TEN: The Enthusiast Network‘s HOT ROD Network has announced the promotion of Senior Technical Editor Evan Perkins to Editor-in-Chief of the HOT ROD brand. Perkins replaces David Kennedy, who has moved to a new position at the NHRA.

Perkins previously served as editor of the Super Chevy brand in the Super Chevy Network before moving to the HOT ROD Network position earlier this year.

“Evan is a solid member of the HOT ROD Network team,” said HOT ROD Network Director Douglas Glad. “His contribution to the brand will ensure the breadth and depth of HOT ROD editorial retains its quality and integrity.” 

“Words cannot express what an honor it is to take the helm of an icon such as HOT ROD,” said Perkins. “I have been a loyal reader since I picked up my first wrench, and so much of my automotive passion can be traced directly to these historic pages. I am thrilled to be working with HOT ROD’s exceptionally talented staff whose knowledge and dedication to hot rodding is unmatched.”

David Freiburger will continue his role as Senior Vice President of Aftermarket Automotive Content, and Jeff Dahlin will continue in his role as General Manager of the iconic brand.

“We are very serious about both preserving the heritage of hot rodding and exploring the new horizons that technology brings to the forefront,” said Dahlin “These staff moves will ensure that we won’t compromise our mission going forward; we retain expert longtime staff members who will have a larger stake in the direction of the magazine, and we gain the technical knowledge and a great energy with our new Editor-in-Chief, Evan Perkins.”

The Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway will be restarted on August 27, with just 2 rounds left to go in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series.

The race was initially meant to get underway Saturday night.

However, jet dryers were not able to get ride of “weepers” on the track from rain earlier on in the day, and the race was postponed until Sunday.

The Firestone 600 began shortly after 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, with Carlos Munoz leading the field away for the first of 248 laps after taking his first career pole position on Friday.

Munoz dominated the race ahead of the first round of pit stops. However, the race was slowed on Lap 43 due to a scary crash between Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden. Newgarden’s car went upside down and, while he was able to exit his car under his own power, he was transported to the Parkland Memorial Hospital. Both drivers will be able to restart the race, but they would be multiple laps down.

Before the field could go back racing, a large rain shower passed over the track, bringing out the red flag after 72 laps. James Hinchcliffe was the race leader.

The race will be restarted from Lap 72 on Aug. 27. Tickets will be honored and there will be a practice and autograph session earlier on in the day.

Current race order:

1. James Hinchcliffe

2. Ryan Hunter-Reay

3. Mikhail Aleshin

4. Will Power

5. Ed Carpenter

6. Gabby Chaves

7. Helio Castroneves

8. Charlie Kimball

9. Carlos Munoz

10. Juan Pablo Montoya

11. Sebastien Bourdais

12. Graham Rahal

13. Alexander Rossi

14. Scott Dixon

15. Simon Pagenaud

16. Tony Kanaan

17. Takuma Sato

18. Marco Andretti

19. Max Chilton

20. Jack Hawksworth

21. Conor Daly

22. Josef Newgarden

The new lower-downforce aerodynamic package under evaluation for 2017 got its first test in a points race at Michigan, and NASCAR officials liked what they saw in the 400-miler.

“It was definitely different than we’ve seen here before, a lot of action on the restarts, a lot of movement there,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition. “Obviously, we all watched it get strung out a little bit, which we weren’t hoping for longer into the runs.

“I think we saw a lot of things that we liked, some other things that may need a little bit of reevaluating, but I think overall, for such a big move in downforce, that it was a really pretty successful day and something that we can build on.”

If the new configuration, or a variation thereof, is adopted for next year, Goodyear will have time to build a tire designed for the new package and the track.

“I think we probably need to come back to a bit more work on the tires, which these tires have not been tuned to this package, so we’ll work with our Goodyear folks,” said Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR senior vice president, innovation and racing development. “Probably a bit handicapped by the entry speeds being pretty high (reaching roughly 218 mph), so still that creates some aero effects, so that’s something we’ll look at.

“But again, this has been planned as a two to three step process. We’re off to Kentucky tomorrow (for an organizational test on Monday and Tuesday), and then we’ll be on the track at Kentucky (July 9)—shorter track, lower speeds and all that, so we’ll see how that all comes together.”

Attending buyers can check the online PRI 2016 floor plan at http://www.pri2016.com/floorplan to review exhibitors participating in this year’s PRI Trade Show. The Show started with 1165 exhibitors on the initial floor plan, but that number will surpass 1200 companies by the time the Show opens.

