The two-time and reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship winning Action Express Racing has partnered with SONIC Tools.

“We felt that partnering with SONIC Tools was a great way to keep our team operating at the highest possible level,” said Team Manager Gary Nelson. “SONIC Tools is a company with their eyes on the future and through their partnership with IMSA they will be able to provide our team with at-track service throughout the season.”

For SONIC Tools, becoming an affiliate sponsor of the defending series champions serves to expand its marketing efforts both inside the paddock and out.

“When we made the decision to enter IMSA at the end of 2015, we knew we were going to have the opportunity to partner with some of the best race teams in the world. We believe that Action Express Racing has certainly demonstrated that over the past couple of seasons and we’re excited that they’ll be using our tools in their pursuit for a third championship,” said Chief Marketing Officer Colby McConnell.

“In addition to being on the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype, we’ll also be able to give our guests a behind the scenes perspective on how teams use our tools and tool solutions to increase productivity and performance in some of the most demanding conditions. Additionally, race teams are one of the best proving grounds for new products and furthering development as well as, improving existing products.”

Renault has revealed its definitive 2016 livery two days ahead of the start of the new Formula 1 season.

In early February the French manufacturer launched its works team return with what it described at the time as "a show car" featuring a predominantly black livery with flashes of yellow.

The team, which took over Lotus towards the end of last year following protracted negotiations, ran with that look throughout the two pre-season tests at Barcelona's Catalunya circuit. But it has always been Renault's intention to return to its more traditional roots in terms of its color scheme.

The RS16 now sports a matte yellow body, with the front and rear wings in black and some small touches of gold towards the rear.

"Today is about what's in the season to come, and the important thing is the color, that it says a lot about your identity and who you stand for," said Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul at the livery launch in Melbourne's docklands area on Wednesday.

"Tonight is about our identity and what Renault stands for. I look around and it looks like people are trying to disappear from the Tarmac, so we've gone for something different.

"I think it works well. We've gone for yellow, which has been the color of Renault since 1946, so we've been true to our history."

The color is similar to that used on the Renault RS01 sportscar for its launch. It is believed the matte finish across the entire car means a weight-saving of almost half a kilogram compared to the use of gloss.

HUBB has announced the appointment of Mark Doran to a newly created position as vice president of fleet and performance products. In that role Doran will be responsible for sales of HUBB oil filters to the performance, fleet, auto repair shops and parts distribution markets.

Doran, a seasoned automotive aftermarket executive, is a former vice president of operations for the western division of Pep Boys. Doran spent three years as vice president of operations for the Michelin North America TCI division where he helped reverse the fortunes of the two worst performing regions in the company’s commercial division. In addition, he has four years of experience as vice president of operations for Winston Tire. Before joining HUBB, Doran successfully operated his own consulting practice providing counsel on strategic and operational matters to startups, large regional wholesalers and business-to-business and business-to-consumer service firms.

“Mark is a versatile, focused and entrepreneurial-minded executive with a track record for helping improve the financial, competitive and operational performance of companies,” said Scott Killips, CEO of HUBB. “We welcome his skills and expertise to our team, as we introduce our breakthrough product to the fleet, performance and traditional auto parts markets.”

HUBB is a new performance oil filter available for any light truck or passenger vehicle that uses a spin-on filter. HUBB filter’s patented design provides unprecedented engine protection, cost savings and environmental benefits. The HUBB filter is backed with an industry first 100,000-mile performance guarantee.

For more information on HUBB, visit www.hubbfilters.com or email: info@hubbfilters.com.

The 46th annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, will kick off ‘Florida in February’ one week later in 2017 as the event shifts to February 14–25, 2017.

“It is important to the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar that we continue to align this event with all of the great motorsports events in Florida during the month and provide as much accessibility to our fans as possible,” said World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Chief Operating Officer Tom Deery. “While the 2016 DIRTcar Nationals has been over for less than a month we are working hard to plan and prepare for next year. 2017’s event promises to be better than ever.”

The annual event features 12 nights of doubleheader racing with the World’s premier dirt track racers and series including the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series, Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar modifieds and late models.

The 2016 DIRTcar Nationals saw drivers like Donny Schatz, Brad Sweet, Josh Richards and Stewart Friesen take trips to victory lane and claim one of the coveted gator trophies.

The FASTRAK Racing Series announced VP Racing Fuels will continue as Official Fuel of FASTRAK, including both the FASTRAK weekly series and touring series throughout the United States. As part of the multi-year agreement, VP will be the Preferred Fuel Provider for all FASTRAK racing and receive significant brand exposure at race venues and on the series’ digital and social media platforms.

“I appreciate long-term partnerships like we have enjoyed with VP,” said Stan Lester, Founder and CEO of FASTRAK. “It’s nice to have sponsors like VP you can depend on. VP was one of our first sponsors of the series when we began and having them as the Official Fuel is not only an honor, but much appreciated as well. FASTRAK is proud to be a part of the VP family.”
 
