The United States Motorsports Association (USMA) and Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis (IUPUI) announced today a partnership to conduct the first-ever nationwide economic impact study of Motorsports.

The Motorsports Impact Report (MIR) is slated to demonstrate the billions in economic impacts and other benefits competitive racing provides to the United States. In addition to economic figures the report will include additional motorsports benefits such as Military Innovations, STEM Education, Charity Contributions, USA Made Products, and Small Businesses as they relate to Motorsports in the U.S.

Essentially, this report will tell us just how important the motorsport industry is to the nation.

Over the last several months, a research team from the Sports Innovation Institute at IUPUI has worked with the USMA to design the framework and methodology for the study. The modeling, which has been titled “Follow the Race Car,” is an approach never taken before and will research much deeper than race event attendance and number of race tracks. This study will focus on the size, scope and economic activity generated from owning and operating an actual racing vehicle. The research will follow the money trail from the race car to the products, services, equipment and other spending that occurs nearly every weekend across the country.

"The really exciting part of this project is that we are uncovering new data and the true economic benefits of racing," said James Gladden, Executive Director of the Sports Innovation Institute. "I believe the report will be highly valuable to the industry, corporate sponsors, and public officials to gain a greater understanding and more complete story of the integration of racing in our economy."

Once completed, the USMA will release the report to the racing industry and will take the study around the nation, introducing the data to elected officials at the local, state and federal levels.

The USMA was formed in early 2015 after a group of motorsports interested companies collaborated and identified the need for greater data and better organization for competitive motorsports, especially at the grassroots levels. It was formed to manage the research effort and represent all platforms of racing across the country. Previously, there was not a national association for all competitive motorsports.

The USMA is a non-profit organization that exists to promote the powerful economic benefits of Motorsports and represent the industry across America.

Originally reported by PR Web.

Tickets are now on sale for the holiday event “Lights at the Brickyard” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This seasonal event, running from November 18-20, 23-27 and December 1-31, features more than 2 million lights spanning more than 400 displays across 40 scenes, spread along a 1.7-mile driving experience.

The drive incorporates portions of the IMS road course and oval, and crosses the well-known “Yard of Bricks.” Hours for the event are 6-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 6-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

“We’re always busy from May through October here, but now we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to engage with the community in the wintertime,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles.

IMS is also offering an option for those that may not want to wait. Speedway Speedy Pass tickets allows guests to skip the main line into the facility and gain faster access inside.

Each ticket is good for one trip through the exhibit. Prices will increase on November 18 when the event opens. For more information on the event and ticket prices, visit the IMS site.

US-based Liberty Media has agreed to acquire Formula One from a consortium of sellers led by CVC Capital Partners.

Liberty Media, which invests in entertainment and sports properties, has said it will buy the racing series for $4.4 billion. Bernie Ecclestone will remain CEO of Formula One, according to Liberty Media.

Liberty Media, which is led by US cable TV pioneer John Malone, is the world’s largest international television and broadband company, operating in more than 30 countries in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean through different brand names.

The deal, with an enterprise value of $8 billion, signals a new era for a European-dominated sport that has long sought to penetrate the US market.

Under the deal, Liberty Media will acquire all shares of Delta Topco, the parent company of Formula One. Liberty Media has also completed the acquisition of an 18.7% minority stake in Formula One for $746 million, funded wholly in cash.

The consortium of sellers led by CVC will own 65% of the Formula One Group’s equity, and will retain seats on the racing company’s board. A CVC representative will also join Liberty Media’s board of directors.

Chase Carey has been appointed by Delta Topco and will serve as the new Chairman of Formula One, succeeding Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who will remain on Formula One’s board as a non-executive director.

Liberty Media will reportedly be renamed Formula One Group after the deal is complete, which is expected by March 2017.

The speedway that calls itself the “last great Colosseum” now will be temporarily transformed into the world’s largest football stadium.

