The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that its grandstands will be entirely smoke-free beginning with the 2017 Red Bull Air Race.

In addition, leading up to the Air Race, the track will provide select smoke-free family grandstands at select Month of May events and at the Brickyard 400.

Both the Alliance for a Healthier Indiana and the Indiana State Department of Health applauded the track’s decision.

"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the premier attractions in Indiana, and it's exciting to see it taking a public stand for smoke-free environments. I can't think of a more visible endorsement of better health for Hoosiers and those who visit our state,” said Indiana State Health Commissioner Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H.

IMS offered its first smoke-free family grandstands on Miller Lite Carb Day in 2016. This year, they will be available to customers at the INDYCAR Grand Prix on May 12-13, on Miller Lite Carb Day on Friday, May 26 and at the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 23.

Beginning with the 2017 Red Bull Air Race on Oct. 14-15, 2017 and continuing throughout the entire 2018 season and beyond, smoking will not be permitted in any IMS grandstands. Fans wishing to smoke will be asked to do so 20 feet away from buildings and reserved seating entrances. Smoking will continue to be allowed in the IMS infield.

In the coming months and as the 2018 season approaches, IMS will provide additional guidance to fans on the implementation of these new policies.

Indiana Tobacco Quitline
The Indiana Tobacco Quitline is a free, phone-based counseling service provided by the State Department of Health that helps Indiana smokers quit. Support is available seven days a week. IMS encourages anyone looking to stop smoking to take advantage of this resource and many others available. For assistance today, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8869).

Keystone Automotive Operations Inc., a wholesale distributor and marketer of automotive specialty parts in North America, announced its new partnership with GReddy Performance, of which Keystone will be the exclusive WD in Canada.

An aftermarket company founded and managed by a community of enthusiasts and racers, GReddy’s is said to have a great reputation for US Spec, European Spec and JDM vehicles.

“We are very excited to have GReddy on board. By Keystone Canada teaming up with GReddy, it opens up new opportunities for our valued customers to offer the high-performance products they are so well known for,” said Jason McDonald, Director of Sales at Keystone Canada. “GReddy can now leverage the inventories and distribution capabilities of Keystone to have their products delivered next day, every day, across Canada.”  

“With their great logistic capabilities, service and sales staff, we are looking forward to growing our business with Keystone across North America,” said to GReddy President Kenji Sumino.

Visit us at www.keystoneautomotive.com for more information, products and applications.

Charlotte Motor Speedway officials have promoted Matt Long to Vice President of Corporate Sales. Long is being promoted from his current position of Senior Director of Business Development.

Long, a Cambridge, Ohio native, began his career with the speedway as an intern while pursuing his Master’s in Sports Management and Business at Ohio University in 2002.

He later joined the speedway’s corporate sales department on a full-time basis in the fall of 2003 after receiving his Master’s degree. In his previous position, Long managed two of the speedway’s most prominent partners, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated and Bank of America.

“I’ve been at the speedway for all 14 years since I graduated college and I feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity,” Long said. “This is the next step for me and for it to be where I began my career makes it even better.”

Long, who is a dirt late model driver in his spare time, earned his third Salesperson of the Year award last fall.

“Matt has demonstrated tremendous leadership skills as a longtime Speedway Motorsports, Inc. employee,” Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President Greg Walter said. “We’ve seen him grow during his tenure with us. He has strong relationships with many of our key partners and continues to provide business solutions using our unique set of assets and rights. I have confidence that his passion for motorsports and marketing acumen will help our business development team continue to grow that part of our business.”

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge’s seventh event of the 2017 season took place at the Summit Racing Motorama in Hampton, Georgia this past weekend.

Twenty teams came out to the event to either qualify for the Dual National Championship held at the SEMA and PRI Show later this year or to improve their playoff time.

To qualify for the Dual National Championship, a team must finish disassembling and reassembling a small-block Chevrolet engine in less than 33 minutes, including penalties.

Three teams from Georgia qualified for the first time last weekend. Team MSD from Peach County High School finished in tenth place, qualifying with a time of 30:46. From Forsyth Central High School, Team Autometer came in eighth place with a time of 28:08. Coming in sixth place, Team Holley from Effingham College & Career Academy qualified with a time of 27:31.

Teams that improved their playoffs time include Team Energy Suspension from Sequoyah High School which came in third with a time of 23:12. In second place was Team Weld Racing from East Ridge High School with a time of 22:18. Coming in first place was Team QA1 from Forsyth Central High School with a time of 20:04.

Although they didn’t qualify, Maxwell High School of Technology from Lawrenceville, Georgia competed for the first time ever in the HROT Engine Challenge with a run time of 37:33 (with penalties.) It’s rare that a new team, with just a few weeks worth of practice, competes and finishes close to qualifying, according to HROT.

The next HROT Engine Challenge competition will be hosted at the Universal Technical College in Exton, Pennsylvania on April 29.  

For more information, visit HotRoddersofTomorrow.com. For additional information in starting a team or sponsorship opportunities, contact Rodney Bingham at RBingham@hotroddersoftomorrow.com or call at 815/722-5460.

Superior Fuel Cells, a manufacturer of racing fuel cells, recently announced its compliance with the SFI Spec 28.3 Competition Fuel Cell Bladder Program.

