Forced Performance, a manufacturer of drag racing parts, recently announced a move of its headquarters to Van Alstyne, Texas. The company specializes in manufacturing turbochargers used for the drag racing industry.

According to owner Robert Young, the company held operations in McKinney since opening in 1999 but recently ran out of space. The company made the decision to move to Van Alstyne back in 2015.

Despite a couple roadblocks, including a lease deal falling through and permit issues, the company expects to open its 15,000-square foot building doors at 601 Martin Duke Road by early January.

Young hopes to hire up to five locals in the first year, and even offer internships to college students.

JEGS Automotive, Inc. announced Jeffrey R. Hennion as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Hennion will start as CEO on October 16.

“JEGS has a long tradition of success – with our customers, on the race track, and as a leading, high growth, e-commerce retailer,” said Jeg Coughlin, Jr., co-owner and VP of JEGS. “Based on the strength of our business and the JEGS brand, we felt that finding someone like Jeff would help us continue the successful trajectory and accelerate our growth to the next level.”

Hennion is an experienced leader, according to the company, bringing nearly 30 years of corporate and e-commerce experience to JEGS. Most recently, Hennion was EVP, Chief Marketing & e-Commerce Officer of GNC Holdings, Inc.

Hennion has also held leadership positions at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Branding Brand and Alcoa. Hennion has been a member of the Board of Directors of Briggs & Stratton Corp. since 2015 and acts as an advisor to a number of e-commerce startups and venture capital funds.

“I am thrilled to be joining one of the most iconic brands in the performance automotive and racing space,” said Hennion. “After more than 50 years of growth since Jeg Coughlin Sr. opened his speed shop, it’s not only a leader in the space today, but poised for incredible opportunity thanks to the strength of the JEGS team. I’m honored for the opportunity to be a part of the future at JEGS.”

Keystone Automotive Operations has announced the acquisition of Topline Systems, Inc., a dealer and retail software development company that specializes in dealership/shop management and point of sales products that include comprehensive sales, service and parts management modules.

“Our interest in looking at software as a solution for our customers began when we tried to think of new and improved customer support strategies and ways we could help our customers grow. What are the challenges our customers face that we can help them overcome?” Keystone Business Leader Bill Rogers said.

Keystone and Topline have a long history of working together and collaborating on a variety of projects.

The foundation of Topline’s software is said to be firmly rooted in the owner-manager-doer mindset. It was developed at a dealership with a retail store and a service/installation shop for that business, by that owner.  

Keystone intends to infuse capital and resources into the company to help it continue developing customer satisfaction solutions in the markets they serve, according to the company.

“The addition of Topline allows us to continue to offer new ways to help our customers grow and succeed by providing value-based, high quality, state of the art business solutions, including Dealership Management, Point of Sale, Service, and Parts Management,” Rogers said.
 

VP Racing Fuels announced the promotion of Bruce Hendel to Vice President North America Sales, Race Fuel and Consumer Products. In this newly formed position, Hendel will be responsible for all North America Sales efforts in support of both VP Consumer Products and Race Fuel business divisions.
 
“Bruce is a veteran at VP Racing Fuels joining the company 25 years ago and his appointment to the new position is a key strategic move for the future of our company. He has been instrumental in… negotiations with most of the major race series the company is associated with today like AMA, IMSA, PWC and Indy Lights. We are confident Bruce will continue strengthening the VP brand and expanding our distribution and sales metrics here at VP,” President of VP Racing Fuels Alan Cerwick said.

“I am proud of what we’ve accomplished in the Consumer Products division over the past 4 years in company growth and brand recognition at big box retailers. This year alone, Consumer Product Sales are up 44% from 2016 so it gives me a lot of confidence to take on the new roles and bring that growth amongst multiple divisions. Taking on the North America Sales efforts for the VP brand is a welcomed challenge for me and I look forward to the future growth of our company,” Hendel said.

After several seasons of reducing downforce and limiting horsepower, NASCAR’s 2018 rules package—delivered to teams Tuesday—is more about maintaining the positive momentum from years prior.

Chief among the handful of changes on the aerodynamic and technical front is the use of a common flat splitter and radiator/oil cooler for 2018.

The radiator/oil cooler move is something that is already in play at superspeedways. The common splitter, meanwhile, will be new for all venues.

New for superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega) next season will be the elimination of the current ride height rule, a move that should provide safety and perhaps competition benefits.

Tests conducted in the wind tunnel and on the track have verified what NASCAR officials were looking for prior to making the ride height move.

