The Verizon IndyCar Series has hired Kyle Novak as its new race director.

This news comes after the series announced former race director Brian Barnhart had left for a position as president of the Harding Racing IndyCar team in late November 2017.

With a heavy background in IMSA, Novak previously served as the race director for a number of its series including the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA, and Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada series.

Officials of Orangeburg Drag Strip in Orangeburg, South Carolina, have announced the track will be renamed the South Carolina Motorplex going into the new racing season.

The track was recently purchased by RJS Racing Equipment owner Jeff Biegun and is currently going through major renovations. Biegun purchased the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) in 2017 and soon understood that many tracks were booked for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, which led to the purchase, according to Dragzine.

Along with the new name, the drag strip will also feature a new timing system, new scoreboards, new paint and 2,000 feet of new concrete walls. A new management structure and staff are also in the works, along with a beer and wine selling license to open up new experiences to fans.

The grand opening for the South Carolina Motorplex is set for February 9–10, when it will host the filming of a Street Outlaws TV segment. There will be other major events in 2018, including the ADRL, Super Chevy, Fun Ford, and Mopar weekends, along with two big Volkswagen-only races.

What started as a casual conversation at the PRI Trade Show earlier this month has led to promoter Chris Tilley agreeing to purchase the MARS Dirt Car Series.

Tilley, who already owns the Schaeffer Oil Iron-Man Championship Late Model Series and the Brucebilt Performance Iron-Man Modified Series in addition to handling public relations and announcing duties for a trio of Ray Cook-promoted series, completed the acquisition of the series from Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway owner William Scogin before the new year.

“I’ve known William for quite a few years. I talked to him at PRI, and he kind of said that the series was available if I wanted to buy it in a joking way,” Tilley explained. “We talked back and forth a little bit and we’ve been talking ever since. I agreed to do that (buy it).

The series will continue to utilize UMP rules.

“We hope to have about 10 or 15 races with a minimum of $3,000 to win to the $5,000 to win range,” Tilley said. “We hope to have a big 2018. We just want to get it off the ground but keep it up and running for that area and see what we can build upon for 2019.”

Scogin acquired the MARS Dirt Car Series in 2017 and split it into two divisions — East and West. The plan going forward is to run the series with just one division.

Tilley said the series will begin the year March 2-3 at Clarksville Speedway with the Tuckassee Toilet Bowl Classic. The March 2 race will pay $3,000 to the winner while the event on March 3 will pay $5,000 to the winner.

“We’ll have a tentative schedule by then if not sooner,” Tilley said about the rest of the schedule.

Tilley said that anyone looking for more information about the MARS Dirt Car Series can contact him at 606/219-1723 or by email at tilleyracing@gmail.com.

The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT), makers of the timed engine building competition for high school students, has announced additional events for its new HROT Junior Engine Challenge have been added to the 2018 calendar.

Due to the popularity of the Junior Engine Challenge, and the importance of getting youngsters interested in the racing industry, HROT will be holding a minimum of 18 events in 2018, starting in February at the Race & Performance Expo and ending at the PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis from December 6–8. The group will also be participating in all the Midwest Junior Super Series events and most of the regular HROT challenge events during the year.

Developed for kids between the ages of 5-and 18-years-old, it's designed is to “get wrenches in their hands and grease under their fingernails” by taking apart and rebuilding Briggs & Stratton 5 Horsepower single-cylinder engines.

A team consists of two members; one teammate must be 5-18 years of age. Each team will have to completely disassemble and reassemble the engine so it is functional and in running condition. Basic hand tools and equipment must be utilized to complete this task.

For more information, visit here or contact Greg Parker at 574/315-1938.

Motovicity Distribution, one of the leading automotive performance aftermarket distributors, has announced the newest to their line card: E3 Spark Plugs.  

Motovicity has brought in E3 Spark Plugs’ wires, coils, and plugs which are said to help increase power, improve fuel efficiency, and reduce engine emissions with the use of DiamondFIRE technology, according to Motovicity.

The intrigue of their products comes from E3’s patented “diamond-shaped” ground electrode which promotes flame growth through the shape of the opening into the heart of the air-fuel mixture and out the sides, according to Motovicity.

“Our mission at E3 has always been reflected in our devotion to the advancements in ignition technology,” Rob Fisher, E3’s Marketing/Sales/Light Tech guru explains. “By focusing on improving the ignition cycles of the air-fuel mixture inside your engine's combustion chamber, our products are engineered to be environmentally friendly with a more complete and cleaner burn.”

Irwindale Event Center, the home of Irwindale Speedway and Irwindale Drag Strip in Irwindale, California, will remain open and in full operation under a new multi-year agreement with the property owners and a group of motorsports enthusiasts led by Tim Huddleston and the Justice Brothers.
 
It was announced in 2017 by Team 211 Entertainment, operators of the 63-acre facility, that January 31, 2018, would be the last day of operation at Irwindale.
 
Although a change in the owner’s plans indicated a contract extension would be offered three months after the announcement was made, 211 President and CEO Jim Cohan reached out to Huddleston’s group since a number of new business plans were in place at 211.
 
Cohan's company is credited with putting the Irwindale facility back into business when the first operators of the track closed it under a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in February of 2012. Going into 2018, the entertainment and motorsports facility will be operated by Tim Huddleston and the Justice Brothers.
 
"These are the right people to operate this facility, they have the background, the acumen, and the energy," Cohan said. "They know racing and they know marketing. This is really a win for everyone, especially the fans."

There’s a famous scene from the 1993 movie “Jurassic Park” in which a glass of water on the dashboard of a vehicle begins to ripple.

