accommodating experience possible.

The recently renamed #POCONOMTNS Inclusive Playground will be open to all camping guests during Pocono Raceway’s NASCAR and INDYCAR race weekend. Additionally, and in partnership with the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, the playground will be open for the local community to use free of charge. For more information, visit poconoraceway.com.

New South Wales (NSW) Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) volunteer Aaron Brookes has been announced as the Gallagher Volunteer of the Year for the 2017/2018 season.

As the recipient of the award, sponsored by insurance, risk management and consulting firm Gallagher, Brookes will receive a trip to the ANDRA drag racing event of his choice this coming season.

Brookes has been an ANDRA steward for 13 years and currently serves as Chief Steward for NSW as well as a member of the National Rules Committee and NSW Division Council.

“I have been volunteering for 13 years now, and I have met and continue to meet some great people and see some great places. Between the people and the cars there is always something different and always something new to learn, and I am looking forward to continuing to volunteer into the future.

“I will be coming back to racing myself soon too – I am currently building a Mitsubishi Starion with 4G63 for X235/Super Sedan. With a second baby on the way, I am trying very hard to be finished soon before the baby comes,” Gallagher said.

Brookes will be presented with his Gallagher Volunteer of the Year Award at an upcoming event of the 2018/2019 ANDRA drag racing season.

Donnie Eatherly (left), Ed Pink (middle), and Chris Thomson (right) will receive one of the industry's highest honor and be inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame.

The new members will be recognized as part of the festivities during the SEMA Installation Gala on Friday, July 20, at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City in Los Angeles. They represent an accomplished group of leaders who have shaped and inspired the automotive specialty-equipment market.

Donnie Eatherly
From sales, inventory management, marketing, and managing capital, resources and people, Eatherly has seemed to have worked in all areas of the industry.

He, along with his father, founded one of the first and longest-running speed shops in the mid-Tennessee area.

Eatherly has also been involved in youth engagement, legislative involvement, data standardization and vehicle technology. He is among the industry’s more active volunteers, having served on the SEMA Board of Directors, SEMA Political Action Committee, and various SEMA councils and task forces.

Ed Pink
For more than 60 years, Ed Pink Racing Engines has helped legendary racers set records and win championships.

Pink opened his first shop in 1957 and built engines used in virtually every avenue of motorsports, including drag racing, midgets, stock cars, Indy cars and even IMSA, Le Mans and the Baja 1000.

Although Pink sold his original business about 10 years ago, he continues to consult and actively supports programs such as the SEMA Scholarship Foundation. He is also a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Detroit, Don Garlits International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the Super Stock Hall of Fame.

Chris Thomson
Before joining TMG Group earlier this year, Chris Thomson worked at leading industry brands, including Baer Brakes Systems, Airaid/K&N Filter Co., Holley Performance Products and FlowTech Exhaust Co.

Having served numerous times on the SEMA Board of Directors, as well as on several councils, committees and task forces, Thomson is often described as a "mentor" and an "advocate." He is said to be at the forefront of every key industry initiative and champions others to get involved.

Thomson was honored in 2006 as the PWA Person of the Year, the same year that the company he worked for, Airaid Filter Co., received the PWA Manufacturer of the Year award.

For additional details about the SEMA Hall of Fame and the inductees over the years, visit www.semahof.com. For more information about the SEMA Installation Gala, visit www.sema.org/gala. 

Danielle Frye has been named the series director of the United States Auto Club (USAC) .25 midget program. Frye brings more than 15 years of motorsports marketing and public relations experience to USAC.

Frye previously worked for NASCAR as a senior manager of communications, primarily in the competition department working directly with then NASCAR president Mike Helton. Before her work for the sanctioning body, Frye was a publicist for NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers Bill Elliott and Dale Jarrett, and their respective sponsors.

In addition to her communications work, Frye worked with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) as a pit road reporter and NASCAR.com as a reporter alongside Marty Smith.

Frye replaces Jerry Coons, who stepped down as the series director effective April 30.

Steve Kuhn is taking an elevated role within the series to assist Frye with competition matters.

Mason Mitchell Motorsports (MMM) will hold its first ever MMM “Fan Fest” on Tuesday, May 22, from 1- 5 p.m. ET at the team’s shop located in Mooresville, North Carolina.

The festivities will lead up to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards return to Charlotte Motor Speedway in the General Tire 150 coming Thursday night, under the lights, May 24. The race, part of the kick-off for the Coca-Cola 600 race weekend, is the first time since 2004 that ARCA has raced at Charlotte.

“We wanted to offer our fans who are in the area an opportunity to spend time with us and our drivers,” said Team Owner Mason Mitchell. “We have the greatest fans in the world and we want to show them how much they mean to us. Without them, racing wouldn’t be possible, and for that it’s the least we can do.”

The team will have numerous giveaways throughout the day ranging from race tickets, merchandise, sheet metal and an overall grand prize. The MMM 2018 family of drivers will be on hand to sign autographs to all fans and even play games with fans.

The team’s shop is located at 223 Rolling Hill Rd., Mooresville, North Carolina 28117.

The General Tire 150 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway is live on FS1 Thursday night, May 24 at 9 p.m. ET.

Bill McAnally Racing Promotions (BMRP) has obtained a long-term contract for the operation of all motorsports events at Roseville, California’s All American Speedway.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to develop the speedway into a successful motorsports attraction,” said BMRP’s Bill McAnally.

“We want it to be a place for families to get together and enjoy some great entertainment,” McAnally said. “I remember what it was like when I raced there. We see the potential for the speedway, based on the success we’ve experienced in recent years with the big October event.”

BMRP is bringing in key personnel to anchor the speedway’s new management team.

