Classic Industries, a retailer of automotive restoration and performance parts for classic GM and Chrysler vehicles, announced the acquisition of California Mustang Parts, California Muscle Parts and Highway Classics, which is located in the City of Industry, California.
 
California Mustang has been serving Mustang enthusiasts with their mail order restoration parts catalog since 1976, and in its 40-plus years of existence, has established itself as one of the most trusted sources of restoration parts and accessories for classic Ford Mustangs, according to Classic Industries.

California Mustang’s sister company, California Muscle Parts, is the division formed to handle classic Ford Falcon parts, and more notably, an extensive selection of parts, accessories and restyling components for late model Mustangs.

Highway Classics is the wholesale division of the company, handling the sale of a wide variety of classic auto parts and accessories to restoration shops, body shops, parts stores and other businesses across the globe.
 
“California Mustang is one of the original icons in the mail order catalog business having served classic Ford Mustang and Falcon enthusiasts for more than four decades. California Mustang, California Muscle Parts, and Highways Classics will continue to serve Ford enthusiasts in their facility in City of Industry, CA like they have for several decades,” said CEO of Classic Industries, Jeff Leonard.
 
Visit California Mustang on the web at www.cal-mustang.com.

A few of Concord, North Carolina’s emergency services workers were recognized during the 4-Wide Nationals at Z-Max Dragway.

Concord police officers Vance McGee and Corey Hynson, Concord firefighter Matt Sellers and Cabarrus County paramedic Chris Lowe were honored as NHRA first responders.

These men were nominated by their peers for this recognition.

The recognition comes in conjunction with an announcement from the NHRA in January about its new NHRA Salutes First Responders program.

NHRA Salutes First Responders honors medical professionals, law-enforcement officers, firefighters, members of the armed forces and a number of other professions charged with the safety and well-being of the public.

The NHRA is encouraging fans to participate in the NHRA Salute to First Responders program by posting their own salute to a special first responder in their local community.  Fans can post videos and photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram telling the NHRA why they want to honor this person using the hashtag #NHRASalutes. Fans can also email their salutes to social@nhra.com for a chance to have their posts featured at the races.
 
At each event, NHRA honors local heroes and first responders with discounted tickets and a special Safety Safari parade as well as acknowledgment and salutes on a number of NHRA platforms including, NHRA.com and the FOX Sports/FS1 telecast.

Calico Coatings, a coating company based in Denver, North Carolina, celebrates its 20th anniversary of business this year.

Founded “by racers, for racers,” Calico Coatings owner and racer Tracy Trotter started the company in 1997 by working with race teams and engine builders to solve issues of friction, wear, heat and corrosion, all with a little help from his grandmother.

“After working in the industry for several years, I knew I could do this for myself. So, with the little savings I had and a small loan from my grandmother, I opened the doors of Calico Coatings,” Trotter said.  

Starting with only two employees, Calico has now grown to 33 employees running two shifts in order to meet the growing demands of their customers.

One of Calico’s innovations in the coating technology include advances in thin films, leading to a productive last few years.

“We are poised to have the best year in the history of the company,” said Trotter. “It’s really exciting to see this happening on the company’s 20th anniversary year.”

Ten years ago, Calico added a laboratory to research and develop new coatings, including a diamond-like coating. By the end of 2012, Calico combined their operation into what is now their headquarters — a state-of-the-art, 20,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and research facility located in Denver, NC.

They are now exploring expanding its headquarters, as well as opening a second facility in Trotter’s home state of Texas.

Today, Calico’s performance coating knowledge and expertise are in demand across numerous high-performance industries including automotive/motorsports, the U.S. Military, aerospace, molds and dies, diesel engine, firearms and others.

For more information, visit www.calicocoatings.com.

Eibach welcomed PRI to its North American production plant in Corona, California, for the company's recent 30th-anniversary-in-the-USA celebration and open house, where we saw firsthand how much goes into creating high-performance suspension springs, components and systems.