The 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule has been announced by NHRA officials. The 24-race circuit continues to reach more U.S. markets than any other major motorsports series and will once again thrill millions of fans with its unique brand of high-horsepower entertainment that features photo finishes by the world’s fastest race cars that dazzle with speeds in the 330-mph zone.

FOX Sports, through its national broadcast network and Fox Sports 1, will provide exclusive television coverage in 2017, with live coverage of many of the events, featuring action from Friday and Saturday qualifying rounds and Sunday finals.

The season will again open and close at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. The season kicks off with the tradition-rich Circle K NHRA Winternationals, Feb. 9-12, and closes at the highly revered dragstrip with the final race of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 9-12.

Following the season opener, the series returns to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix for the Advance Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Feb. 24-26. Advance Auto Parts, which acquired CARQUEST Auto Parts in a recent merger, will take over the title sponsorship of the popular Arizona event.

After the Phoenix race, NHRA teams will traverse the country to make it to the traditional East Coast opener at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway for the fan-favorite Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 16-19. Teams will then travel back to the West Coast for the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, March 31-April 2.

An early-season three-race swing will follow: the NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway near Houston (April 21-23); the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte (April 28-30); and the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Georgia (May 5-7). The New Heartland Park Topeka, one of the fastest tracks on the tour, hosts the only other race during May, the NHRA Kansas Nationals, May 19-21.

In June, teams will again navigate the four-race “Eastern Swing,” starting with the NHRA New England Nationals June 2-4 at New England Dragway in Epping and followed by the NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown June 8-11, the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 16-18 at Bristol Dragway on Father’s Day weekend, and the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 22-25 at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk.

After a week off, the NHRA Mello Yello Series will make one more stop before the famed Western Swing. The tour will visit spectacular Route 66 Raceway near Chicago July 6-9 for the Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

The historic NHRA Western Swing kicks off with the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway in Denver, July 21-23. From there, the teams will journey farther west, stopping in Northern California for the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals (July 28-30) at Sonoma Raceway before finishing the Western Swing near Seattle at Pacific Raceways with the NHRA Northwest Nationals, Aug. 4-6.

NHRA Mello Yello Series teams will then take another week off before heading to Brainerd Int'l Raceway for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 17-20.

The last race in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series regular season at which the final positions for the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship can be secured will be the world’s most prestigious drag race, the 63rd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30-Sept. 4.

NHRA’s playoffs, the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, gets under way in mid-September with three consecutive weeks of racing: the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte (Sept. 15-17), the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis (Sept. 22-24), and the NHRA Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading (Sept. 28-Oct. 1).

The AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex near Dallas (Oct. 12-15) will set the stage for the final two Countdown races. The season concludes out West with the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas (Oct. 26-29) and the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, where world champions will be crowned in Southern California Nov. 9-12.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class will again compete in a 16-race schedule, with six of those races in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

2017 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE

NHRA Mello Yello Series Regular Season

Feb. 9-12, Circle K NHRA Winternationals, Pomona

Feb. 24-26, Advance Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Phoenix

March 16-19, Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals (PSM), Gainesville

March 31-April 2, Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas

April 21-23, NHRA SpringNationals, Houston

April 28-30, NHRA Four-Wide Nationals (PSM), Charlotte

May 5-7, NHRA Southern Nationals (PSM), Atlanta

May 19-21, NHRA Kansas Nationals, Topeka

June 2-4, NHRA New England Nationals, Epping

June 8-11, NHRA Summernationals (PSM), Englishtown

June 16-18, NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol

June 22-25, Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals (PSM), Norwalk

July 6-9, Route 66 NHRA Nationals (PSM), Chicago

July 21-23, Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals (PSM), Denver

July 28-30, Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals (PSM), Sonoma

Aug. 4-6, NHRA Northwest Nationals, Seattle

Aug. 17-20, Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (PSM), Brainerd
 
Aug. 30-Sept. 4, Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals (PSM), Indianapolis

NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship

Sept. 15-17, NHRA Carolina Nationals (PSM), Charlotte

Sept. 22-24, AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals (PSM), St. Louis

Sept. 28-Oct. 1, NHRA Keystone Nationals (PSM), Reading

Oct. 12-15, AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals (PSM), Dallas

Oct. 26-29, NHRA Toyota Nationals (PSM), Las Vegas

Nov. 9-12, Auto Club NHRA Finals (PSM), Pomona
 
(PSM) - Event will include Pro Stock Motorcycle

The Formula One big news in Montreal was the announcement that the Dutch-based brewer Heineken is to become a global partner of the series, kicking off with the Gran Premio Heineken d’Italia at Monza in September. The beer brand will not be seen on any of the F1 cars, but the teams will get a share of the money raised, as part of their payments from the Formula One group.
 