Tennessee and Virginia Tech meet Saturday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway, located approximately halfway between the two campuses. The showdown dubbed the “Battle at Bristol” is expected to draw over 150,000 fans, which would shatter the current NCAA single-game record of 115,109 at Michigan Stadium when the Wolverines beat Notre Dame in 2013.

“It’s something that will live with these individuals for the rest of their lives,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said.

A Tennessee-Virginia Tech matchup at Bristol had been discussed for about 20 years and finally was announced in 2013. Jerry Caldwell, the speedway’s general manager, said the facility’s unique characteristics made it ideal for this transformation.

“We jokingly say we’re a football stadium on steroids,” Caldwell said. “When you walk into the place, that’s what you see. That’s what it feels like. You walk in and you’re completely surrounded by stands just like you would be at a football stadium.”

Caldwell declined to disclose the costs of temporarily converting the speedway into a football stadium. Tennessee and Virginia Tech are both guaranteed $4 million because each school sold over 40,000 tickets. According to the game contract, each school also may receive an additional $300,000 because the grandstand seats sold out.

This will be the speedway’s first football game since the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles played a 1961 exhibition game here that drew 10,000 fans to a facility that seated 20,000. Saturday night’s event will have an entirely different atmosphere and feel.

“I’m curious to see how the field will be and how far the stands and everything will be from the field,” Virginia Tech receiver Isaiah Ford said.

The speedway is hosting the football game less than three weeks after a Sprint Cup race.

The morning after the race, 450 truckloads of rock and manufactured sand evened out the speedway’s bowl-shaped infield, which had a natural drop of about 3 feet from the edge to the middle. More than 100,000 square feet of AstroTurf were brought in to form the actual field, a process that was completed in about a week. Over 5,000 seats also were added.

Sydney Stahlbaum of AstroTurf noted the company was part of similarly rapid installations before. NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, was converted from a grass surface to turf in four days in September 2015. Three years earlier, the company needed nine days to install turf in StubHub Center in Los Angeles for the 2012 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

A drivers’ meeting room was reconfigured into a locker room for Tennessee. A tire mounting area now is Virginia Tech’s locker room. The coaches’ boxes and radio booths are where NASCAR officials generally monitor races. Technology was installed to allow instant replay and communication between coaches.

“It’s a bit surreal,” Caldwell said. “It’s been a lot of fun to take people in who haven’t seen it. The common word they use is ‘breathtaking’ to walk in and see this place completely converted. It feels like a football stadium.”

But of course, it’s not.

Rather than having video scoreboards at each end zone, Bristol has Colossus — a 700-ton overhead scoreboard with four high-resolution screens that is suspended above the infield. The seats and coaches’ boxes are much farther away from the field here than at a typical football stadium.

Tennessee assistant athletic director for events management David Elliott said, “We’re telling both teams to have a ton of binoculars up in the coaches’ booth so they can see better there.”

Both teams plan to visit the field for a walkthrough Friday. Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said he doesn’t do that for all road games but feels it’s essential this week so his players get acclimated to this unique environment and coaches can get a sense of their perspective from the boxes. Jones said the biggest challenge is making sure players focus on football and not the atmosphere.

All this work isn’t just for one football game.

A week after Tennessee-Virginia Tech, Football Championship Subdivision programs East Tennessee State and Western Carolina will play here in front of a significantly smaller crowd. ETSU athletic director Richard Sander says it’s still “a once-in-a-lifetime situation to play in that venue.”

It’s certainly a step up for an ETSU program currently playing home games on a high school field while waiting for its new on-campus stadium to be completed.

After that game, Bristol will be converted back into a racetrack. Stahlbaum said the stone base used to even out the infield will be reused around the property, while the field will be rolled up and stored.
In the meantime, speedway officials will look for the next opportunity for this type of event.

“Our hope is that this will lead to other things,” Caldwell said. “Motorsports will remain our core business, it’s who we are, but we really think this will open us up to new opportunities, other football games, possibly other sports or other entertainment events.”

