Spring is an important time of year in the racing industry. In addition to the new racing season roaring to life, racing parts manufacturers have their first opportunity to reserve exhibit space in the PRI Trade Show.

"With one week until the deadline for exhibitors to be plotted on the initial floor plan for 2016 PRI Trade Show, we are gratified to see such a huge percentage of exhibitors from last year returning contracts and deposits to be able to display their new racing product lines in 2016," said John Kilroy, producer of the PRI Trade Show. "This deadline is especially important because it allows exhibitors to have first rights on the exhibit space they enjoyed last year."

Kilroy said this extraordinary response is good news for racing industry buyers because it promises an Indiana Convention Center jam-packed with the hottest new racing parts when the 2016 Show opens on Thursday, December 8.

"With 1200 companies exhibiting, and taking up the entire Indiana Convention Center, we'll virtually have the entire racing industry all in one place all at one time," said Kilroy. "It's the single best opportunity of the year to do business, and prepare for the next season of racing."

It will be the 29th annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, taking place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 8–10, 2016, in Indianapolis. PRI 2016 is the centerpiece of Race Industry Week, where dozens of conferences, seminars, training sessions, social gatherings and other special events take place each year, offering unprecedented access and value for motorsports professionals.

Owners of racing retail stores, race engine builders, race car builders, professional race teams, motorsports engineers, warehouse distributors and more use the PRI Trade Show to shop for new racing technology, and have the next generation of racing parts in stock in time for the start of the next racing season. The PRI Trade Show is attended by motorsports entrepreneurs from all 50 states, and 72 countries.

Exhibitors can reserve their booths online by going to www.pri2016.com/contract. Kilroy also urged first-time exhibitors to submit their contracts and deposits by the deadline of April 29. "They will be plotted on a first-come-first-served basis, after exhibitors with seniority have been plotted," he said.

The online floor plan for the 2016 PRI Trade Show will be available in June.

For more information, visit www.pri2016.com.

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) announced that it has received a $2.5 million grant from the Margie & Robert E. Petersen Foundation of Los Angeles, with the money targeted to fund construction and development of the Robert E. Petersen Theater in the hall’s new permanent home at Daytona International Speedway.

The MSHFA, which has moved to Daytona Beach from Novi, Michigan, will be housed in the speedway’s expansive ticket and tours facility that greets thousands of motorsports fans each year at the “World Center of Racing.” A vital component in the relocation will be the new theater, along with a Robert E. Petersen “Tribute Room” that will greet guests entering the attraction.

The first phase of construction and development is expected to be completed by June—in time for the 28th Annual MSHFA Induction Ceremony Presented by Bridgestone on June 29 and the July 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the speedway, the Coke Zero 400. That completion will coincide with this year’s debut of the $400 million “DAYTONA Rising” project which has created the world’s first true motorsports stadium. The site for the induction ceremony will be announced in the near future.

The Margie & Robert E. Petersen Foundation has donated more than $300 million dollars to their namesake and renowned Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, children's charities and to various organizations and causes since its 1996 formation.

In 1948, Robert E. Petersen founded HOT ROD magazine followed by many more automotive magazines including MOTOR TREND, CAR CRAFT, ROD & CUSTOM, CIRCLE TRACK, MOTORCYCLIST and 4 WHEEL & OFF ROAD.  His Petersen Publishing Company helped create and promote automotive sports throughout the world.

“This is a monumental announcement for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America,” said MSHFA President Ron Watson. “Robert E. Petersen had already taken his place as one of the true legends of American motorsports as a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee. Now his vast accomplishments will be further spotlighted in the form of the Robert E. Petersen Theater and Tribute Room.

“The Petersen Foundation has stepped up to help make our vision of a new hall of fame museum a reality. And of course, it’s essential to note that this donation is only the latest in the Petersen Foundation’s history of supporting worthy causes. We are overwhelmed by the foundation’s generosity and now we will go about the task of honoring that generosity as we assemble a first-rate, new Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.”