“F1 represents a unique opportunity for Heineken to engage with existing and potential consumers in important growth markets,” said Gianluca Di Tondo, Heineken’s global brand director.  “F1 delivers in three specific area: strong commercial opportunities; expansion of our responsible drinking platform in new and innovative ways; and enabling skill transfers between F1 and our employees. This partnership complements our existing global platforms, enabling us to reach F1’s huge spectator numbers and 400 million unique television viewers every year. The hallmark of our long and successful relationships with UEFA Champions League, Rugby World Cup and the James Bond franchise is our passion to excite our consumers. We will be bringing this passion to Formula One.”
 
The word is that the deal is the biggest in F1 since the heyday of Marlboro sponsorship in the 1980s and the suggestion is that the deal will probably be worth more than $1 billion between now and the end of 2020. Not all of that money will be coming to F1, but the activation of the sponsorship is sure to bring new fans to the sport. According to Di Tondo it is impossible to say how much the deal will cost Heineken.
 
“This is the question that all the finance people are asking me,” he said. “It is impossible to answer because of the hundreds of markets in which we will activate the partnership. Normally, we spend three times as much on activation as we do on the partnerships themselves. When we move, we move big.”
 
The partnership with F1 is aimed at the fans. There will then be Heineken visibility at all the Grands Prix this year after Monza, with the exception of Abu Dhabi, where there are legal problems relating to alcohol sponsorships. For 2017 until 2020 there will be three race title sponsorships a year and visibility at all the races. There will be activation in all the markets that host races one or two months ahead of the events, in hotels, bars, restaurants and supermarkets.  The goal is for engagement with the fans, which Heineken believes will bring in more fans for the sport. Around 30 percent of the visibility will be a new campaign called “If you drink, never drive.” The goal is to spread the word globally that drinking and driving should not be mixed. It is a bold ambition.
 
“I think this is the most significant thing for motorsport for many years,” said Sir Jackie Stewart. “It will bring another dimension to the sport, not here in the F1 paddock but out there. We will helping Heineken get the message across to mass audiences and saving lives.”
 
Di Tondo said that he wants to make drinking in moderation “a cool thing to do."

AFCO Performance Group, an Indiana-based specialty manufacturer of automotive racing and high performance suspension, brakes, cooling, and exhaust products, announced that it has acquired Robbie Stanley Racing (RSR) of Concord, North Carolina. Robbie Stanley Racing is a premier producer of custom-built quarter midget race cars.  

“We are excited to add another high quality brand to the AFCO Performance Group family,” said Jeff Scales, president of AFCO Performance Group. “It is important to us to invest in the future of motorsports. The training we can help provide to these young racers will translate into long standing relationships as they climb through the ranks.  We are honored to be involved in a sport where family values are prevalent and kids are the center of attention.”
 
Ron Stanley, Rita Stanley, and Ryan Stanley will remain active in the business with Ryan continuing full time in sales and technical support and Ron and Rita attending races and providing trackside support. Nick Beaver, welder/fabricator, will continue to provide the same quality race cars RSR is known for.

“The Stanley family is very excited to be joining the AFCO family. We will continue to provide the highest level of customer service to the quarter midget community, while adding high powered manufacturing capabilities, an extensive distribution network, engineering, and marketing,” said Ryan Stanley. “I look forward to working with families around the country and continuing this great tradition.”

Race Ramps, the stronger, lighter and safer way to get cars up, joins the Ultimate Street Car Association (USCA) as an Associate Sponsor. USCA, the sanctioning organization that operates the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI), uses a custom designed Race Ramps full vehicle lift system for its tech and scales area and uses a Portable Pit System for other vehicle inspections that are needed on site at events.

The USCA is the only National Points Championship Series that is designed for street driven vehicles. USCA competitors were first introduced to the new Race Ramps assisted tech and scaling area in 2015. Modifying the design of the 14-inch tall Portable Pit System, Race Ramps designed a special 7-inch tall ramp system that accommodated USCA’s scales.

“USCA has the most diverse field on the planet, with vehicles spanning 60 years of production,” said Jimi Day, co-founder and executive director of USCA. “Race Ramps has the perfect solution for us, providing us with a lightweight and easily transportable system that is capable of being quickly configured for every year, make and model of vehicles within our series. Race Ramps is the only product that provides a quick and easy solution to weigh the entire field.”

The 10-event OUSCI series travels across the nation and is the platform for fierce competition that requires precise set-ups on each car. Over the course of a two-day competition, five competitive segments and four different vehicle classes, competitors are constantly adjusting and fine tuning their vehicles.

