PRI 2016 Exhibitor News: MAVTV Opens In Canada

MAVTV Motorsports Network, in partnership with media executive Mike Garrow, has announced that a distribution agreement has been signed making MAVTV Motorsports Network available to all 115 CCSA members across Canada.

MAVTV is set to start airing their motorsports content on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. The launch date will coincide with the live broadcast of the 31st annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, the largest indoor race in North America.

"For more than ten years MAVTV has offered unprecedented diversity in their motorsports content across America, and I am thrilled that fans across Canada will finally have access to this premier channel and its distinct approach to presenting all genres of motorsports," said Garrow, President/Owner of MAVTVCanada. "Owned and operated by Lucas Oil products, MAVTV has a wealth of experience in both the automotive product space and being a leader in producing, promoting and programming a wide variety of motorsports content, making the availability of MAVTV Motorsports Network in Canada a winning combination for racing fans," he added.

"CCSA is excited to provide Canadian motorsport and automotive enthusiasts this unique slate of adrenaline rushing, heart pumping content," said Jenny Bosien, CCSA Acting President and CEO. "We look forward to working with Mike and his dedicated team at MAVTV and we are pleased to be able to offer and promote this service to CCSA members across the country."

Bob Patison, President of MAVTV, noted, "MAVTV Motorsports Network has been delivering the best grass roots racing content on television for many years, and now our Canadian race fans will be able to enjoy our exciting shows and exclusive events."

MAVTV Motorsports Network will feature exclusive automotive and motorsports programming such as The Dave Despain Show, Full Custom Garage, Stacey David's GearZ and Speed Sport hosted by Ralph Sheheen in partnership with National Speed Sports News.

MAVTV Motorsports Network benefits from Lucas Oil Production Studios, who produce over 300 hours of exclusive motorsports programming, featuring such events as Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the 1st Motos of the Pro Motocross Championship, with airings of the 250 and 450 classes for the entire 12-round Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship-sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.

MAVTVCanada is operated by REV Sports Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Neon Star Sports & Entertainment Inc.

For more details, visit www.mavtv.ca.

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is gearing up for 2017 with two National sportsman programs highlighting the season.

The bracket racing based Summit SuperSeries will make its return to IHRA-sanctioned member tracks for the 16th season, and the newly formed Summit Sportsman National Championship, which takes the place of the Summit Pro-Am Tour regional format, will make its debut for class racing competitors. The points funds for both sportsman programs will be greater than and pay more places than any other class racing series.

The 2017 edition of the IHRA $200,000 Summit SuperSeries will be contested at nearly 100 IHRA member tracks. The program will feature the same format and structure as what was introduced in 2016 but with an increased and expanded national championship purse. IHRA Summit SuperSeries participating tracks will crown a Summit SuperSeries track champion and those champions are invited to compete in the Summit World Finals in Memphis, Tennessee at the end of the season.  

The increased points fund is as follows: the championship prize package in Top and Mod is $20,000 to win and $7,000 to the runner-up, sixth round $2,000, fifth round $1,000, fourth round $700, third round $600, second round $400 and first round $300. The Junior Dragster championship payout is a brand new turn-key JR Race Car junior dragster plus $3,000 to win, $2,000 runner-up, sixth round $1,000, fifth round $800, fourth round $500, third round $400, second round $400 and first round $100.  

The complete set of program guidelines and rules for the Summit SuperSeries can be found at www.ihra.com/superseries-home

The Summit Sportsman National Championship will launch in 2017 and aims to move IHRA class racing away from a regional structure and focus on a national structure. The Summit Sportsman National Championship is designed to provide a more enjoyable and competitive program through an industry leading points fund, flexibility of schedule and claims structure.  

The new National Championship for class racers will be determined using points claims from the best seven of the first ten events the racer attends. Competitors will be scored against each other using a national points system and may race at whatever event they choose without having limitations based upon regional boundaries.

The Summit Sportsman National Championship points fund will be greater than and pay more places than any other class racing series in existence. The Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Super Stock, Stock, Quick Rod, Super Rod & Hot Rod National Champion will be awarded $15,000, runner-up $5,000 and third-place $3,000. Junior Dragster will be comprised of one class with a $2,000 grand prize to the Champion, $1,500 runner-up and third-place $1,000.  

