Best in the Desert co-owner Daryl Folks was awarded the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame “Impact Award” at the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the South Point Hotel.

Folks was chosen among the five nominated finalists for his contribution to the sport of off-road racing and his “unrelenting dedication and commitment to the sport,” not only as a co-owner of the Best in the Desert off-road racing series but also for his work with Trac-On Trail Rides and the Nevada BLM.

Daryl, along with his brother Bryan Folks, took over the Best in the Desert after the untimely passing of their father and Best in the Desert founder Casey Folks earlier this year.

In addition, Folks has also been instrumental in working with the BLM and its RAC steering committee helping draft land use policy to the benefit of all off-roaders.

“I’m very honored to have been selected to win this prestigious award. In all honesty, however, this award belongs equally to my brother and the entire Best in the Desert staff. Without their hard work and dedication none of this would be possible,” Folks said. “We are all doing our best to honor the legacy that my father established for Best in the Desert.”
 
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame established the “Impact Award” as a way to recognize the next generation of off-road leaders and decision makers to ensure that off-road racing remains viable for years to come. Other “Impact Award” finalists included Jimmy Lewis, Wayne Israelsen, Emily Miller and Craig Scanlon.

Custom Automotive Network (CAN) has announced its election results for its Board of Directors.

Joining the CAN Board of Directors for the 2018-2019 term is Scott Wahlstrom of Motorstate Distributing, Bob Barra of Premier Performance Products Distribution, Brett Corning of Midstates Inc., and Royal Coburn of Trucktech Distributing.

"All four of our elected Board Members have a deep passion for this industry. I'm confident they will work hard to fulfill CAN's vision and commitment to growing members’ businesses and promoting networking opportunities,” CAN President Tracie Nunez said.
 
Scott Wahlstrom, Marketing Manager at Motor State Distributing, has been elected Chairman-Elect for 2018-2019 term with continuing duties as Chairman and Past-Chairman through 2023. He is currently serving as a Director on the CAN Board of Directors.
 
Bob Barra, EVP Sales & Marketing at Premier Performance Products Distribution, will fill a Directors seat. He comes from a background of distribution and manufacturing in recreation, so he brings a fresh set of eyes to the automotive aftermarket, according to CAN.  

Brett Corning, President of Midstates Inc., has been elected as a Director. Brett believes that CAN’s biggest strength is its members. Leveraging the experiences of the CAN membership allows CAN to view issues from many points of view.

Royal Coburn, Owner/GM of Trucktech Distributing, has also been elected as a Director. It has been Royal's passion and goal to make influential, forward-moving contributions to our industry and this seat will provide him that opportunity.

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has announced that Glen Cromwell, who rose through NHRA’s ranks from Division Director to become Senior Vice President, Media and Marketing, is promoted to President, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Cromwell succeeds Peter Clifford as President. Clifford will assume the newly created post of Chief Executive Officer, following over 20 years with the organization, including serving as its president since 2015. Cromwell will head up NHRA’s leadership team and will report to Clifford and the board.

Cromwell joined NHRA in 1997 and has been a key player leading the sport’s marketing efforts for the past 20 years. In addition, he has been leading all of the sanctioning body’s television and new media activities and its owned racetracks.  

“I look forward to my new role and to working with the entire NHRA team to bring NHRA Championship Drag Racing to even more people,” Cromwell said.  “Thanks to the support of our many marketing partners; our broadcast partner Fox Sports; our track partners; our team owners, drivers and crews; our loyal fans; and of course our team of dedicated employees, NHRA drag racing is poised for continued growth and greater exposure.  I look forward to continuing to work with Peter Clifford and the rest of the board as we enhance our programs and continue to expand the sport.”  

The news was announced at and live-streamed from the industry-wide SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nev. See it at NHRA.com.

E3 Spark Plugs, one of the industry leaders in spark plug technology, has been named the series title sponsor for NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

The E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service will feature 12 races during the coming season and will feature a second visit to Texas during the year as well as a change to the qualifying procedures.

