The California 8 Hours will feature many of the world’s top GT3 and GT4 sports cars and drivers in competition at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The California 8 Hours, taking place Oct. 12–15, is the third endurance event of the worldwide SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge series which is contested on four separate continents. The eight-hour race (9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15) will be the longest professional race ever contested at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The Intercontinental GT Challenge series, which debuted in 2016, began this year in Australia in February with the famed Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hours followed by the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium in July and will conclude with the Motul Sepang 12 Hours in Malaysia in December.

This new GT concept is aimed at manufacturers, who are encouraged to use local teams to represent them in the international events for cost and time-effectiveness. They fly engineers and drivers around the world rather than cars and equipment. Many of the teams and cars from the North American-based Pirelli World Challenge are in action this weekend with familiar teams, cars and drivers seen throughout this year.

Expected to battle for the California 8 Hours title this weekend are Porsche, McLaren, Audi, Acura, Mazda and Aston Martin as well as newcomer to the GT4 scene, British-made Ginetta. Drivers participating in the event hail from North America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa with accolades earned throughout the top levels of GT racing around the world.

“The California 8 Hours will be a high-speed chess game for the participants involved. The strategies of the teams and test of wills among the drivers make for compelling racing action. It is a great way to cap off our major event schedule during our 60th anniversary celebration at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca," said Gill Campbell, general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

NHRA officials announced that the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology (SAM Tech) NHRA Factory Stock Showdown will be expanded to compete at seven events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Previously, the category only raced at five events.

For the first time, the category will race at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. and AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Dallas.

The category will again race at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, and the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. Drivers will once again be competing for a year-end NHRA Wally based on the best six of seven events.

There will also be changes to the category including an expanded field of 16 cars taking part each weekend. The SAM Tech NHRA Factory Stock Showdown will also be contested as its own eliminator.

“It is only fitting that in the seventh year of the program we will see the SAM Tech NHRA Factory Showdown grow to seven events during the year,” said Josh Peterson, NHRA vice president, racing administration. “The competition within the category continues to increase each year and to win an event can be one of the highlights during the course of the season for a Factory Stock competitor.”

“The drivers, manufacturers, and fans loved the five-race schedule,” said Brian Massingill, director of student motorsports for the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology. “Going to seven races in 2018 will allow the class to continue to grow and a 16 car field is going to bring in even more fans and racers. We are thrilled to be part of such an exciting category.”

2018 SCHOOL OF AUTOMOTIVE MACHINISTS & TECHNOLOGY SCHEDULE 

March 15-18 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, Fla.

April 27-29 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Charlotte, N.C.

June 15-17 NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tenn.

June 21-24 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio

Aug. 29-Sept. 3 Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis

Sept. 21-23 AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis

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

Power Automedia has announced the acquisition of Xceleration Media LLC. The acquisition adds an audience of over 1 million enthusiasts to the stable of 12 existing Power Automedia automotive magazines, according to the companies.

In addition, it also adds print media to Power Automedia’s portfolio for the first time in its nearly 11-year history. Drag Racing Scene, OneDirt, Street Rod Life, Power & Performance, Gearheads4Life, AutoPressReleases.com, and Cars & Parts magazines—acquired in 2016 from Amos Publishing—will be brought into the fold.

Current Power Automedia titles include Dragzine, EngineLabs, LSX Magazine and Street Muscle.

“The addition of Xceleration Media adds firepower to Power Automedia, which already reaches over five million automotive enthusiasts a year,” said Power Automedia CEO James Lawrence. “While Power Automedia will remain a digital-first publisher, print has ardent supporters and in key markets, adds tactical value to our efforts to reach automotive enthusiasts with beautiful automotive content.”

“In today’s highly competitive automotive media market, we have decided to sell Xceleration Media to Power Automedia, whose suite of automotive enthusiast properties, websites, magazines and video platforms will enable and fuel the continued growth of what we built with Xceleration Media,” Chris Douglas, COO of Xceleration Media, said.

INDYCAR is providing ample time for manufacturers and teams to learn the new universal aero kit during offseason testing, with the sanctioning body for the Verizon IndyCar Series announcing testing guidelines for the 2018 season.

The testing regulations, developed in cooperation with series teams and manufacturers, have been distributed to INDYCAR stakeholders and are split into offseason and in-season testing categories.

The offseason testing window began Monday and runs through March 29, 2018. The in-season testing window runs from March 30-Sept. 16, 2018.

Team testing highlights
• Each Verizon IndyCar Series entrant is permitted five team test days – three in the offseason window and two during the in-season window. The offseason window for team testing begins Jan. 8, 2018.

•  Teams with rookie drivers are permitted an additional three days of testing – one offseason and two in season.