"We believe the new Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the Robert E. Petersen Theatre will be vital to preserving the legacy of Mr. Petersen and his love for the motorsports industry," said GiGi Carleton, president of the Margie & Robert E. Petersen Foundation.  "Concurrently the hall is going to preserve the heritage of all of its former inductees and the Petersen Foundation is proud to support those efforts."

On June 29, a seven-person class of 2016 inductees will enter the MSHFA: AMA motorcycle great Everett Brashear; NASCAR champion team owner Richard Childress; land and water speed-record legend Gary Gabelich; multi-discipline auto racing champion owner Chip Ganassi; NHRA announcing legend Dave McClelland; competitor and broadcaster extraordinaire Sam Posey; and 1955 Indianapolis 500 champion Bob Sweikert.

Tickets for the 2016 Induction Ceremony can be purchased by calling 248.349.7223 or through the MSHFA website at www.mshf.com.

IndyCar announced a number of changes to its procedures and will make technology upgrades in response to problems encountered during the Long Beach Grand Prix. The changes will be in effect starting this weekend in Alabama for the Barber Motorsports Park event.

Long Beach's pit lane exit controversy has been addressed with "an electronic pit exit commit line [that] has been embedded in the track surface," IndyCar said. "The transponder in each Verizon IndyCar Series car must cross the embedded line to determine a legal pit exit. This procedure will be in use this weekend at Barber and at other series tracks where conditions permit."

It's believed IndyCar could also station a dedicated official at the pit exit blend line to add a visual element to policing the rule.

"The addition of the electronic pit exit commit line uses technology to improve enforcement of the lane usage rule and creates a system to determine if an infraction has occurred," said Jay Frye, the series' president of competition and operations. "The race stewards' penalty guidelines remain unchanged."

A failure of IndyCar's timing and scoring system during Saturday's qualifying session created confusion after incorrect lap times were recorded and shown, leading the series to add a new layer of backups.

"Adding backup data decoders at the alternate start/finish lines puts a system of redundancy in place to assure accurate and quick results," said Frye.

Team Penske's Will Power spun as the Firestone Fast Six qualifying session was winding down and brought out a red flag while IndyCar's Holmatro Safety Team retrieved his car. The series, citing rule 8.3.4.1.1, permitted the Fast Six to complete one additional timed lap after the incident, which also caused some confusion for those who were unaware the rule existed. IndyCar made further amendments to its rulebook to handle qualifying time loss and to penalize a driver who causes a Power-like situation.

Per the series, "Segment 3 of road/street course qualifying (the Firestone Fast Six) shall consist of six minutes of guaranteed green-flag time (Rule 8.3.4.6 of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Rule Book). The timing clock stops during any red-flag situation. If a red flag occurs near the end of the session and the remaining time is not enough for entrants to complete a timed lap, all entrants will be given an opportunity to complete one timed lap when green-flag conditions return. In order to receive the one guaranteed lap, cars must leave pit lane within 30 seconds of the green being called. Previously, the rule called for Segment 3 to run for 10 minutes, with five minutes of guaranteed green-flag time."

And on the penalty front, the series said "Rule 8.3.5.1 has been added to the Verizon IndyCar Series Rule Book, which states that a car involved in a red-flag condition in Segment 3 will not be permitted to continue in the session. Rule 8.3.5 remains in effect, stating that a car causing a red flag in any qualifying segment shall have its two best timed laps disallowed and it shall not advance to the next segment."

According to Frye, "The change in Segment 3 of road/street course qualifying was made to simplify the process, create a sense of urgency to have cars on track and give the fans a better show. We want to avoid situations where the Firestone Fast Six concludes on a red flag, so we've put in place the opportunity for each car to post one timed lap at the end of the session."

IndyCar also adjusted the time period where drivers can earn an extra set of Firestone tires to encourage increased on-track activity when many teams opt to sit and save tires for later sessions.