The 155,000-square-foot facility houses 130 employees and produces springs, sway bars, shock absorbers and many more of Eibach’s suspension products, which are shipped throughout North America and 81 different countries.

PRI caught up with Eibach’s VP of Operations & Engineering Christian Sebralla at the open house who clued us in on what the next few months look like for Eibach. (We’ll give you a hint: it’s busy.)

“We’re putting a lot of effort into the shock absorbers market with a lot of emphasis on the Pro-Truck Shock Production. We are well known for springs, but not yet for shocks. We’re going to change that,” Sebralla said.

While circle track has been a strong market for the company, Sebralla also gave some insight on Eibach's fastest-growing market: UTV’s.

While there is already a hefty market for those who enjoy recreational desert driving, there’s also a growing UTV race market, as evidenced in part by the Polaris RZR UTV World Championship in Laughlin, Arizona. And Eibach was there—as team sponsors and spectators—during the April 13–15 event.

Something else that caught our attention during the open house was the manufacturer’s dedication to quality. After discovering some time ago that powder coats weren’t adhering to its springs’ surface properly, Eibach's research found that regular tap water was the problem. This led to the development of an in-house water filtration process that is used by the company today.

Eibach originated in Germany in 1951 under founder Heinrich Eibach. Following Heinrich's passing, his son Wilfried Eibach took over, and in 1987 opened North America’s first Eibach production plant in Corona. Eibach also has production plants in Frinnentrop, Germany, and Shanghai, China, as well as offices in Australia, England and South Africa.

For more information on Eibach, visit eibach.com/america/. And to view photos from PRI's visit to the Eibach production plant in Corona, California, visit PRI's Facebook page here.

Larry Fisher, Executive Director of the NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Automobile Club of Southern California, joined other community leaders who were recognized for their service and support of the students and educational programs of the Pomona Unified School District.

At the Community Service Awards Recognition Ceremony and Reception held in Pomona, Fisher, along with 51 other individuals and 22 community organizations, were presented their Community Service Awards.

Fisher has served for several terms and is currently Chair of the National Academy Foundation (NAF) Advisory Board for Fremont Academy of Engineering and Design, a public middle and high school for students in grades 6 through 12. At Fremont Engineering Academy, all students take engineering classes every day.  

As a project based school, students are guided through a rigorous STEM curriculum that provides hands-on applications with an emphasis on project and problem-based learning.

Fisher, who was recognized for his dedicated leadership, has spearheaded enhanced learning opportunities for students through community partnerships including the development of STEM-focused motorsports curriculum in which students are working as advisors and developers over a three-year period culminating in classroom and museum curriculum for public programming.

Also as Advisory Board Chair, he is critical in establishing job shadowing and internships with community businesses and innovators that are based on familiarization with various engineering and STEM careers.

Fisher recently developed a partnership between the NHRA Motorsports Museum, the NHRA and the "Femineer" program at Fremont Academy, a group of female students preparing for career paths in Engineering. The Femineers consists of 48 girls from the top of their classes in grades 9-12.

The NHRA Motorsports Museum partnership is one of several that highlight the role of women engineers in motorsports. Through the program, students visited and observed Top Fuel racer Leah Pritchett while she was competing in the Circle K NHRA Winternationals.

Scott Lukesh, Master Teacher and Coordinator of the Femineers program said, “Larry Fisher is a great example of the power of a community leadership working to help tomorrow’s leaders.”

Not since the 1980s has the group of original outlaws depicted in the 1981 film "Cannonball Run" come together in one place to recount the outrageous stories of beating the law as they raced cross-country from New York City to Los Angeles in some of the craziest vehicles built for the endeavor.

On June 2, at the Cole Auditorium at the Greenwich (Conn.) Library, a number of these outlaws will relive those desperado days, relating their wild stories as they sped coast-to-coast, evading the law either with excessive speed or outlandish explanations for their escapades. Remarkably, they all avoided jail-time.

Pamela Yates, wife of Brock Yates, the originator of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, who was a patient in 1979 in the bogus TransCon Medi-Vac Ambulance speeding cross-country to a special hospital because her "condition prevented her from flying," will tell her story.