Part of the reason for a limited number of rule changes can be linked to an evolution in the inspection process that will roll out next season.

The camera-based system which scans the car will replace current grid, module and Laser Inspection Station portions of the inspection process. Engine, chassis and safety inspection stations will remain in place.

Engine rule changes for ’18 were announced earlier this year. They include the use of a sealed short-block engine for a minimum of 13 races; use of a long-block engine in the Clash and All-Star Race, the series’ two non-points events; and a single-engine rule for all races.

On the safety front, Stefanyshyn said incident data recorders will be powered by batteries from the vehicles, a move that will allow the IDRs to continuously record instead of recording only upon being triggered by an impact.

The mandatory rollout of the enhanced vehicle chassis (EVC) originally slated for 2018 has been pushed to 2019. All new chassis are still required to certify with EVC beginning Nov. 20, 2017.

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has tweaked its 2018 schedule, with the more major changes coming during the six-race playoffs it calls the Countdown to the Championship.

NHRA’s 24-race Mello Yello Drag Racing Series—18 “regular season” races and six Countdown challenges—starts and ends as it always has in Pomona, California. From its initial race in February through the end of May, the schedule remains similar.

Changes begin with a couple swapped dates (Englishtown and Joliet) as well as more break time.

Once the playoffs get underway after the Nationals at Indy, major changes were made to the Countdown to the Championship schedule, which kicks off September 13–16 in Reading, Pennsylvania.

A week after the Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, teams will travel to St. Louis, which is followed by a week’s respite before the teams travel to Dallas. Two weeks later, teams will face off at Charlotte’s zMax Dragway.

While this year’s schedule saw the Countdown start with three races in three weekends, the 2018 schedule will have less back-to-back racing.

The changes are said to be intended to give crews some respite in the middle of the season, rather than having three straight or four consecutive as seen this year, while the changes in the Countdown could allow some testing and technical changes that might not otherwise be possible.

2018 NHRA Mello Yello Series Regular Season
Feb. 8-11, Winternationals, Pomona, CA
Feb. 23-25, Arizona Nationals, Phoenix, AZ
March 15-18, Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL
April 6-8, DENSO Spark Plugs Nationals, Las Vegas, NV
April 20-22, SpringNationals, Houston, TX
April 27-29, Four-Wide Nationals, Charlotte, NC
May 4-6, Southern Nationals, Atlanta, GA
May 18-20, Menards Heartland Nationals, Topeka, KS
May 31-June 3, Route 66 Nationals, Chicago, IL
June 7-10, Summernationals, Englishtown, NJ
June 15-17, Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, TN
June 21-24, Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, Norwalk, OH
July 6-8, New England Nationals, Epping, NH
July 20-22, Mopar Mile-High Nationals, Denver, CO
July 27-29, Toyota Sonoma Nationals, Sonoma, CA
Aug. 3-5, Northwest Nationals, Seattle, WA
Aug. 16-19, Lucas Oil Nationals, Brainerd, MN
Aug. 29-Sept. 3, Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis, IN

Countdown to the Championship
Sept. 13-16, Dodge Nationals, Reading, PA

Sept. 21-23, Insurance Midwest Nationals, St. Louis, MO

Oct. 4-7, AAA Texas Fall Nationals, Dallas, TX

Oct. 12-14, Carolina Nationals , Charlotte, NC

Oct. 25-28, Toyota Nationals, Las Vegas, NV

Nov. 8-11, Auto Club Finals, Pomona, CA

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced a 14-race weekend for 2018, featuring a new Pro-Am race for legends of NASCAR at Virginia International Raceway on September 22. The SVRA schedule continues to complement the professional Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli to leverage growth for the two series as they will share eight race weekends.

The new Pro-Am for NASCAR legends, called the “American Racing Legends Charity Pro-Am,” builds on the momentum of the “Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am” held annually during the SVRA’s Brickyard Invitational weekend at the IMS in June.

The event will benefit IGNITE—the Autism Society of North Carolina’s community center for young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome. IGNITE was founded by The Evernham Family Racing for a Reason Foundation, a nonprofit established by legendary NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham and his family.

“I have found a lot of us who have been so fortunate in motorsports are realizing great rewards in reaching out and helping those in need,” said Evernham. “My son’s Asperger’s condition gave me a very personal reason to take up this cause. SVRA’s team runs a first-rate show all racers and car lovers can appreciate, and that makes using it as a platform for giving back very satisfying.”