Originally reported by Herald Net.

School is back in session and when students hit the books this year, they will once again have the opportunity to hit the track, through Martinsville Speedway’s Read Your Way to the Race program.
 
Depending on their age, students ranging from pre-k through fifth grade who read 15 books or chapters in five weeks will receive a free ticket to either the Texas Roadhouse 200 presented by Alpha Energy Solutions NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race or the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
 
“The program has been around for 11 years now, and every year we see the participation numbers grow, which tells me it’s been a success,” Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said.
 
More than 15,000 students from school districts in both Virginia and North Carolina are eligible for the program. Last year more than 2,000 students participated.
 
Not only does the program encourage students to read, teachers say it gets the entire family involved in the child’s education.
 
“Henry County Public Schools has participated in Read Your Way to the Race for over 10 years and it’s by far one of the most successful ways to get our kids to read for enjoyment,” Dr. Melissa Lannom, a reading specialist at Rich Acres Elementary School, said.  
 
While the kids do the work, the parents benefit as well. When the child qualifies for the free race ticket, the parent qualifies for a discounted ticket to the same race.
 
Students who participate in Read Your Way to the Race are also entered into a drawing for the chance to participate in the Texas Roadhouse 200 presented by Alpha Energy Solutions 200 race day festivities including pre-race ceremonies, victory lane and a pace car ride.
 
Classrooms with the highest participation also have the chance to win prizes ranging from leading the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance before the Texas Roadhouse 200 presented by Alpha Energy Solutions 200 or the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 and a pizza party and tour of the speedway.
 
The Goody’s Fast Relief 500 race weekend is October 28-30 and includes Virginia Lottery Pole Day on Friday; the Texas Roadhouse 200 presented by Alpha Energy Solutions Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday and the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on Sunday.
 
The Goody’s Fast Relief 500 is the first race in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Originally reported by Martinsville Speedway.

NHRA has entered into a multiyear agreement with Old World Industries LLC. Beginning at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Peak Antifreeze and BlueDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid/Equipment will be official sponsors of NHRA Drag Racing. 
 


The NHRA and Old World Industries signed a multiyear agreement to feature Peak Antifreeze as the official antifreeze and BlueDEF as the official diesel exhaust fluid / equipment of the NHRA.

 
“NHRA’s most successful and longest lasting partners work both with the sanctioning body (NHRA) and the race teams,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer.

The partnership builds upon Old World Industries’ involvement with the sport, including the sponsorship of John Force Racing which features 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force piloting the PEAK Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro. Courtney Force, Brittany Force and Robert Hight are also part of Team Peak, in addition to several sportsman racers.

“Peak returning as an official sponsor of NHRA racing is great for our brand and is also a way for us to say thank you to all that follow and participate in the sport,” said Bryan Emrich, Chief Marketing Officer at Old World.
 

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) President Dennis Bickmeier and Vice President of Marketing and Communications Michael Waddell name Brent S. Gambill as the new Director of Communications.

Gambill, who has 14 years of experience in sports media, marketing, digital and communications, comes to RIR from his home state of Arkansas where he was integral in the formation and build of two digital practices at Mitchell Communications in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Chicago, Illinois, and New York, New York, and Martin-Wilbourn Partners in Little Rock, Arkansas. He worked with clients including Walmart, Hilton Worldwide, Proctor and Gamble, and Del Monte.

For the past year, he has served as Executive Director of Communications for a non-profit in northwest Arkansas. He will join the RIR leadership team prior to the upcoming NASCAR weekend at RIR September 9-10, featuring the Inaugural Fan Appreciation Weekend.

Prior to his agency experience, Gambill served at SiriusXM Radio as Executive Producer of Sports Programming leading the digital and social media strategy for licensed sports properties including Major League Baseball, National Football League, NASCAR and other professional and collegiate sports properties. During his tenure, he also served as Executive Producer of MLB Network Radio.