“Race Ramps is the ideal solution for our competitors,” said Day. “Race Ramps come in a wide variety of configurations that allow participants to quickly and safely work on their vehicle—including minor suspension adjustments to even a complete drivetrain replacement.”

Iowa Speedway and The NASCAR Foundation announced a race entitlement sponsorship to honor the Foundation’s 10 Years of Giving and to help children coping with illness or injury in Iowa and across the country.


The June 18 Camping World Truck Series Race in Iowa will be named The Speediatrics 200. This marks the first-ever entitlement sponsorship for Speediatrics, The NASCAR Foundation's program that provides support to hospitals, specialty clinics, camps and other organizations offering children’s medical and health care services.


"Over the past few years, we have worked closely with The NASCAR Foundation through Iowa Speedway Cares, a program supporting our local community with an emphasis on youth health and education," said Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small. "The race entitlement takes our relationship with the Foundation to a whole new level, as we help bring awareness to the Speediatrics program and their mission of helping children to survive and thrive."


At the Speediatrics 200 race, fans will be encouraged to visit www.NASCARFoundation.org and for every $25 donated, the NASCAR Foundation will deliver a Speedy Bear stuffed animal to sick children at Mercy Children's Hospital and Clinics in Iowa, as well as other hospitals and organizations across the country. Since 2006, The NASCAR Foundation has committed more than $25 million to initiatives that inspire children around the country. 


"As The NASCAR Foundation celebrates its 10th Anniversary, we are honored to be the beneficiary of the Speediatrics 200," said The NASCAR Foundation Executive Director Lorene King. "The Speediatrics program is very important to our Founder and Chairwoman Emeritus, Betty Jane France, as we believe every child should have a chance at a healthy life. Children's health and medical needs remain our biggest priority."


Speediatrics began with the goal of importing the color, excitement, and fun of NASCAR into children's hospital rooms, wings, and waiting areas. Today, The NASCAR Foundation provides medical treatments for 50,000 children each year and continues to extend its reach beyond the hospital walls by supporting other causes related to helping children live a healthy life.


The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Speediatrics 200 will kick off Iowa Speedway's Wide Opening Weekend on Saturday, June 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced that Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian and Auto Racing Hall of Fame member Donald Davidson will serve as grand marshal for its Father's Day weekend (June 16-19) Brickyard Invitational at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Davidson became IMS historian on January 1, 1998, and is believed to be the only full-time historian employed at any race track in the world.

"I make no apologies for drafting off the huge success of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, and there is no better way to do that than to recognize the most knowledgeable person in the world about the great race," said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella.

Davidson, born in England, moved to Indianapolis in 1965 and secured full-time employment as statistician for the United States Auto Club (USAC). He has built a multi-faceted career that includes work as a radio personality, author, lecturer and moderator. On May 27, 2010, he was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame, and on October 3, 2013 the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame granted him a similar honor. In May 2016 the Indianapolis Star proclaimed him one of the 100 most influential people in the history of the Indianapolis 500 and Governor Mike Pence named him a Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor the State of Indiana can bestow upon a civilian.

Davidson led a distinguished team of race drivers and master mechanics in the first two Brickyard Invitational events to select special cars for recognition with SVRA awards like the A.J. Watson trophy for best roadster. He also moderated event press conferences and addressed the Pro-Am driver's meeting that included heroes of past Indianapolis 500s.

"Tony Parella and his SVRA team have demonstrated a great deal of respect for IMS history," Davidson said. "I am humbled to think I will have the honor of giving the command to start engines for a race with Indianapolis 500 veterans I have respected and celebrated for so many years."

The "Indy Legends" Charity Pro-Am is the feature event of a weekend jam-packed with 11 SVRA run groups racing on the Speedway's 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course. The Pro-Am is full with 33 Indianapolis 500 veterans plus a "Garage 34" promoter's option bringing NASCAR stars Bill Elliott and Ray Evernham into the field. The drivers will compete in a 40-minute competition of American muscle cars on Saturday, June 18. All drivers will be in 1963 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs of the "Group 6" SVRA class. Entry fees will be donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Foundation and the Hagerty Education Program.

The Brickyard Invitational offers a festival of racing activities. As in previous years the SVRA will present exhibition runs on the storied 2.5-mile oval by a wide variety of cars including the crowd-favorite 1950's Indianapolis 500 "roadsters." Motostalgia, with offices in Austin (Texas), Mexico City and Monaco will stage an auction of select automobiles from around the world including offerings from four-time "500" champion Al Unser and legendary NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham. Saturday evening entertainment will include a concert by the legendary rock band, "Three Dog Night," capped off by a trademark SVRA mega-fireworks show.