In addition to the Pro-Am features and professional Trans Am racing, the 2018 SVRA schedule will continue to deliver a motorsports festival atmosphere at most of its events, according to officials. Fans can expect more of the Hagerty Insurance “show and shine” car corrals and driving and riding experiences from sponsors like Jaguar and Harley-Davidson.

For the complete 2018 SVRA schedule, visit the SVRA website here.

While congratulating Denver, North Carolina-based Calico Coatings on 20 years of business, PRI got some exclusive info from owner Tracy Trotter: Turns out the company will grow its already 20,000-square-foot headquarters by another 15,000 square feet over the next 18 months.

Currently in the planning stages, the expansion comes in response to capacity concerns—namely, not enough—for the performance coatings solutions manufacturer. Room to accommodate new machinery and equipment will help the company advance its motorsports business, according to Trotter.

“It’s going to allow us to expand what we do in racing, because right now we don’t have enough equipment to get all the work done that we’re turning down,” he said. “So our racing business, over the next three years, should double—based on the expansion we’re working on.”

Groundbreaking on the project is expected toward the end of Q4 or in the first quarter of 2018. And while Calico recently made news with the announcement it was planning to expand into Trotter’s home state of Texas, albeit with a focus on other markets, such as weaponry, Trotter assured PRI of the company’s commitment to motorsports.

“Racing is our first love, it’s what we love to do,” he said. “So, we’re never, ever going to get away from racing. Racing for us is growing. Not growing at the rate it was prior to 2008, but it’s still growing every year.”

Robert Yates, a master engine builder and longtime NASCAR team owner, died Monday. He was 74.

In May, Yates was selected for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. He had been battling liver cancer, requiring multiple rounds of immunotherapy treatment. His son, Doug Yates, announced his father’s passing on social media Monday night.

“Hero — my dad’s my hero,” his son, Doug Yates, said in a post on his Twitter account Monday night. “My dad’s the toughest guy you’ve ever met. Never give up, always looking for the positive and looking for a competitive advantage, and that’s the way he raised myself and our family and everybody at Roush Yates.”

Yates’ expansive know-how as a mechanic led his cars to 77 wins in NASCAR’s premier series as an engine builder. After creating Robert Yates Racing in 1989, Yates went on to collect 57 more victories and 48 pole positions as a team owner, adding a series championship for fellow Hall inductee Dale Jarrett in 1999.

In addition to Davey Allison and Dale Jarrett, Yates fielded cars for Ernie Irvan, Ricky Rudd, Elliott Sadler, David Gilliland and others.

He retired from team ownership after the 2007 season, turning his attention to the engine-building company founded by his son, Doug. Now named Roush Yates Engines, that organization continues to power all Ford-backed entries in NASCAR’s top division.

Yates’ selection to the NASCAR Hall is the most recent recognition of his achievements in motorsports. Yates was given the Bill France Award of Excellence in 2000, and in 2007 received the Buddy Shuman Award for Lifetime Achievement in NASCAR.

Yates was the top vote-getter on NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day, named on 94 percent of the ballots. “I don’t even know if I’ll sleep tonight,” Yates said May 24th. “I’m so honored and I love this sport, and I want this sport to do the same thing it did for me, again and again, and again.”

NASCAR released the official statement from Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France on the passing of Robert Yates.

“Robert Yates excelled in multiple NASCAR disciplines, earning the respect of an entire industry and an everlasting place in the hearts and minds of the NASCAR fan base. His excellence spanned decades, from the 1983 championship powered by his engines and the 1999 title captured by the cars he owned, both of which helped earn him a deserved spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
 
“And though he was a master at his craft, it was Robert’s passion and character that endeared him to every single person he encountered and will ensure that his memory will live on for generations. On behalf of my family and all of NASCAR, I extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of a NASCAR giant, whose legacy will impact an entire industry forever.”

Officials from Muscat Speedway and Al Ain Raceway of UAE have announced the Gulf Karting Endurance Championship (GKEC), a four-round karting endurance series that’s the first of its kind in the region.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Oman Automobile Association (OAA) headquarters in Muscat on Saturday. 

The GKEC is the result of a collaboration between Muscat Speedway and Al Ain Raceway and will comprise of four rounds with two 12-hour races and two 24-hour races to be held across the two venues.

The series will be the first to showcase the new RD1 Elite premier leisure kart which has been designed and produced specially to cope with the demands of the region. The bespoke product includes a water-cooled, chainless-drive 24hp Rotax hybrid engine with a custom-made chassis manufactured by Birel ART.

The platform will allow participants, including youth, access to a more elite championship with minimal personal investment.