The IHRA was the first organization to live stream the entire series of class racing events and in 2017 will build upon that platform by announcing a new media partnership with a major network provider. The new partnership will provide unprecedented live stream coverage of each Summit Sportsman National Championship event in its entirety with an industry leading provider of sports content. This partnership will be announced shortly.

The complete information package for the new Summit Sportsman National Championship can be found at www.ihra.com/sportsman-national-championship-tour-home  

The IHRA is owned and operated by IRG Sports + Entertainment, a TPG Specialty Lending company, and promotes professional and sportsman racing for drivers of all levels. The IHRA sanctions nearly 100 motorsport facilities in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Bahama's and welcomes 80,000 racers annually to their IHRA-sanctioned facilities. The IHRA oversees multiple sportsman racing programs including the Summit Sportsman National Championship, Summit Racing Equipment SuperSeries, and Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions.  

For more information about the IHRA, visit www.IHRA.com.

After a three year run as a NASCAR HomeTrack, the Utica-Rome Speedway is making a change for the upcoming season. The owners of the facility, Bill and Kim Shea, have elected to make a move into the DIRTcar Racing fold. It is the first time in over 10 years that the facility will fly the DIRTcar banner.

“We had a great run with NASCAR but after looking at our options going forward Kim and I think it’s time to try something different,” said speedway owner Bill Shea. “Last season we ran a Super DIRTcar Series event and we had a great response from the fans and the drivers. We want to build upon that for this year. We look forward to furthering the relationship with DIRTcar going forward as we continue to grow Utica-Rome Speedway.”

The speedway and DIRTcar officials have been working behind the scenes over the past few months to iron out the details of the deal. Mike Perrotte, the Director of Series and Sanctioning for DIRTcar Northeast, was excited about finally being able to bring Utica-Rome Speedway into the mix.

“I’m extremely happy that Utica-Rome Speedway will be DIRTcar sanctioned in 2017,” stated Perrotte. “DIRTcar has a successful record of Sunday night sanctioned tracks. Having this option available for big-blocks benefits everyone in Central New York. I look forward to working with Bill and Kim Shea during the upcoming year.”

Utica-Rome has been sanctioned by DIRTcar at various points in its 56 year history. It first fell under the sanctioned banner in 1981 and 1982. The speedway was again sanctioned from 1985 through 1987 before one final run as a weekly 358-Modified track from 1999 to 2004. Jack Johnson leads the all-time wins list in DIRTcar sanctioned action with 18 career victories at the facility while Stewart Friesen was the last driver to claim a DIRTcar title at the track. 2016 Modified champion Matt Sheppard earned a DIRTcar championship of his own back in 2002. Sheppard also claimed 2016’s Super DIRTcar Series event.

By adding the sanction to weekly action, Shea now offers any drivers that plan on following the Super DIRTcar Series tour the opportunity to earn coveted home track points. Shea hopes this entices more drivers to compete weekly.

In addition the Big-Block Modifieds, the 602 Sportsman are also going to fall under the DIRTcar umbrella. There is discussion about the Pro Stock division being sanctioned but no final decision has been made to date. Jessica Zemken was the last DIRTcar Sportsman champion while Jamie Christian leads all drivers with 23 career wins under the DIRTcar banner in the division. In DIRTcar Pro Stock action, Jerry Holmes leads all drivers with 24 career wins under the sanctioning body.

The speedway plans to continue the tradition of having the Super DIRTcar Series on Sunday, July 2nd of the fourth of July weekend with the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints. In addition to the Super DIRTcar Series, the two sides are working to possibly bring the DIRTcar 358-Modified series to the Utica-Rome Speedway as well as the DIRTcar Sportsman and Pro Stock tours. They‘ll continue working in the coming weeks to see if an agreement can be reached.

The world's best late model stock car racers will descend upon the World's Fastest Half-Mile in 2017 when Bristol Motor Speedway, The Last Great Colosseum and one of the most famous short tracks in the world, hosts the Inaugural U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing, May 19-21.

The signature event will be sanctioned by five different sanctioning bodies and for the first time in stock car racing history, will bring together six top categories of racing to compete on the same track in one spectacular weekend of action. Champion Racing Association powered by JEGS (CRA), who took the lead sanction body role in developing this event, will be co-sanctioning the Super Late Model race with their ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS along with The CARS Super Late Model Tour (CARS) and the Southern Super Series (SSS).

