More than 170 entries have been recorded for Kyle Larson’s Outlaw Kart Showcase Presented by BRANDT.

Scheduled for Sept. 4–5 at Cycleland Speedway in Chico, California, the entry list features drivers from 14 states, ranging in age from six to 61 in the three divisions—Box Stock, 250 Intermediate and Open.

NASCAR star Matt DiBenedetto, one of Cycleland Speedway’s all-time greats, will be returning home to compete for the $6000 prize in the Open division. DiBenedetto was the one to beat at eight years old when Larson’s career began in Box Stocks at age seven in 1999.

Also entered is Shane Stewart, driver of the Larson Marks sprint car owned in part by Larson. Other World of Outlaw drivers competing this year include Cycleland graduate Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Paul McMahan and Sheldon Haudenschild.

Northern California sprint car drivers participating include inaugural Showcase winner Colby Copeland, Sean Becker, Cory Eliason and the area’s hottest driver 15-year-old Michael “Buddy” Kofoid.

Logan Seavey, considered by some as the best in outlaw kart racing today and the defending champion of the Showcase, is entered once again.

Other kart racers who have sent in entries include Karsyn Elledge, granddaughter of the late Dale Earnhardt, and the current top three in Cycleland Speedway points, Landon Brooks, Kyle Woodcock and Tyler Brown.

Engine & Performance Warehouse Inc. (EPWI) has named its 2016 "Vendor Of The Year" and "Representative Of The Year" at the EPWI’s annual Awards Dinner during the summer conference in Vail, Colorado in mid-August.

Redhorse Performance was named the EPWI 2016 Vendor of the Year. President Benjamin Johnson and Dir. of Marketing Amanda Ognar were present to accept the award.  

The annual Vendor of the Year award is presented to the supplier or manufacturer based on performance scores during the prior year in seven categories. Categories include distribution/sales policies, pricing policies, inventory, returns, labor claims, office support and shipping/packaging.

Past recipients of this award include Proform, Federal-Mogul, S.A. Gear, Total Seal, Pioneer, B&P Rods, COMP Cams, Cylinder Head Center, Clevite Engine Parts, Dura-Bond Bearing Co., Damper Doctor, Melling Engine Parts, Joe Gibbs Racing, Howard Enterprises, SB International, Hastings Piston rings & Quick Fuel.

Engine & Performance Warehouse also named Danny Molde of Federal-Mogul Motorparts as the EPWI 2016 Representative of the Year. Molde, a 44-year veteran of the industry currently works as the business development manager for Federal-Mogul Motorparts.

is now the Business Development Manager for Federal-Mogul Motorparts and was present to accept the award. This is Molde’s second time to win this award and only the second person to ever win it twice.

The Rep of the Year is selected annually on a rotating basis by region, using combined votes based on performance scores during the prior year in three categories: sales support, distribution philosophies, and timely and accurate follow-through.

The National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) has announced the event schedule for the 2018 season. Presented by E3 Spark Plugs, the NMCA series features six jam-packed events starting in March in Florida and ending with the World Street Finals in Indianapolis.

Each NMCA includes all-American car shows, manufacturers midways, vendors and celebrities as well as featured classes such as Chevrolet Performance LSX categories, the Dave Duell Nostalgia Super Stock Classic, the Ford Performance Cobra Jet Reunion, the Super Bowl Shootout, and much more.

The complete schedule is detailed below.

March 8–11, 2018
16th ANNUAL NMCA MUSCLE CAR MAYHEM • Bradenton Motorsports Park, Bradenton, FL
 
April 5–8, 2018
10th ANNUAL NMRA/NMCA ALL-STAR NATIONALS • Atlanta Dragway, Commerce GA
 
May 17–20, 2018
17th ANNUAL NMCA BLUEGRASS NATIONALS • Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, KY
 
July 26–29, 2018
13th ANNUAL NMRA/NMCA SUPER BOWL OF STREET-LEGAL DRAG RACING • Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL
 
August 23–26, 2018
17th ANNUAL NMCA ALL-AMERICAN NATIONALS • Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH

September 20-23, 2018
17th ANNUAL NMCA WORLD STREET FINALS • Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis, IN

Supplies of nitrous oxide are expected to return to normal levels soon following a 2016 explosion at a nitrous oxide production plant in Florida. According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), there should be little to no shortage in nationwide supplies by the fourth quarter of 2017.