Judy Stropus, who was part of the Right Bra team in 1972 of three women dressed in pink bell-bottoms and bodysuits, and portrayed loosely (and we mean loosely) by Adrienne Barbeau in the movie, will finally reveal her side of the story of their demise.

Riding in a Travco motor home replete with gourmet chef creating fine dining for the crew in 1971, '72 and '75, Bill Brodrick (known as "hat man" at the NASCAR races in the '70s and '80s), and Car and Driver writer William Jeanes will describe their adventures.

Other outlaws with zany recollections from the 1970s include Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance wizard Bill Warner, who still owns and drives the Porsche 911 he piloted in 1975, and Jack Cowell, who, with Pete Brock and Dick Gilmartin, were the "Flying Fathers" in 1972 in a Mercedes-Benz 280SEL, loaned to them by the MB PR rep at the time, Leo Levine. Levine will be on hand to explain how he got away with that one.

Bob Brown will also speak, who drove with Brock Yates in 1972 in the Challenger, and Rich Taylor, the official starter at the Red Ball Garage in New York City. We'll also view videos from other outlaws, such as racing icon Dan Gurney, Pete Brock, Brock Yates Jr., and Anatoly Arutunoff.

Long after the dust settled from the original races, long-distance driver Alex Roy and David Maher, with filmmaker Cory Welles on board, set a new transcontinental record in a technology-laden BMW M5. Roy will share the wild highlights and show some never-before-seen footage from the record run.

Car collector, Cannonball fan, and well-known DJ Travis Bell will recount his meticulous recreation of the TransCon Medi-Vac, with the support of Hal Needham and Brock Yates.

Cannonball cars on display will include:
• The Dan Gurney/Brock Yates Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona that won the race overall in 1971
• Brock Yates' iconic 1972 Dodge Challenger built by Cotton Owens
• Bill Warner’s 1975 Porsche 911T
• Travis Bell’s TransCon Medi-Vac Ambulance recreation
• Alex Roy’s Polizei 144 BMW M5

The panel discussion will be hosted by Mike Spinelli, Executive Producer, TheDrive.com at Time Inc., co-host of The Drive on NBC Sports and co-founder of Jalopnik.

"This event is not to be missed," said Roger Garbow, co-organizer with Judy Stropus. "The chances of all these outlaws being reunited again in one place to relate their madcap stories are pretty slim. I guarantee that it will stand as a historic event of its own."

The panel discussion, which will include excerpts from the original 1981 film, onboard video footage from Alex Roy's 2006 run, a slide show depicting the early days, an auction of Cannonball memorabilia, an autograph session, and other surprises will complete the evening.

The event is being held in cooperation with the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance (June 3-4) www.greenwichconcours.com and the Greenwich International Film Festival http://www.greenwichfilm.org/.

Tickets are $125 per person, which includes dinner (gourmet grilled cheese and lobster sliders) and drinks, and may be purchased at www.greenwichfilm.org. The evening begins at 6:30 in the courtyard of the Greenwich Library, alongside the Cannonball cars, with the program beginning at 8 p.m.

The proceeds of this dinner will benefit the New England Auto Museum, www.neautomuseum.org.

Roush Yates Engines announced a multi-year extension with Mitee-Bite Products, a supplier of high-density, low-profile clamping solutions.


The official partnership started in 2015, but the relationship has been in place since the founding of Roush Yates Engines in 2003.

“The entire family at Mitee-Bite has been a great partner to us in providing world-class clamping tools, fixtures and solutions to solve our clamping challenges,” said Todd English, Roush Yates Engines vice president business development. “They understand how critical it is to have machined parts made within precise tolerances. Their ability to produce and fixture quick prototypes as well as higher production runs is essential to our success.”

Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a division of Roush Yates Engines in Mooresville, North Carolina relies heavily on Mitee-Bites’ clamping devices. Over 50 CNC machines utilize Mitee-Bite products to assist in machining hundreds of engine components for the Ford FR9 EFI V8 NASCAR engine, the twin-turbo Ford EcoBoost V6 race engine and the Roush Yates RY45 engine.

Roush Yates Engines has also entered a new partnership with Gamma Technologies, a manufacturer of engine and vehicle simulation.


“Gamma Technologies is a global leader in multi-physics CAE simulation software,” said Doug Yates, president and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Their continued passion for evolving simulation tools aligns well with our constant development and evolution of high-performance race engines.”

Oswego Speedway in New York has been named Operation Oswego County’s 2017 Business Excellence Award recipient.

Operation Oswego County, an economic and job development corporation, each year presents a business excellence award at its annual meeting to a private sector organization that has shown adaptation and growth, provided quality service to its clients and has reached a significant milestone in the organization’s history.

The Business Outreach Committee for Operation Oswego County unanimously selected the speedway as the 2017 recipient of the award and agreed that moving Super DIRT Week to Oswego in 2016 encompasses all of these qualities for being awarded the opportunity to the host event in 2017 as well.

Oswego Speedway staff and management will have the opportunity to accept this award at the meeting, which has been scheduled for June 16 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center in Oswego.

Action gets under way at the speedway this Saturday, May 6, for the track’s annual Open Practice session from 1-5 p.m. Those who wish to view the session from the main grandstand will be admitted free.

Racing begins on May 13 featuring the speedway’s 67th consecutive Opening Day presented by Mitchell’s Speedway Press and highlighted by the Race of Champions Modified Richie Evans Memorial 61 as well as kick-off events for the Novelis Supermodifieds and Pathfinder Bank SBS.

For more information on Oswego Speedway be sure to visit www.oswegospeedway.com.

The 28th Annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction festivities will be held Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3. Those individuals being inducted for their career achievements include:

Drivers – Dave Darland, Tony Elliott and Terry McCarl
Owners-Mechanics-Builders-Manufacturers-Car Sponsors – Guy Forbrook and John Singer
Promoters-Officials-Media Members-Event/Series Sponsors – Doug Auld and Pat Sullivan
Pre-1945 Era – Earl Cooper

Things kick off Friday, June 2 at 7 p.m. with a salute to the inductees on the museum’s second floor. The reception and gathering of current NSCHoF inductees will include an open mic discussion. This reception will be free and open to the public.

The 28th Annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction banquet will take place on Saturday, June 3 at the Dyer-Hudson Hall on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa. Festivities will get underway at noon with a catered luncheon from the Rib Shack. Induction ceremonies will follow the luncheon. Tickets must be purchased to attend the banquet (details below).

The 2014 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee, Dave Argabright, and one of this year’s Inductees, Pat Sullivan, will be emceeing Saturday’s event.

Following the induction, inductees’ families and friends are invited back to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum’s second floor for the unveiling of the new inductees’ plaques.

Saturday evening, racing is scheduled at the Knoxville Raceway. The AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars will be making their first appearance since 2010 at “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.” The USAC sprints will be joined by a full program of 360 and 305 winged sprint cars.

For more information on the events at Knoxville Raceway, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com. Induction banquet tickets are $25 each and still available by contacting Lori DeMoss at 641-842-6176 or by e-mail at LDeMoss@SprintCarHoF.com.

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) recently displayed its support to the RPM Act with the following message to its fans and supporters:

NHRA fans and supporters are encouraged to show their support for the RPM Act, legislation intended to protect the right to convert a regular car into a racecar to be used only at racetracks.

The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2017 (RPM) Act is a bill before the US Congress that, if passed, permanently protects the right to convert a regular car into a racecar to be used only at racetracks, and ensures that racers will be able to purchase the parts they need to compete. The bill provides a long-term promise that this American tradition of hot rodding will be able to continue.

Members of the NHRA community can contact their lawmakers in Congress to take a look at the RPM Act, become a co-sponsor, and vote in favor of preserving the right to race. Click here to join the cause.