• Any full-season Verizon IndyCar Series team is granted one additional offseason day to test a current approved Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires driver. Also, entrants operating full-season teams in both the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights are granted an additional in-season test day to be used between May 12 and Sept. 16, 2018.

• Teams new to the series in 2018 are permitted two additional test days – one in the offseason window and one in season.

Manufacturer testing highlights
•  Engine manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda are each granted five days through Dec. 17 to conduct testing with the universal aero kit. No more than two cars are permitted for a manufacturer at each aero kit test and the manufacturer is not required to allow its other teams or the competing manufacturer to attend. INDYCAR has stipulated one of the aero kit test days for each manufacturer: Chevrolet will test at Phoenix Raceway on Oct. 17 and Honda at Texas Motor Speedway on Oct. 23.

•  Each engine manufacturer may conduct two days of offseason engine testing (through March 29, 2018) and must permit any team using its engines to attend the test, even if a team is not invited by the manufacturer as an engine test team. Teams attending an engine test will not be charged a team test day, but each team is limited to attending one engine manufacturer test day. Teams of the opposing manufacturer may also participate in the test, but those teams will be charged a team test day.

•  Tire manufacturer Firestone is allotted four tire test days – two in the offseason and two in season – utilizing two teams at each test. All teams, including those providing a tire test car, may be approved by INDYCAR to have one car participate in team testing to run concurrently with the tire test. Teams will not be charged a team test day for participating in any tire test day.

Other testing regulations highlights
• Four days have been designated for open tests in 2018, with all Leaders Circle entrants required to participate unless approved by INDYCAR. The open test dates and tracks are Feb. 9-10, Phoenix Raceway; March 20, Barber Motorsports Park; and March 27, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

•  Testing blackout windows are Nov. 20-27, 2017; Dec. 16, 2017-Jan. 7, 2018; and within seven days of the start of any on-track activity for a race event (i.e., if the first practice of a race weekend is on a Friday, testing must be completed by the Thursday of the week prior). The exceptions to the blackout windows are for open tests and on Sept. 11-12, 2018.

•  Teams and manufacturers may test at any Verizon IndyCar Series race location in the United States except street courses. Other approved tracks for testing are Auto Club Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, Homestead-Miami Speedway (oval and road course), Kentucky Speedway, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Sebring International Raceway.

Veteran machinist and carburetor specialist Jimmy Rivera has joined the management team at GET’M Garage. In this role as general manager, Rivera will be responsible internally for the coordination and execution of production and new product development.

“I haven’t been this excited to be a part of something special like this since early on in my career,” Rivera remarked. “Mike Laws and I have done some incredible things in the past and I look forward to the future. I look forward to helping build GET’M Garage as the new industry standard in high-performance carburetion and fuel delivery systems.”

Prior to joining GET’M Garage, Rivera worked for 13 years at a well-known racing company in Orlando, Fla. During his tenure as the company’s lead machinist and production manager, he worked together with Mike Laws to successfully create and manufacture innovative racing products. Rivera’s vast CNC experience will fill a vital role at GET’M Garage, ensuring the highest quality parts are produced for GET’M Garage’s racing customers.

Early in his machining career, Rivera was taught how to set up CNC equipment by some of the best in the business and worked on automotive CNC projects, as well as aerospace and military contracts.

Rivera and his wife Angie live in the Winter Springs, FL, with their three children—Nathan, Krystal and Anthony. In his free time, he is an elder at The Emerging Church in Altamonte Springs, FL, where Rivera also serves as music director. An accomplished keyboard player, he also enjoys teaching music to underprivileged children and adults.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the California track built by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), has announced its 2018 major event schedule.

The 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit will kick off its 61st season on May 3-6 with the Ferrari Challenge, while the second annual vintage racing event Spring Classic will take place May 18-20.

The Motul FIM World Superbike Championship GEICO U.S. Round featuring MotoAmericabrings international and domestic two-wheel motorcycle racing on an earlier date, June 22-24. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will take place Aug. 23-26, one week later than its traditional date.

The legacy of world-class sports car racing upon which Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was founded continues when the Prototypes and Grand Touring cars of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship come to Monterey for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix featuring AMERICA’S TIRE 250 on Sept. 6-9.

The highly-anticipated Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI is scheduled for Sept. 27-30, and the season will come to a close with Pirelli World Challenge on Oct. 18-21.

MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA 2018 MAJOR EVENT SCHEDULE*
May 3-6—Ferrari Challenge
May 18-20—Spring Classic
June 22-24—Motul FIM World Superbike Championship GEICO U.S. Round featuring MotoAmerica
Aug. 18-19—Monterey Pre-Reunion
Aug. 23-26—Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Sept. 6-9—Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix featuring AMERICA’S TIRE 250
Sept. 27-30—Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI
Oct. 18-21—Pirelli World Challenge

(*events are subject to provisions of local regulation)

Holley Performance Products Inc. will establish a $9.15 million facility in Franklin, Kentucky, creating 30 full-time jobs, Gov. Matt Bevin announced this week.