New for the coming season, the category will get four qualifying sessions and the first round of eliminations in their 16-car field taking place on Sunday. The teams will get two qualifying sessions on Friday and two on Saturday prior to race day.

As one of the leading spark plug companies in the United States, E3 manufactures a complete line of spark plugs for automotive, small engine, power sports and racing applications.

J&A Service will be designated as the presenting sponsor and the series is supported by the Real Pro Mod Ass’n, a group of NHRA Pro Mod Series team owners who works closely with NHRA on many initiatives to maintain and grow the series.

2018 E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service Schedule
March 15-18, Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL
April 20-22, NHRA SpringNationals, Houston, TX
April 27-29, NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Charlotte, NC
May 18-20, Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties, Topeka, KS
June 7-10, NHRA Summernationals, Englishtown, NJ
June 15-17, NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, TN
June 21-24, Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, OH
Aug. 29-Sept. 3, Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, IN
Sept. 21-23, AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis, MO
Oct. 4-7, AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, Dallas, TX
Oct. 12-14, NHRA Carolina Nationals, Charlotte, NC
Oct. 26-29, NHRA Toyota Nationals, Las Vegas, NV

UMI Performance has announced the acquisition of CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield, PA. The property is a 5/8-mile asphalt oval located on 85 acres which hosted nearly 50 years of racing.

UMI plans to convert this property, now named UMI Motorsports Park, into a multi-use facility with an emphasis on UMI product testing as well as hosting autocross and road racing style events.

The asphalt oval configuration will be preserved as-is which will allow testing rental by professional oval teams as well as possible ride-n-drive events hosted by UMI Performance.

“The acquisition of CNB Bank Raceway Park from the Bainey family (longtime supporters of motorsports in our region) reinforces UMI’s commitment to building world-class muscle car suspension products. Adding a dedicated test venue to our already rigorous racing schedule will further ensure that reliability and performance are built into every UMI component," UMI President Ryan Kirkwood said.

Short-term plans include cosmetic improvements, a scoreboard and signage upgrade and paving work in the infield to enable product testing and short course road racing/autocross racing events.

Plans are already being made to host a soft opening for the August 2018 UMI Cruise-In Autocross at the new UMI Motorsports Park.

UMI Performance is the manufacturer of race car suspension systems and parts, based out of Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.

Officials have announced that Johnny Hunkins has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the HOT ROD brand. Hunkins takes the reins of the 69-year-old iconic brand after serving most recently as Editor of Mopar Muscle.

Hunkins brings with him 26 years of industry experience in technical writing, feature photography, brand management, social media and video from a wide range of automotive media brands including Mopar Muscle, Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords, Popular Hot Rodding and GM High-Tech Performance. Hunkins will report to HOT ROD General Manager, Jonathan Mill, and HOT ROD Network Director, Douglas Glad.

“Today, enthusiasts demand entertaining, instructive content at their fingertips, so the challenge is to bring it to them in whatever form they prefer,” says Hunkins. “While we live at the epicenter of the performance world, it may seem hard to imagine the typical gearhead as being underserved, but in the larger context, that’s exactly the case. I’m excited to be involved with this amazing opportunity.”

The HOT ROD brand is part of the HOT ROD Network, offering daily content at HotRod.com. HOT ROD also publishes monthly in print and produces lifestyle events including the Hot Rod Power Tour, the Hot Rod Drag Week and the Hot Rod Engine Master’s Challenge.

Formula 1 (F1) and governing body the FIA have laid out proposals for the next generation of F1 power units (PU), with improved noise, reduced cost and a more level playing field among the key objectives.

“We’ve carefully listened to what the fans think about the current PU and what they would like to see in the near future, with the objective to define a set of regulations which will provide a powertrain that is simpler, cheaper and noisier and will create the conditions to facilitate new manufacturers to enter Formula 1 as powertrain suppliers and to reach a more levelled field in the sport,” said Ross Brawn, F1’s MD, Motorsports.

The overall framework for the 2021 power unit definition will be published by the FIA at the end of 2017, though design and development will not be possible until all information is released at the end of next year, thus ensuring manufacturers continue to work on the current specification unit.