Gambill’s sports career began with the Los Angeles Dodgers serving in public relations at the organization’s former spring training home of Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.

A native of Paragould, Ark., Gambill has a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, Ark. and a bachelor of arts from Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia, Ark.

Gambill and his wife, Tilly, have three children, Carter (5), Nora (4) and Lawson (2).

“I am elated to join Richmond International Raceway to work with Dennis Bickmeier, Mike Waddell and the outstanding staff,” said Gambill. “I look forward to bringing my family to Richmond and introducing our children to the exciting race experience I have appreciated during my visits to RIR. I have relished being a part of the professional sports community in my career, and I am excited to get integrated into the NASCAR community. It’s an honor to be a part of the commitment by the International Speedway Corporation, Dennis and Mike to continue to improve the remarkable fan experience at Richmond.”

Throughout his career, Gambill has received numerous honors. He was recognized by his alma mater, OBU, with the Alumni Milestone Award and named to 40 Under Forty by Arkansas Business as part of its annual list of the state’s most intriguing business and political leaders.

Gambill has been an active member of numerous organizations including Rotary International. He has also supported several organizations including the Broyles Award honoring the top assistant football coach in the nation annually and Our House aiding homeless and near-homeless families succeed in the workforce.  

For the first time ever, the FIA is launching a global advertising campaign focusing on driver safety. To draw attention to the campaign, seven stars (Fernando Alonso, Yohan Blake, Marc Marquez, Felipe Massa, Rafael Nadal, Pharrell Williams and Michelle Yeoh) have  “given” their face to promote one each of the FIA Golden Rules for Safer Motoring.

The campaign, created with JCDecaux Advertising, is set to make an official launch in coming weeks.

“Road traffic accidents are the cause of 1.25 million deaths and 50 million injuries every year,” explains President Jean Todt to AUTO, an FIA journal. “We cannot sit and do nothing when faced with these figures.

“A lot can be achieved simply by respecting a few basic rules, such as those that the FIA has been promoting for some time now. We want this campaign to reach as many people as possible around the world and, to achieve that, we have called on a number of leading celebrities who can help, thanks to their popularity and visibility.”

The campaign correlates closely with other topics in the AUTO journal, such as how driverless vehicles and car sharing are set to provide an answer to city traffic woes, with contributions from such major players as the CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick and an exclusive interview with the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Tragedy can be life changing, but it can also give rise to a dream which, once turned into reality, goes to show that willpower is an amazing force: Frédéric Sausset tells AUTO how he had to have all four limbs amputated, but despite this handicap, competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

For more information on the advertising campaign and upcoming performance racing safety measures, visit here.

Courtney Force could tell Kristen Locke was nervous as soon as the young girl came closer, which caught Force by surprise.

“That’s so crazy,” she thought. “It’s just me.”

But Locke had jumped off her dad’s golf cart and run up to her idol to give her something important: a white racing T-shirt with Locke’s name on it, designed to look just like the one she wore bearing Force’s name.

Because, as she told Force, Locke was also a young drag racer and she wanted Force to have her shirt, too.

“It’s one of those reality checks,” said Force, a Funny Car driver. “And it’s really cool to be part of something where you are inspiring others to take a second look at it and say, “No, wait, I can do that, too.’”

The majority of motor sports have diversity programs in place, for instance NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity. IndyCar also generated positive buzz with the first all-female race team, Grace Autosport, despite the team deciding against racing in this year’s Indianapolis 500.

But the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is not doing anything to make its sport for diverse. There’s simply no need, as reported by IndyStar.

“(Diversity) has been a part of a process for us from the beginning, but not in a way that it was forced,” said Terry Blount, vice president of public relations and communications. “It wasn’t that we went out and tried to do something. It’s always been that way.”