The plant—still not in operation after the explosion which killed a plant worker and caused extensive damage—produced an estimated 40 percent of the North American nitrous supply. There are only a relative handful of production plants in the US, which prioritized nitrous shipments for medical use after the incident.  

SEMA has been in regular contact with the nation's major nitrous producers, who have noted the challenges of filling the void after last year’s explosion. The companies have hired additional workers and increased production at other facilities, and are working diligently to manage their customer base.

Nitrous is a chemical used in racing applications as a power adder, most commonly in the drag racing market. Nitrous is also used as an anesthetic in dental and medical practices, as well as in food production for whipped cream.

Companies are urged to work closely with their distributors, and SEMA will continue to update the community in the coming months. For more information, contact SEMA’s Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

Owners and operators of some of the nation’s most innovative and successful family-owned racing venues will share firsthand accounts, experiences and solutions in an all-new seminar at the 2017 PRI Trade Show.

The Family-Owned Race Track Promoters Roundtable, which takes place on Saturday, December 9, at the Indiana Convention Center, will feature Blake Bowser from Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Sporty Bandimere from Bandimere Speedway, and Scott New of Firebird Raceway, among other panelists discussing a host of timely topics for independently owned motorsports facilities. Additional panel participants will be announced in the near future.

This roundtable-style seminar is intended as an open discussion amongst owners and operators of family-owned short tracks or drag strips to facilitate growth in motorsports while addressing significant issues, as well as raise ideas and solutions to build a successful business in a struggling economy.

“The goal is for all speakers and attendees to walk away from this seminar with new, profitable strategies to integrate into their own facilities,” said PRI Senior Editor Christen D’Alessandro, who will moderate the panel and facilitate audience participation. “It’s so beneficial for industry leaders to gather for the betterment of racing as a whole.”

Key seminar talking points include marketing and media relations, which will cover marketing strategies and techniques, the importance of branding, effectively educating the media, and more. Also on the agenda will be financial obligations, including how to cut operational costs while maintaining a set standard, creating intern positions to help the bottom line, and more.

Additional topics include dealing with sanctioning bodies and utilizing government tools, which will highlight how to use sanctioning bodies and the tools they supply to your advantage, as well as how to take full advantage of government resources, including working with your Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

The Family-Owned Race Track Promoters Roundtable is offered free of charge for all registered PRI attendees. It’s scheduled to take place in Room 241 of the Indiana Convention Center, from 8–9 a.m. on December 9, just prior to the opening of the last day of the PRI Trade Show, which runs from December 7–9, in Indianapolis. For more information or to register for the Show, visit www.pri2017.com.  

Two US tracks have recently announced increases to their race event purses.

Summit Motorsports Park (Norwalk, OH) officials recently announced the Shakedown at the Summit’s Wiseco X275 purse has been increased.

Originally set at $10,800, the purse was recently adjusted to $15,800, with $7000 going to first place, $2500 to the runner-up, $1000 for semifinalists, $525 to quarter-finalists and $275 to eighth place.

This increase brings the total Shakedown at the Summit (Sept. 14–17) purse to a whopping $155,500, including $66,600 for ProLine Pro Mod.

In related news, the Board of Directors of the Ashland-Bayfield County Racing Association has approved a significant increase to the overall purse for the 42nd annual Red Clay Classic, to be held at the ABC Raceway (Ashland, WI) on Friday and Saturday, September 29–30.

The increase, set at approximately $4000, will boost the total estimated payout for the popular event to over $90,000.

Upwards of 200 WISSOTA-sanctioned Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks and Midwest Modifieds from up to five states and midwestern Canada are expected to compete at the northern Wisconsin 3/8th-mile oval.

The 50-lap Late Model feature will now pay $5000 to win, while first place in the 35-lap Modified A-main is worth $3500. The 30-lap Super Stock feature winner will receive a $2500 payout, and first place after 25 laps in the Midwest Mods main event is worth $1200.