"Entries completing five laps on one set of tires (including 'in' and 'out' laps) within the first 20 minutes of green-flag conditions during the first on-track session of an event weekend at a road or street course, including promoter test days, will receive an additional set of primary tires for use during the weekend (Rule 15.2.1.1)," the series said. "Previously, the time limit to complete the five laps was 15 minutes."

The Trans-Am Race Company has partnered with Classic Tube, a manufacturer of preformed tubing for automotive and industrial applications, creating the Classic Tube 100 on May 14-15 at Watkins Glen International.

The event will mark the Trans-Am Series’ 28th appearance on the New York state track, seeing the series return to one of its historic homes for the first time since 2013. The event will run in conjunction with the North American Road Racing Association (NARRA) and the F1600, F2000 and the Atlantic Championship Series.

“We’re proud and excited to partner with our friends at Classic Tube,” said John Clagett, president of the Trans-Am Race Company. “Paul and Lauren Fix have been longtime friends of the series with Paul participating as a valued competitor since 2000. We are all looking forward to our new association with them, Watkins Glen and NARRA, to produce yet another iconic Trans Am event at Watkins Glen.”

Classic Tube is a manufacturer of preformed tubing products for the automotive, industrial, medical, heavy equipment, military and aerospace industries. They bring not only an intimate knowledge of the racing world and Trans Am, but the significance of Watkins Glen as a landmark stop on the series’ 50th anniversary championship season.

“We are pleased to be able to provide this opportunity for the fans of Trans Am to now spectate at the Watkins Glen event,” said Paul Fix. “Through our sponsorship, fans will be able to purchase tickets to enjoy the ground-pounding action that is Trans Am racing and participate in celebrating the 50th anniversary of this highly competitive series.”

Lyn St. James, Mark Dinsmore and Pete Halsmer are the latest veteran drivers to receive entries in the Indy Legends Pro-Am during the Brickyard Invitational.

All three drivers will once again be on the gird at the Brickyard for the feature event of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association weekend—the Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am.

“All three of these winning drivers will feel right at home with the SVRA I guarantee you,” said SVRA President & CEO Tony Parella. “They have all raced in our previous two Indy Legends Charity Pro-Ams and Lyn and Pete have competed in some of our other events through the years as well.”

St. James, a seven-time starter in the Indianapolis 500 and the event’s rookie of the year in 1992, raced in 15 Indy car races in her career. While many fans know St. James best for her Indianapolis 500 achievements, she is an accomplished road racer and has earned numerous laurels at the wheel of a variety of race cars. She is a two-time competitor in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1989 and ’91). She was even more successful in 62 IMSA GT events, amassing a record of six wins, 17 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes.

Her 1985 GT victory at Watkins Glen remains the only time a woman has scored a win in that series driving solo. She raced in the 12 Hours of Sebring nine times, winning the GTO class in 1990, and was a two-time winner in the GTO Class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. St. James raced in 53 Trans-Am races with seven top-five finishes. She has held 31 international and national closed-circuit speed records and is a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

A two-time starter in the Indianapolis 500, Halsmer competed in 33 Indy car races from 1980 to 1985 with a best finish of second. He had a highly decorated career in sports car racing, winning six Trans Am races, two International Motorsports Ass’n GTO championships and three class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He drove for Jack Roush from 1986 through 1989 enjoying his Trans Am success as well as the 1989 IMSA GTO championship. Halsmer won his second GTO championship in 1991 while driving for Mazda. The following year he was invited to compete in the prestigious IROC series.

Dismore came back from a devastating accident at IMS in 1991 to nearly win the Indianapolis 500 ten years later before gearbox failure dashed his chances. He captured the attention of the American open wheel community in 1990 when he dominated the Toyota Atlantic (Pacific Division) championship, winning eight of ten races on the schedule. Just two years after his devastating injuries at Indianapolis he won overall at the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona driving Dan Gurney’s All American Racers Toyota prototype with Rocky Moran and P.J. Jones.