Frank Jordan, a familiar face to many in the local racing community, will head that group as the Director of Competition. Steve Fensler brings his extensive background in racing and will serve in a strategic position as Technical Advisor in support of Jordan. Kevin Green, with nearly 20 years at NASCAR and a racing resume that stems back to his work at All American Speedway, will oversee the public relations effort.

McAnally emphasized the need to be a good neighbor in operating the facility. He plans to feature top-level motorsports events, but with fewer events overall.

Divisions slated to compete at the third-mile paved oval include the Jr. Late Models, Late Models, Super Stock A, Super Stock B, Limited Modifieds and F4.

While he sees good things for the track this year, McAnally stressed the need to view this effort on a long-term basis.

“We plan to lay the foundation this year to build on as we move ahead,” he said. “As we pointed out, this is a long-range program and will take some time; but we know the potential is there to develop a great facility for Roseville and Placer County.”

McAnally owns two NAPA AutoCare Centers in the local area and operates a championship-winning NASCAR K&N Pro Series race program from his Roseville facility.

I’ve always believed that one of the best ways to encourage aspiring professionals, regardless of the field, is to lower barriers to entry.

If I can help show a motivated, skilled young journalist a pathway toward achieving his or her dreams of one day writing for a top motorsports industry magazine (for example), better believe I’ll jump at the opportunity.

For young racers—or those whose talents could lead to a career in race car engineering, or parts machining, or fabrication, or a pit crew—the road ahead may not always seem so clear-cut.

Quick show of hands: Who remembers graduating from high school or college with a well mapped-out, three- to five-year plan for the future?

Don’t put me on that list.

Problem is, nobody ever came to my school to explain what a trade publication was, let alone that there was one for every industry you could imagine, including auto racing. I simply didn’t know what my options were—I just knew that bartending at Maggie’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill wasn’t paying the bills.
 
Fresh out of college but still clueless, I bounced from interview to interview, first with an ad agency, then a marketing firm, then a medical supply company, and on and on until one day—out of sheer happenstance—I came across a Help Wanted ad for staff writers in the free community newspaper. Long story short I applied, got the job, and proceeded to work my way into positions of increasing responsibility and stress (I kid… sort of).    

It’s been an interesting two decades since, and I’ve been fortunate to work with a number of truly gifted individuals on several fine periodicals through the years. But I’ve always wondered whether that path could have been streamlined with some better direction along the way.  

Which brings me to contributor Cliff Gromer’s report on EV Racing, beginning on page 44 in this month’s issue of PRI Magazine. There were a number of different angles we could’ve taken with the article, but after doing a little research and batting around a few ideas, we figured there was a story to tell in how students today have come to embrace the emerging technology behind electric vehicles.

And boy are they. Collegians and high schoolers across the nation, as well as across the pond (shoutout to UK’s Bristol Electric Racing team!) are flocking to elective programs that allow them to design, engineer, and ultimately race their own high-performance electricity-powered machines. The curricula are incredibly wide-ranging, encompassing everything from establishing a budget to pitching and collecting sponsors to building of the car that, of course, must meet strict technical specifications.     

As noted in Gromer’s piece, the growing popularity of both Formula SAE Electric and the EvGrand Prix Series, which serve as de facto sanctioning bodies, is further testament to the attraction of these programs.

When it comes to the challenges facing our industry today, engaging the next generation of racing enthusiasts typically ranks at or near the top of most lists. How do we find good young talent? Where are the new crop of drivers coming from? What’s the best way to attract fresh fans?

And while there probably isn’t one clean, simple solution for every industry stakeholder, we recognize that though EV technology young adults are learning things like collaboration, project management, R&D, and dealing with cost constraints, among other proficiencies that are critical to running a functional race team.

But perhaps most significantly, they’re developing a passion for motorsports. And it’s being done in a way that allows them to truly see, feel and experience what it takes to succeed along the path forward.

The F1 Commission and the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved several regulation changes for the 2019 Formula One season.

Among the changes is a simplified front wing with a larger span and low outwash potential, a simplified front brake duct with no winglets and a wider and deeper rear wing.

The FIA is also continuing to evaluate a range of measures aimed at encouraging closer racing and boosting overtaking in F1.

In addition to the above changes, there will be an increase in the amount of race fuel to allow drivers to race for more extended periods, a separation of driver weight from car weight to end any disadvantage to heavier drivers and drivers will now be required to wear biometric gloves.

The announcement comes after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which saw a collision between teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen (pictured above). F1 Motorsports Managing Director Ross Brawn points to this event as an example of what the new rules are trying to help avoid.

“Once Daniel had settled for his line, and Max had changed direction blocking that line, the Australian became a passenger,” Brawn said. “The downforce loss experienced by Ricciardo in the wake of Verstappen’s car would have made it unstoppable. We often think of downforce applying in cornering, but the impact the extra grip has in braking is huge. Take away that grip in braking and what happened on Sunday was inevitable.

"Whilst this was a very severe example, it did highlight once more the need of finding a way to develop the rules to make the cars more raceable in these conditions.”

(Photo courtesy of the Federation Internationale De L’Automobile (FIA).)

Motor State Distributing’s expanding vendor product line now includes MBRP Inc. Performance Exhaust systems, which features exhaust kits, stacks, mufflers, pipes, and related performance components.

MBRP Inc. Performance Exhaust is said to offer one of the “most rugged, efficient, best tuned and easiest-to-install performance exhaust upgrades that are tuned and engineered, and features mandrel bent tubing for even and increased airflow, tuned muffler for optimal sound, and dyno proven to increase horsepower and torque.”

MBRP offers three price point systems constructed out of heavy-duty aluminized steel, T-409 stainless and T-309 stainless.