CRA will also oversee the action for the crate late model event with their JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet and the Street Stocks, while the CARS officials will oversee the Late Model Stock portion of the event with their CARS Late Model Stock Tour. The compacts will be organized and overseen by the Vore's Compact Touring Series while the Modified portion of the weekend will be sanctioned by International Championship Auto Racing (ICAR) Top Speed Modified Tour. The U. S. Nationals of Short Track Racing is being presented by Vore's Welding & Steel.

The six categories of racing to be featured at the U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing presented by Vore's Welding & Steel are:

Super Late Models - The premier division of asphalt short track racing cars in the United States. These cars typically feature 600-plus horsepower engines under the hood of a custom built chassis weighing around 2,750 pounds.

Pro Late Models - These racecars are similar to those in Super Late Model but they all must utilize a specific factory crate engine. The crate engines are built by the participating auto manufacturers, including General Motors and Ford.

Late Model Stocks - These machines evolved in the Carolinas and are raced primarily at weekly asphalt tracks located throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. These cars weigh approximately 3,100 pounds and their engines pump out about 400 horsepower.

Street Stocks - This entry category is a popular developmental opportunity for those who aspire to gain experience and become future stars of the Late Model Stock scene. The cars in this division must be 1960-2016 models of rear wheel drive street cars that must remain stock appearing and equipped with eight cylinder engines weighing in the neighborhood of 3200 pounds.

ICAR / Florida-Type Modifieds - This open wheel style of racing originated on the short track paved ovals of Indiana and is now featured at race tracks throughout the country.  The fender-less machines are powered by V8 engines with a minimum weight of 2,600 pounds.

Compacts - This exciting class showcases four and six-cylinder, front wheel drive compact cars. These smaller wheelbase race cars are popular because the class is predominantly made up of the compact cars seen on the streets today.

The weekend schedule will feature practice sessions for all six classes on Friday, May 19.  On Saturday the 20th, practice for all six classes will resume with qualifying for all divisions. Two qualifying races for Super Late Model and main events for Compacts, Modifieds and Street Stocks will be the featured racing on Saturday evening. On Sunday the 21st, the three main classes will get warm up laps starting at 11 a.m. Final qualifying for Super Late Models will be held at 1 p.m. The 100-lap main events for Super Late Models, Pro Late Models and Late Model Stocks will begin at 2 p.m.

BMS will provide details on tickets, camping and general information at a later date. Be sure to check back regularly at bristolmotorspeedway.com for updates. Racers should follow the websites of the appropriate sanctioning bodies for more news and information when those items are finalized and released this winter.

HScott Motorsports, which has fielded two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the last two years, will not return for 2017, according to published reports.

Team owner Harry Scott Jr. announced the news this week, releasing the following statement:

"Over the past several months I considered a number of options for moving forward with the team. Regrettably there are no viable sponsor/driver options immediately available to allow the team to participate in 2017.

"One thing I learned about NASCAR is that it is a 'people business.' I will forever be grateful to the men and women who worked tirelessly to make HScott Motorsports successful. This includes our dedicated employees, sponsors and partners. We were fortunate to have the support of world-class sponsors like Brandt, DC Solar, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Pilot Flying J, and 5 hour ENERGY. Our racing program would not have been possible without the assistance of Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports, and Chevrolet.

"I love this sport and being part of it. I invested in NASCAR because I truly believe it represents the best racing competition in the world and the best people in all sports. Looking back, I will always be especially proud of the unprecedented success of our NASCAR K&N Series teams, including four consecutive championships and for the lifelong friendships that were forged over the last seven years. My hope is that we were able to develop drivers that will thrive at the highest levels for years to come.

For the 2016 season, Clint Bowyer drove the No. 15 while Michael Annett drove the No. 46, but both opted to leave the organization at the end of the year. Bowyer will take over the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet from Tony Stewart while Annett joins JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. Their drivers ended the year 27th and 36th in points, respectively.

HScott Motorsports also fields cars in the K&N Series, winning the 2016 East title with driver, Justin Haley.

Regarding the Charters possessed by HScott, the No. 15's Charter has been sold to Premium Motorsports. The No. 46's Charter, which was on lease from Premium Motorsports, has been sold by the latter to Furniture Row Racing for their newly formed No. 77 team.

Information supplied by motorsport.com.

The NHRA Motorsports Museum has announced the 2017 NHRA Hot Rod Reunion racing schedule.