In the meantime, the FIA and F1 will also work with the teams to establish power unit test and development restrictions as well as other cost containment measures.

“The 2021 power unit is an example of the future way the FIA as regulators, F1 as commercial right holders, the teams and the manufacturers as stakeholders will work together for the common good of the sport,” continued Brawn.

The key features of the proposals presented to manufacturer representatives at Tuesday's meeting:
    ▪    1.6 Liter, V6 Turbo Hybrid
    ▪    3000rpm higher engine running speed range to improve the sound
    ▪    Prescriptive internal design parameters to restrict development costs and discourage extreme designs and running conditions
    ▪    Removal of the MGUH
    ▪    More powerful MGUK with focus on manual driver deployment in race together with option to save up energy over several laps to give a driver controlled tactical element to racing
    ▪    Single turbo with dimensional constraints and weight limits
    ▪    Standard energy store and control electronics
    ▪    High Level of external prescriptive design to give ‘Plug-And-Play’ engine/chassis/transmission swap capability
    ▪    Intention to investigate tighter fuel regulations and limits on number of fuels used

The World of Speed Motorsports Museum (Wilsonville, OR) has announced David Pearson as its new executive director beginning Thursday, November 2.

Pearson, who comes to Wilsonville after 22 years at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, will oversee the museum’s mission of education and entertainment through the celebration and preservation of motorsports.

The World of Speed opened in April 2015 and is an educational museum featuring historic race cars, boats, motorcycles and more in interactive and hands-on exhibits and activities. It encompasses many aspects of motorsports including drag racing, road racing, landspeed racing, open wheel racing, NASCAR and more.

Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) officials have announced the 2018 event schedule that features eight race weekends on legendary circuits throughout North America.

Included on the schedule are return engagements for some of the most notable events on the international historic racing calendar and confirmation that the globally popular HSR Daytona Classic presented by IMSA at Daytona Int’l Speedway will become an annual 24-hour race.

Set for its third running next month after last being run at Daytona in 2015, the HSR Daytona Classic will now be an annual fixture on each year’s HSR event schedule. The 2018 HSR Daytona Classic is scheduled for Nov. 7-11 of next year.

2018 Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Race-Event Schedule
March 14 – 17: 66th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring HSR Exhibition—Sebring International Raceway, Sebring Florida
April 26 – 29: 41st Classic Motorsports Mitty—Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia
June 1 – 3: VIR Historic Races—VIRginia International Raceway, Danville, Virginia
July 12 – 15: Sommet des Légendes—Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
September 20 – 23: Atlanta Fall Historics—Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia
October 25 – 28: Savannah Speed Classic—Grand Prize Circuit on Hutchinson Island, Savannah, Georgia
November 7 – 11: HSR Daytona Classic and the HSR Daytona Historics—Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
November 28 – December 2: HSR Classic 12 Hour at Sebring, Pistons and Props, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network, and the HSR Sebring Historic Races—Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida

The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is currently accepting student applications for the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) Scholarship Fund.  

A total of $10,000 in scholarship funding from UNOH is up for grabs for ARCA members and immediate family members. Applicants have until Saturday, November 15 to enter.

Located in Lima, Ohio, UNOH is the official and exclusive educational university partner of the ARCA Racing Series. The annual scholarship fund of $10,000 will be distributed to a qualified individual or split between a group of recipients, at the university's discretion.

The scholarship will be announced and presented Saturday, December 9, at the ARCA Racing Series Championship Awards Banquet at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis in conjunction with the 30th annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show.

The winning applicant will be determined by UNHO Admissions Criteria and Scholarship Committee.

Applicants must:
- be an ARCA member or immediate family member (25 years or younger)
- possess a high school diploma or GED equivalent
- send an application (in writing) with name, address, phone number, and a one-page essay describing why the applicant is deserving of scholarship consideration
- submit an essay to ARCA via e-mail at compliance@arcaracing.com, or by US Mail to ARCA, P.O. Box 380, Temperance, MI 48182