The 28.3 Safety Spec is equivalent to FIA/FT3 Fuel Cell Safety Standard meaning select Superior Fuel Cells products are now accepted by all sanctioning organizations. While all of the company’s fuel cells exceed SFI Spec 28.3, only the products labeled with the SFI Certification are certified, according to the company.

“We are excited to continue to give racers an affordable option to a quality fuel cell. Being a racer myself, I believe our product is the best bang for your buck, along with great customer service our quality is second to none,” owner of Superior Fuel Cells owner Paul Culp said.

With every fuel cell purchased, customers receive the safety straps and fuel level dip stick at no additional charge, according to Culp.

If you have any questions regarding the company’s new SFI Spec 28.3 or Superior Fuel Cells in general, call 541/895-4224.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series announced the return of Chris Dolack to the World of Outlaws as the new Late Model Series Director, effective May 1.

Dolack will succeed Tim Christman, who has served as series director for the past 10 years and has chosen to take a step back to spend more time with his family, according to World of Outlaws officials.

Having served as Vice President of Media and Public Relations for the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar from 2005 through 2015, Dolack is familiar with the inner workings of the Series and dirt track racing in general.

"My heart is in dirt track racing. The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is the pinnacle of the sport, and I'm honored to have this opportunity," said Dolack. "I worked with Tim [Christman] for 8 years, so I understand a lot of where he was coming from, and I'm looking forward to being back at the track and building on the foundation he has laid."

During his two years away from the World of Outlaws, Dolack maintained close ties with the organization while helping to grow SPEED SPORT, overseeing the development of the motorsport media company.

That’s when the World of Outlaws conducted a national search that generated a pool of applicants.

"After an extensive interview process with a number of highly qualified candidates, we stood unanimously behind Chris," said World of Outlaws President Tom Deery. "His experience, knowledge of the organization, and vision for the future made him the ideal choice to take the reigns of the Late Model Series and continue its growth."

Christman has agreed to continue as Series Director through May 28, working in support of Dolack to ensure a smooth transition, after which he will continue as a consultant through the end of the 2017 Season.

The 12th Annual Edelbrock Car Show will take place Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Vic’s Garage in Torrance, California.

Participants are invited to come out and enjoy a day of hot rods, great food, live entertainment and a great time with fellow automotive enthusiasts. All makes and models are welcome and interested participants can pre-register now. Spectator entry is free.

Event highlights include music provided by the High-Energy Sound Machine and Rewind South Bay band, a beer and wine garden and a food festival including gourmet offerings from popular food trucks.

Also included in the day is a trophy ceremony for Vic’s Choice and Car Club Participation, a Kids Corner with children’s activities and a Star Car Central of movie-themed cars.

For more information or to pre-register, visit www.edelbrockcarshow.com.

Hastings Manufacturing Company, a global piston ring provider, announced the appointment of Jose Segovia as its new Director of Business Development Latin America.
 
Segovia comes to Hastings with over 16 years of multiple engine component sales and marketing industry experience, all in Latin America. Prior to Hastings, he managed piston ring sales efforts in Latin America for 13 years with Nippon Piston Ring(NPR).

In his new role with Hastings, Segovia will provide full sales and marketing management of Hastings Piston Rings for the Latin American aftermarket.
 
Hastings Manufacturing Company designs and manufactures piston rings for the worldwide engine manufacturing and service industries and has been in business for over 100 years. Hastings holds TS16949 and ISO14001 registrations and is an approved piston ring supplier to OEMs and Aftermarket Specialists worldwide in over 40 countries.

In 2014, International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Super Rod racers in Division 1 began enjoying a class bonus thanks to an anonymous donation in support of the class competitors in that region. The Super Rod bonus program has evolved over the past few years and for 2017, will reward IHRA Super Rod competitors at select Summit Sportsman National Championship events in the Northeast.
 
During Summit Sportsman National Championship event weekends at Maryland International Raceway and Keystone Raceway Park, the Sunday race winner in Super Rod will receive a bonus of $5000 in addition to posted purse and contingency awards.

"It is always rewarding to see people give back to the sport that they enjoy. Here we have someone who enjoys the IHRA program and wants to give anonymously to racers and I think that is a wonderful thing,” said Mike Baker, IHRA Senior Director of Racing Operations.  

“We are excited and very appreciative of this gesture and look forward to awarding this nice bonus to the Maryland and Keystone Sunday Super Rod winners this year.”

Photo courtesy Hendrick Motorsports.

After 18 seasons and more than 600 races behind the wheel, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will bring his NASCAR Cup Series driving career to a close at the conclusion of 2017, according to an announcement from his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team.

The fan favorite and two-time Daytona 500 champion discussed his decision at a press conference on Tuesday, April 25. He was joined by Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, for whom Earnhardt has driven since 2008. The two first met about the driver’s decision on March 29.

Earnhardt, who will turn 43 in October, made his first career Cup Series start on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Since then, the Kannapolis, North Carolina native has captured 26 points-paying Cup race wins and been voted by fans as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver a record 14 consecutive years. He has qualified for the NASCAR playoffs eight times.

Now in the midst of his 18th full-time season at the elite Cup level, Earnhardt made his 600th career series start on March 26 at Fontana, California. He will compete in his final NASCAR Cup Series race on Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports will announce plans for its 2018 team alignment at a later date.