Unique among motorsports events, Hot Rod Reunion events honor some of the top names in hot rodding from the past and feature a fabulous array of drag cars, street rods and customs of the historic and present-day hot rod eras.

The 15th annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA Insurance will be held June 15-17 at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, KY., while the 26th annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California will be held Oct. 20-22 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, CA.

The Hot Rod Reunion is a series of events produced by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. The Hot Rod Reunion events are part of the museum’s “living history” philosophy, which works to bring to life the sights, sounds and people who made history in the early days of drag racing, land speed racing and the golden age of American car culture.

The 15th annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA Insurance will again be held on Father's Day weekend and will feature the classic cars and nostalgic quarter-mile nitro racing. Tickets for the 15th annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA Insurance will go on sale Friday, February 17, 2017.

The 26th annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California also provides drag racing fans with quarter-mile nitro racing and a full display of California hot rod culture. The tradition-rich three-day event brings out racing legends and heroes of the sport. The event also serves as the final race of the 2017 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Drag Racing Series season. Tickets for the 26th annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California will go on sale Thursday, June 1, 2017.

Proceeds from the Hot Rod Reunion events benefit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

The Hot Rod Reunion events are produced by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and benefits the facility located in Pomona, CA. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is a 501c(3) non-profit institution and collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets the vehicles, stories, and artifacts that represent the influence of automotive speed and style in all its forms.

Gale Banks Engineering has appointed Jon Apogée to the position of director of corporate communications. Apogée will be responsible for all aspects of brand management, strategic marketing, press releases and media planning. His duties include providing direction and implementation for social media marketing and re-launching of the Banks Power brand.

With more than 30 years of experience, Apogée is a veteran in the OE and after-market automotive industry. He has worked with Prolong Super Lubricants as general manager of domestic sales, marketing and motorsports and owned Marketing Matters, Inc., an advertising agency specializing in the automotive after-market.

Prior to Marketing Matters, Apogée was the vice president of DuBois Advertising in Ontario, CA, and director of marketing for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).

Apogée also created the Motorsports department for Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, where he guided the company into the U.S. racing circuit and led Mitsubishi to become the first manufacturer to win the "Class 7" (Mini Pick-up Truck) championship in both the HDRA (High Desert Racing Association) and SCORE (Southern California Off Road Enterprises) Championships.

Motovicity Distribution, an automotive performance aftermarket distributor, is announcing the addition of OMP to their line card.

Operating from their 80,000 sq. ft. facility in Italy and offering a variety of products like seats, steering wheels, pedals, race suits, race shoes, race gloves, helmets, harnesses and more, OMP products have been used by such racing icons as Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Peter Solberg.

“We are very happy and proud to be able to offer our products through Motovicity Distribution,” said Gabriele Pedone, President of OMP America. He continued, saying, “I believe OMP’s offerings are the most complete catalog on the market, with good, better, and best options; remaining in line with today’s economy. All OMP collections feature a bold personality that is perfectly paired with the comfort and aesthetics drivers demand, while remaining dedicated to carefully engineering our products to improve safety, performance, and functionality.”

“With 39 years of racing experience, it’s easy to see why OMP is a key supplier for major race series like Tudor, IMSA, Challenge Car Racing, and more,” said Brett Kinsfather, Sales and Marketing Manager for Motovicity Distribution.

OMP products are now available for wholesale purchase through Motovicity Distribution.

“There’s simply no place like it on Earth.”

The phrase belongs in quotes because, whether you’re an exhibitor or attendee, a newcomer or seasoned veteran, you’ve likely heard—or used—those words to describe the annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show. How else to account for over 1100 hardcore racing companies displaying the latest parts, equipment and technology for Drag Racing, Sprint Cars, Stock Cars, Road Racing, Modifieds, Dirt Late Models, Karting, Off-Road, Land Speed, Tractor Pulling, Performance Marine and more under one roof?

For the tens of thousands of Race Engine Builders, Fabricators, Retailers, Machine Shop Owners, Tuners & Installers, Professional Race Teams, Sanctioning Body Representatives, Warehouse Distributors packing the aisles, hallways and exhibit rooms of the Indiana Convention Center for an unprecedented showcase of motorsports products, services and solutions?

Or the dozens of conferences, seminars, special events and networking opportunities dedicated to improving or expanding participants’ knowledge, operations, processes, efficiencies and professional connections?

You get the idea.   