"We are excited to see the economic impact of Holley Performance Products' newest operation," Bevin said in a statement. "Holley is a storied name in the American tradition of hotrods, drag racing, muscle cars and stock-car racing, and will be a great addition to Kentucky's burgeoning automotive industry. Our administration, along with the Franklin community, are thrilled to welcome the additional jobs and investment Holley is bringing to the Commonwealth."


Holley will locate a distribution operation in a leased, 200,000-square-foot building in Franklin, expected to open in early 2018. The operation will be about 20 miles from Holley's corporate headquarters in Bowling Green, according to a news release.


The new facility brings the company's total Kentucky employment to approximately 330. Holley in 1952 located its carburetor manufacturing plant in Bowling Green, and moved to its corporate headquarters in 1993.


"We've been introducing innovative new product solutions that have driven growth in our business to the point that we are out of space in our current Bowling Green facility. This new location in Franklin will allow us to free up much-needed floor space for more manufacturing production activities," said Terry Rutledge, Holley's senior vice president of operations.

For more information on Holley Performance Products, visit www.holley.com.

The complexion of the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship will take a new form as four of the national events will change dates for the upcoming season.

The Dodge NHRA Nationals will kick off the six-race playoff stretch at historic Maple Grove Raceway on Sept. 13-16. The scenic facility located outside of Philadelphia has long been a hot bed of racing and often produces national record performances.

The series will move to St. Louis on Sept. 21-23 for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals for the next event in the Countdown. Located in the shadow of the St. Louis Arch the event will be an integral stop on the tour.

Racers pursuing a world championship will then compete at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex on Oct. 4-7. The all-concrete racing surface has produced champions as a host of NHRA events for over 30 years.

zMAX Dragway will host the NHRA Carolina Nationals on Oct. 12-14 at one of the premiere facilities in the country. The popularity of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will be on display as the points battles tighten up near the end of the season.

The penultimate race in the Countdown will be the NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 28-28. The 2018 season will conclude and champions will be crowned at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on Nov. 8-11.

A full season schedule can be found on NHRA.com and the new race dates are below.

2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship
Sept 13 – 16— Dodge NHRA Nationals—Reading, PA
Sept 21 – 23— AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals—St. Louis
Oct 4 – 7— AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals—Dallas, TX
Oct 12 – 14— NHRA Carolina Nationals—Charlotte, NC
Oct 25 – 28— NHRA Toyota Nationals—Las Vegas, NV
Nov 8 – 11— Auto Club NHRA Finals—Pomona, CA

Monster Energy has announced the inaugural Duels competition, a head-to-head truck racing event that brings together some of the best off-road and short course truck racers in the world.

The Duels will take place Oct. 14 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas during the Monster Energy Cup, and will also feature the Dirt Shark Biggest Whip contest featuring the world’s best whip athletes on a dirt bike, as well as Monster Energy’s European Drift Champion Steve “Baggsy” Biagioni doing drift demos.

“I am super stoked to have the opportunity to head to Las Vegas to not only see and experience the Monster Energy Cup live but to be putting on a smoke show in my #LSXR35 for all the fans,” said Biagioni. “I can’t wait to show everyone the R35 in real life and hopefully get the crowd hyped up with its fire-breathing Chevy V8 engine.”

With the Duels, competitors will go head-to-head in Pro Lite race trucks on two identical courses and drive on each side of the course for their best time. Competitors will be judged on their driving skills in a speed and style match where driving techniques come into play giving the drivers timed bonuses for excellent driving.

Top qualifiers will also be allowed to pick their opponent in the first round creating the Duel: An arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules.

Competitors include Monster Energy’s Jeremy McGrath, BJ Baldwin, Rodrigo Ampudia, Johnny Greaves, C.J. Greaves, Casey Currie, Brian Deegan, and Hailie Deegan, R.J. Anderson and Ryan Beat

With on-track action for Oswego Speedway's 67th season of racing now in the books, the speedway is preparing for its annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet presented by Mitchell's Speedway to take place Saturday, November 4 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center in Oswego.

Cocktails and a full dinner will accompany the Oswego Speedway Awards Banquet and induction ceremony for Hall of Fame members Russ Wood, Jan Leaty, Bill Abold, Donny Forbes, and Jerry Kritzman. The banquet will again be hosted by former speedway public relations director Dan Kapuscinski, with graphics and video programming courtesy of Thomas Video Productions.

Tickets for the banquet, priced at $45, are now on sale and available for purchase at the speedway box office at 300 East Albany Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Notable racers from Oswego's 67th racing season will also be honored with various awards as part of the ceremony.