“Do you feel that?” asks one of the young protagonists as he and his sister give pause, then realize something big is approaching.

The rest is cinematic history.

Headed into last month’s milestone 30th Anniversary Trade Show, many of us here at PRI headquarters felt a similar sense of anticipation and excitement. We knew there was a behemoth on the way—although not of the scaly, carnivorous sort.

Rather this beast, thankfully, had a somewhat familiar rumble: a bit like a camshaft rolling the valvetrain on a supercharged doorslammer just prior to launch.    

Sure enough, as the acclaimed early events of Race Industry Week gave way to PRI’s Grand Opening Breakfast, followed by a bustling day one of activity on the floor of the Indiana Convention Center, it became clear that this landmark edition of the Three Biggest Business Days in Racing would be a special one indeed.

A full report on the Show—including noteworthy product discoveries, technical insights, business tips and intel, and much more—will appear in next month’s issue of PRI Magazine.

But until then, and in the spirit of the headline, I’d like to highlight a few observations that, for this editor, helped encapsulate what this most recent showcase of parts, technology and solutions was all about. You know, just in case you missed it…

As he has for the last decade, legendary motorsports journalist Dave Despain helped kick off the Show with a lively stage program that provided the centerpiece of our abovementioned Breakfast. Having settled into his Q&A with special guest Chip Ganassi, Despain noted that the ultra-successful team owner had gone out on a limb when earlier in the year he had allowed rising NASCAR star Kyle Larson to compete in the Knoxville Nationals, an event that was not in his contract: “I remember being in his shoes as a young driver—and [knowing] what’s important and wanting to go fast—and as a team owner the last thing I want to do is slow a guy down,” Ganassi explained. “It wouldn’t be fair to a young man and his career. Certainly there is a lot of money and risks on the line, but is that a good reason to take a young guy and hold him back? I don’t think that’s fair.”

The response was thunderous applause from a crowd of some 3000 strong.

Then, on day two of the Show I had the distinct honor to moderate a panel discussion on opportunities for women in motorsports. We covered a lot of ground over the 60-minute session, and panelists Elaine Larsen, Dina Parise and Pippa Mann offered tremendous insights and perspectives on a number of key topics, including advice for aspiring young drivers, what their work-life balance looks like, how to move beyond traditional gender biases, and how they dealt with challenging or low points during their careers.

“I’m not in this alone,” responded attendee Alyssa Lasater, a Kansas-based driver of modifieds and sprint cars, when asked of her takeaway from the session. “A lot of these women have gone through the same struggles that I have in my career. The way that these women spoke today has given me the drive to keep going and not give up.”

And speaking of inspiring young competitors, it sure was uplifting to walk past the all-new PRI Simulator Challenge and see NASCAR great Brad Keselowski—after taking a spin on the sim—interacting with a pair of quarter-midget racers and their dad. What better way to engage the next generation of motorsports professionals?

And what better way to mark our 30th year serving this dynamic industry, with an eye toward the next three, four or more decades to come!

The World of Outlaws (WoO) Craftsman Late Model Series has announced Erik Grigsby as the Series Race Director for the 2018 season. For the past six years, Grigsby has served as Race Director for the DIRTcar Late Model Summer Nationals and the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.

The Canton, Illinois, native became passionate about racing at a young age, serving as a scorer, a flagman and as a photographer over the years.

With the addition of Grigsby to the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series, the majority of officials are now Millennials, which also reflects the majority of the drivers on tour for 2018, according to WoO officials.

For more information on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series upcoming season visit WoOLateModels.com.

NASCAR has named the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) Executive Vice President & CMO Daryl Wolfe as the Chief Sales & Partnership Officer of both NASCAR and ISC, as reported by Sports Business Daily. In this dual role position, Wolfe will sell for both the sanctioning body and the major track operator.

Wolfe will report to NASCAR Exec VP & Chief Global Sales & Marketing Officer Steve Phelps as well as ISC President John Saunders. He will also oversee corporate sales and partnerships.

Since NASCAR is a private company and the ISC is publicly held, officials noted that the two organizations will remain independent, with processes in place to ensure both sides will be represented during Wolfe’s tenure.

Officials of WC Vision, producers of the Pirelli World Challenge, have announced the Pirelli World Challenge Sporting and Technical Regulations and Racing Formats for the upcoming season.

The 2018 Pirelli World Challenge Competitor Racer Registration and the PWC Sporting and Technical Regulations have been released on the PWC Competitor Portal found at race.world-challenge.com.

Pirelli World Challenge moves in its 29th season of competition with several adjustments to the series including condensed weekends and new SprintX components including tire changes and pit stop deltas.

PWC will expand the 60-minute, two-driver format in 2018 to its GTS division. The Classes — GT and GTS — were previously combined in SprintX races but they will race separately in the GT and GTS SprintX doubleheaders in 2018.

Touring Car (40-minute, one-driver) also expands to feature two separate groups for 2018. The TCR cars introduced to the series in 2017 will now run as their own class along with the TCA class in the races. The TC class will run its own races.

Other notable changes for 2018 Pirelli World Challenge series:

• —Rolling starts for all GT, GT Cup, GTS races.
• —GTS class will run only GT4 homologated cars
• —GTS SprintX limited to Pro-Am or Am-Am driver pairings.
• —The Am driver can optionally drive entire SprintX race without driver change but must complete the mandatory pit stop requirements.
• —Refueling is permitted in the GT classes practice sessions per regulations.
• —Pirelli tires allocation will now be fixed for each event. The use of allocated tires is freely managed for each car by the team. Teams will also be able to use one (1) carryover set from a previous event.

For more information, including the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge Schedule, visit here.