Wally Parks, a World War II Army veteran, founded the NHRA in Southern California in the 1950s with the “roots of getting kids off the street” and giving them “a controlled environment where they could race” as a safer alternative to hot-rod street racing, Blount said. Race and gender were nonfactors.
Looking at the NHRA drivers vying for playoff berths in this weekend’s Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, nothing has changed.

Antron Brown, the sport’s first African-American champion, entered the weekend leading the Top Fuel points by more than 100. Behind him at sixth is J.R. Todd, who in 2006 became the first African-American driver to win an NHRA Top Fuel race.

In Funny Car, Force has a five-position lead in points on her father, drag-racing legend John Force, each with playoff berths clinched. Meanwhile, Brittany Force — Courtney’s older sister — is also a playoff lock for Top Fuel at fourth in the points.

Female drivers have won six of this year's 17 races between Top Fuel and Funny Car, including wins by Alexis DeJoria and Leah Pritchett as well as the Force sisters — a fact that Blount said has some NHRA personnel calling 2016 “The Year of the Women.”

“Other motor sports have women that compete and are quite popular, but we like to say that we have women that win,” Blount said. “And they win a lot. They win championships.”

Perhaps more significant, though, than the NHRA simply boasting a diverse group of winners is how little the competitors seem to care about that.

“Our sport sees no barriers and no colors, or anything like that, because it’s so wide open,” Brown said
“It’s a 10,000-horsepower car that has no idea whether it’s a male or female that’s piloting it,”  said Courtney Force, who Sunday won Funny Car’s Traxxas Nitro Shootout. “Sometimes it takes a turn, and there are men out there who can’t handle it. It’s really just a matter of how the car is.”

Put aside the cars and the speed for the moment, though. The true magic of an NHRA race materializes down in the pits — accessible to anyone who buys a ticket — where fans are allowed to run up to the rails as their favorite drivers and crews work on their cars, where diversity becomes a bridge to inclusivity.

Drivers love their fans, and they show it all the time. Every driver signs dozens of autographs, poses for pictures and hangs out with fans every day, which can be quite a challenge at a near-sellout event that can house about 30,000 fans.

“I try as hard as I can, as often as I can, just smiling the whole time because that access is what gave a little kid like me the reality to live a dream,” Brown said.

A dream that drag racing puts well within reach for everyone, especially for kids, striving to become the next great thing.

"They see them and say, 'If they can do it, I can do it, too,'” Blount said.

Story originally posted on IndyStar.

TREMEC Transmissions is all about manual performance and NMRA announced a second Stick Shift Shootout for 2016 that will take place at the Nitto Tire NMRA All-Ford World Finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky, September 29—October 2. 

The rules are simple:  Street-type manual transmissions only; may include race-oriented modifications such as ‘face-plated’ or ‘pro-shifted’ gears.  Must be hand operated via a single shift handle.  Transmissions with multiple levers or air/electronic/hydraulic actuation not permitted.

Fans can attend Beech Bend Raceway on Saturday, October 1st, with over 150 entrants competing for top QA1 True Street honors, with the fastest 8 stick cars receiving a special shootout plaque. From there, a race between two manual-equipped vehicles will take place for the finale. The winner will go home with a brand new TREMEC transmission.  

Following the True Street competition, TREMEC will host a Racer Appreciation Party that’s open to all True Street racers, along with their families and crew.

Presented by Keystone Automotive, the NMRA All-Ford World Finals features heads-up Street Outlaws, Renegades, Coyote Modifieds and much more as champions are crowned in Bowling Green.  Fans can stay late on Saturday for the special after hours NMRA Grudge Night where street racers, including Street Outlaws’ Boosted GT and Mike Murillo, will take each other on. The NMRA World Finals also features the largest manufacturers midway of the year, the huge UPR Products All-Ford Car Show, and special race classes including the Terminator/GT500, EcoBoost, Turbo Coyote, and Stick Shift Shootouts.