He returned to Indy car racing in 1996 with Team Menard and eventually became a star driver for Kelley Racing where he won the 1999 Texas Motor Speedway 500 kilometer championship race. Throughout his career he competed in 64 Indy car races and in addition to his victory in Texas he won four pole positions. His success earned him the opportunity to represent Indy car in the elite IROC series in 2000 and 2001.

Motovicity Distribution, an automotive performance aftermarket distributor, is announcing the addition of Borla Exhaust to its line card.
 
With over three decades of experience, Borla Performance Industries is a pioneer and leader in the design and manufacturing of stainless steel performance exhaust systems. Getting their start with “concourse classics” like Rolls-Royce and Ferrari, they have evolved into the premier manufacturer of today’s performance vehicles for the street, off-road, and racing markets.
 
With a commitment to providing world-class exhaust products that surpass the customer's expectations, Borla utilizes its state-of-the-art test and development center, where they are continually improving its manufacturing efficiency and standards. With multiple US patents for innovative exhaust system technologies, the brand continues to be recognized in the industry, winning numerous “Best New Product” awards.
 
“Borla is a widely recognized and well-respected name in the performance exhaust segment,” said Motovicity Sales and Marketing Manager Brett Kinsfather. “We are excited to partner with a company that has a strong lineage and wide appeal like Borla,” he continued.
 
Borla Exhaust products are now available for wholesale purchase through Motovicity Distribution. For product inquiries, call 888.SPEED.16 to speak to a representative.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Director, Ritchie Lewis and Lucas Oil Products announce that former Assistant Series Director, Rick Schwallie will now fill the Series Director role of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Schwallie has worked full-time with the LOLMDS since the national tour was established in 2005 and has been deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of the Series.

"I want to thank Ritchie for his continued support over the years," commented Schwallie. "I've learned a lot from him and respect the leadership example he's instilled in me. I wish nothing more than to continue the same practices and goals we've always had for the Series. The Lucas Oil Products familiy is second to none, and the infrastructure provided by Lucas Oil will allow for us to continue the growth and success for years to come."

Lewis, whose recent duties have included Series Director for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, has worked hand-in-hand with Schwallie for several years, and has nothing but praise for his ability.

"Rick and the entire late model staff are a great group of people," said Lewis. "Now, with Rick at the helm, the series will continue to be the most professional, well organized late model dirt series in the country. We will continue to communicate and work together daily to ensure that Rick and his series are always in a good place. Rick is such a pleasure to work with. He's very intelligent and has a great passion for late model racing. I'm proud of Rick and how well we've worked together over the years. This makes it easy to hand off the day to day operations of the LOLMDS to Rick."

Luken Communications announced a multi-network affiliation agreement with KSAO in Sacramento, California, serving the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto market (DMA 20). KSAO, owned and operated by Cocola Broadcasting Companies, launched Rev’n and Retro TV on April 21, 2016. Viewers in the area can now find Rev’n and Retro TV over-the-air on channels 49.3 and 49.4, respectively.
 
Kevin Mosesian, Cocola Broadcasting’s Corporate Stations Manager, said, “Our team is proud to answer the local audience’s call and bring Retro TV back to Sacramento. Luken has proven to be a valuable programming partner, and we’re delighted to be the home of both Rev’n and Retro TV in this additional market.”
 
Tim Krass, Luken’s Vice President of Affiliate Sales – West, said, “Luken Communications is committed to providing high-quality, family-friendly networks to audiences everywhere. We appreciate the opportunity further our goal as we build on our already positive relationship with Cocola.”
 
With an assortment of vintage comedies like Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Lucy Show and The Beverly Hillbillies as well as classic dramas including Doctor Who, The Doctors and Route 66, Retro TV truly offers The Best in Classic Television. Retro TV’s newest acquisitions include Haven, Murdoch Mysteries, The Border, The Collector and Acorn TV Presents featuring classic series like I, Claudius and Poldark, as well as more recent, award-winning shows such as Anzac Girls.
 