So with that, we extend a formal welcome to this year’s PRI Trade Show!

Beginning Monday, December 5, racing professionals will blaze a trail to the Convention Center, site of the acclaimed Vehicle Dynamics & Data Acquisition Seminar presented by renowned engineer Claude Rouelle of OptimumG. The following day, an all-new lineup of presenters and topics will help usher in the 27th annual Advanced Engineering Technology Conference (AETC), which offers a one-of-a-kind platform for the exchange of ideas and cutting-edge techniques in engine design and performance.

On Wednesday, race track owners, operators and stakeholders will have the opportunity to hear from a distinguished panel of speakers, headlined by Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles, during the day-long Race Track Business Conference presented by National Speedway Directory. Also on the 7th, PRI guests are invited to take part in another special event, our Day at the Speedway, which includes an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of IMS and the facility’s Hall of Fame Museum, in addition to lunch and transportation to and from the track.

Meantime, experts in the field of motorsports science, medicine and education will convene once again for the Annual Congress of the International Council of Motorsport Sciences, whose program also includes a separate Race Track Safety Program and an open-to-the-public Race Track Safety Team Demonstration later in the week. Wednesday evening activities include PRI’s Exhibitor Reception in the Lucas Oil Stadium concourse, and a chance to test your straight-line skills against Don Schumacher Racing drivers Antron Brown, Tommy Johnson Jr. and others at the team’s Bowling for Riley charity event at Western Bowl in downtown Indianapolis.

And that’s before the Show even begins.

Racing professionals can expect wall-to-wall activity from the moment the lights dim for this year’s Grand Opening Breakfast—featuring racing legends Rick Mears and Jeff Gordon and host Dave Despain of MAVTV—on the morning of December 8, until the grand prize winner’s name is announced for the annual Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes (whose grand prize is a custom-tuned Mopar 6.4L Gen lll  Hemi racing engine built by Nick Ferri of Patterson Elite Performance) as the Show winds down on Sunday, December 10.

And we’re just as proud to welcome some 100 new exhibitors to the Show floor, offer expanded space for our outdoor trailer exhibits, and present outstanding new events like the Student Breakfast—headlined by NASCAR driver David Ragan—and the International Motorsports Trade Seminar.

Finally, we encourage attendees, if you haven’t already, to download the Official PRI Show Planner (available at www.pri2016.com/planner) and mobile app, which is available at the iTunes AppStore and Google Play store. With all PRI 2016 exhibitors, events and educational sessions at your fingertips, it’s the ultimate tool for one-touch access to the Annual Epicenter of New Racing Technology.

Here’s to a highly productive and prosperous PRI Trade Show—and a promising look ahead to the 2017 racing season!  

Holley Performance Products recently announced the inaugural LS Fest West, an extension of Holley’s increasingly popular LS Fest event, set for May 5-7, 2017, in Las Vegas.
 
LS Fest is a celebration of anything and everything powered by the GM LS engine or current-generation LT engine. It didn't take long for the original Holley LS Fest to become the said go-to event for anyone looking to put their LS-powered project to the test and for spectators looking to learn all they can about the LS platform.
 
LS Fest West is not replacing the original Holley LS Fest that started it all in Bowling Green in 2010. Now there are two LS Fests – Vegas in the spring, and the original in the fall – so LS enthusiasts on the West Coast can enjoy all the best aspects of the event closer to home.
 
Everything from the original LS Fest will be part of LS Fest West in Las Vegas – Autocross, a Road Course Challenge, drag racing, a Dyno Challenge, Drift Challenge, Show-n-Shine, 3S Challenge, and more. The event will unfold at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a multipurpose facility ideal for bringing LS Fest westward and perfect for introducing an all-new element for 2017: off-road competition.
 
"We’ve heard from numerous LS enthusiasts out west how they would love to attend the event if only it were closer," said Holley’s Director of Marketing, Bill Tichenor. "LS Fest West is our answer to these requests and will allow fans of the LS engine to experience the same kind of sensory overload that everyone has enjoyed for the past seven years in our hometown of Bowling Green, KY."
 
Created to help launch Holley's new line of LS engine products and fuel injection, Holley LS Fest has become a can't-miss event with tremendous growth in both participants and spectators since its inception. Today, the company manufacturers an entire catalog of LS engine parts and chassis-specific LS swap components. For more information on LS Fest, check out the event overview video of the 2016 Bowling Green event here.