Andretti Autosport has launched MilitaryToMotorsports.com, a unique hiring initiative to help US military veterans transition into the civilian workforce upon retirement, specifically into the motorsports industry’s Andretti Autosport.

The initiative originally started with the help of retired US Navy Seal Team Member, Deep Sea Diver and Andretti Autosport chassis owner, Chief David Tilton. It seeks to give back to the nation’s armed service members by hiring the most qualified military veterans to join Andretti Autosport across its diverse group of race teams.

Opportunities span across various positions and racing disciplines, including front office operations, transport drivers and pit crew members.

After serving 20 years with the US Navy, Tilton retired in 2003 with honors, after sustaining a broken neck and back during service the previous year; he now specializes in consulting and intelligence-gathering equipment working with the DoD Special Forces, Intelligence Community and various other federal, state and local agencies across the United States.

Interested US veterans can apply via MilitaryToMotorsports.com for immediate consideration of upcoming openings.

Marx Group, a full-service marketing communications agency, has appointed Lisa Gill to account director. Gill will work out of the company’s Bloomfield Hills, Michigan location.

Gill joins Marx Group with 14 years of agency experience in the automotive, motorsports, health care and public affairs sectors. Prior to joining Marx Group, she held agency positions with MSLGROUP and Lambert, Edwards & Associates. Gill began her career with John Bailey & Associates. At Marx Group, she will direct and support several of the agency’s OE and aftermarket accounts.

“Lisa has worked on major industry events like the North American International Auto Show and with global tier one automotive suppliers,” said Frank Buscemi, president/CEO and creative director, Marx Group. “Her skill set, experience and leadership capabilities will make our agency even stronger and she will be a great resource for our clients.”

Marx Group, founded in 1984 by chairman and chief strategy officer Tom Marx, provides fully integrated marketing communications services, as well as research and strategy to companies in the automotive, aftermarket and trucking industries. The company opened its Detroit-area office in December 2016.

Gill earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Eastern Michigan University and is a resident of Howell, Michigan.

For the first time in the sport’s history, NASCAR will live-stream an in-car camera on Twitter for all ten Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff races.

Beginning with the first race of the NASCAR Playoffs at Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. ET), NASCAR will provide fans a unique look from inside the race car with a live camera stream that can be accessed via its official Twitter handle, @NASCAR, and NASCAR.twitter.com.

On the same screen of the live stream, fans will find a real-time curated timeline of Tweets that capture the best of the NASCAR live conversation.

The NASCAR Playoffs live stream will be accessible for free for logged-in and logged-out users in the United States via NASCAR’s official Twitter handle and connected devices. Real-time race highlights will also be available on @NASCAR, offering fans additional ways to follow the playoffs at home or on the go.

Leading up to the first playoffs race, NASCAR will debut individual Twitter emojis and hashtags for all 16 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers, available to Twitter users until each driver is eliminated from championship contention.

Beginning September 1, McLeod Racing will be moving its operations to a newly purchased manufacturing facility in Anaheim, California.

The new 25,000-square-foot building will house new offices and new manufacturing operations. McLeod’s moving plans are intended to be seamless, so customers will continue to have their orders shipped on time and without delay, company officials said.

The newly purchased building will house the continuous growth of product lines and innovation that uphold the McLeod tradition, officials noted, adding that with the larger facility, McLeod will be able to better accommodate customers with more products stocked and ready to ship.

All customers and vendors are asked to use the following address starting September 1:

                                                McLeod Racing LLC
                                                1570 Lakeview Loop
                                                Anaheim, CA 92807

“This new building is awesome, and will make our operations run smoother with increased production. We are all excited to be moving into a first-class facility and take McLeod to the next level. It will be a big move, since McLeod has been in its current location for over 27 years,” said McLeod Racing President Paul Lee.

McLeod plans to stay open during the move to welcome orders from its customers. The main phone number, 714/630-2764, and website, www.mcleodracing.com, will remain the same.

With this step into the next generation of McLeod Racing, the company looks forward to advancing its established leadership in high performance driveline components, officials said.