Rev’n, a network geared towards the performance enthusiast, officially launched on December 1, 2014. Rev’n is dedicated to all things revving including cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, events, auctions and more. With proven automotive content such as Stacey David’s GearZ®, Two Guys Garage, Bidding Wars, Truck U and My Classic Car, Rev'n is a hit with fans and advertisers alike.

SCCA Pro Racing has named former IndyCar Vice President of Technology Will Phillips as technical delegate for the Formula 4 United States Championship powered by Honda.

Phillips will ensure compliance and enforce all Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations for the F4 U.S. Championship, which will have its first race at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, on May 27.

“Will Phillips is a great addition to our F4 team,” said Derrick Walker, President and CEO of SCCA Pro Racing Derrick Walker. “His experience and knowledge is just what we need as we embark on our first season of the F4 United States Championship.”

Phillips, who joins Race Director Chip Robinson and Operations Manager Casey Carden on the F4 U.S. Championship team, has three decades of motorsports experience. Before working at IndyCar, Phillips served as the engineering director for Patron Highcroft Racing in the American Le Mans Series, which won the LMP championship in 2010.

“I’m delighted to support Derrick and this series,” Phillips said. “I look forward to seeing the successful introduction of Formula 4 in the United States.”

Phillips has worked as a race engineer alongside IndyCar drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alex Tagliani, Danny Sullivan and Scott Sharp. He also was responsible for the design, development and delivery of the Reynard 02S sports car.

The F4 series will consist of 15 races at five classic tracks when it kicks off at Lime Rock Park. The series is scheduled to wrap-up October 8-10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

As the new racing season comes roaring to life across the country, I find myself recalling PRI's experience with an Indiana rain cloud many years ago. It was a rain cloud that taught me a lot about the lives of race track owners and racing promoters, and how much we owe them.

It was a time when PRI was promoting exactly one race per year, eventually growing to two races per year. PRI founder Steve Lewis came up with a fun idea to promote a midget race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (now Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis) during the race weekend for the F1 series, when it had Indianapolis on its annual schedule. We would call it the Twin 25s. It would have two feature races, and the winner of the first feature would start dead last in the second feature. There would be a huge cash prize if he won both features. It worked, and the first event started with packed grandstands and a line of cars down Crawfordsville Road still entering the track.

Then, there was the race weekend of the Twin 25s where the weather was ominous and hard to predict when we arrived. On race day I awoke, and it wasn't raining. However, the weather experts were telling us rain was possible. We watched the skies for hours. We had access to weather equipment that could locate potential rain clouds. And we watched as a massive rain cloud rolled toward us. It looked like we were definite candidates for a rainout. We had been working on that one race for six months, from artwork for posters to radio advertising to souvenir merchandise to constant communication with the race teams. We watched and watched the rain cloud. Finally, at about 2 p.m., we made the call to cancel the race. Our theory was that if we could get the word out before everyone arrived at the track, we might have a better chance at getting them to the track the following night. A downpour did in fact arrive, and we were glad we cancelled the race when we did. It would have definitely been a rainout. The next night, we figured attendance was less than half of what it would have been. All the work, all the effort, all the time, all the emotions...and a rain cloud punched us as hard as a right hook to the jaw.

Wow, that was a tough moment...and we only had one race on our promotion schedule for the entire year. So, on that day, I became even more appreciative of race track owners and promoters. Every single one I've met in my 25-year career here at PRI had a love of this sport that was unsurpassed. And I experienced firsthand that particular heartache that's part of this business. But it hits race track owners and promoters the hardest. Race track owners and promoters create the events from which everything flows in this industry. PRI thanks you, because without your work, and those many stressful moments you endure, there wouldn’t be a PRI. We want to be on record in this space as saying, "Thanks!"