"We're pleased to extend our long-standing relationship with FASTRAK, the leading series in the crate late model segment," said Chris Wall, VP’s Chief Marketing Officer. "Since the inception of crate racing, racers have turned to VP fuels for superior power and consistency.  FASTRAK provides the perfect venue to promote VP’s specialty fuels for crate engines as well as our new product lines for the consumer market including VP Small Engine Fuels and VP Madditives for gas and diesel engines.  We look forward to working with Stan and his team to continue growing the FASTRAK series and the VP brand.”
 

Four-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon will make his Le Mans 24 Hours debut with the Chip Ganassi Ford squad in June.

Dixon, who will race the new Ford GT for the first time in this weekend's Sebring 12 Hours, has been confirmed as an additional driver for Ganassi's four-car assault on the GTE Pro class at Le Mans together with Sebastien Bourdais, Harry Tincknell and Billy Johnson.

Two-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Dixon will line up in the #69 Ford GT entered under the Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA banner alongside Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe, his teammates at the Sebring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round on Saturday.

Bourdais last raced at Le Mans in 2012 with a Pescarolo-run Dome and will return to share the U.S.-run #68 car with Dirk Muller and Joey Hand.

Ford development driver Billy Johnson, who is racing a factory Shelby GT350R-C Mustang in IMSA this year, will drive the #66 Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK entry with Stefan Mucke and Olivier Pla.

An LMP2 class winner at Le Mans, Tincknell will be teamed with Andy Priaulx and Marino Franchitti in the #67 car.

"Like any driver, it is a dream come true for me to race at Le Mans and I can't wait to get started," Dixon said. "The history of Ford at Le Mans is very well documented, and I'm proud to be part of this very special program."

Ford vice president Raj Nair added that manufacturer was "pleased to have a very strong driver line-up for our return to Le Mans.”

"We have assembled a talented and experienced team on all fronts and are all focused on creating a new chapter in Ford's history at Le Mans," he said.

The announcement of the Le Mans line-ups confirms the pairings in the two Britsh-run Fords entered in the full World Endurance Championship.

Johnson and Tincknell will also race alongside their respective Le Mans team-mates in the opening two rounds of the WEC at Silverstone and Spa.

RallySport Direct (www.rallysportdirect) announced a new partnership with Cosworth to provide the same level of performance products for the US enthusiast market that it has been available from Cosworth in Europe and around the world. Partnering with RallySport Direct as the master distributor for North America, Cosworth is providing more products, better inventory availability, customer support, and service into the US market than ever before.

Cosworth (www.cosworth) has been a source of high-performance automotive engineering since 1958. Specializing in engines and performance electronics, the company has an unmatched history in automotive performance. With a solid footprint in Formula 1 (second winningest engine supplier in history), to NASCAR, to Indy Car racing Cosworth is where the professionals go for a performance edge.

RallySport Direct Cosworth Program Manager, Ben Mertlich, noted, “We’re terrifically excited to bring this outstanding brand to the US. We have invested in product and a team designed to provide truly excellent customer service and support. We’re also working with Cosworth to launch new power package and component products.”

Cosworth’s head of Marketing and Partnerships, Pio Szyjanowicz added, “This enables Cosworth to focus on designing and manufacturing world leading products while our distribution partner to focus on managing logistics and providing not only outstanding service to our wholesale and retail customers, but also a clear line of communication to market needs and trends.”

RallySport Direct is a seller of performance parts for compact performance and sports cars. The company is widely praised for its product knowledge, inventory availability, prompt shipping, outstanding customer service, and extensive dealer network. Cosworth will be leveraging RallySport Direct’s infrastructure and culture with a team dedicated to the Cosworth line and growing that business through both retail and wholesale channels.

NMCA Pro Stock, an all-new naturally aspirated class created by Bob Book, Richard Maskin and NMCA Tech Director, Dave Werremeyer, is basically a no limits small block Pro Stock class.  In addition, any domestic car or truck body is permitted.

"This will be a bad ass, heads-up small block class that basically is anything you feel like putting together as long as it's kept at a minimum 2,300 pounds and 401-cubic inches or smaller with no rpm limit," said Book.

NMCA Pro Stock is sure to be exciting for fans as cross breeding of power plant and bodies is also permitted. Racers will be able to put a GM engine in a Ford car or a Chrysler power plant in a GM. With all three manufacturers (Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler) permitted, these naturally aspirated engines can be either carbureted or EFI, with no power adders allowed.

Pro Stock will be contested as a Shootout class at the final three 2016 NMCA events:

• JUNE 23-26, 2016 - 15th Annual NMCA All-American Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

• JULY 28-31, 2016 - 11th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing at Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL

• AUGUST 25-28, 2016 - 14th Annual NMCA World Street Finals, Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH

In 2017 plans are being made for Pro Stock to battle it out at all NMCA events for a class championship with the winner crowned during the NMCA Awards Ceremony at the PRI Show in Indianapolis. This year each event winner will receive the new Edelbrock "Victor" trophy and a large payout as part of the NMCA Aerospace Components Winners Circle. 2017 plans also include NMCA Pro Stock in the NMCA Pro Contingency Program.
 
"With the concept Bob and Dave have put together, we expect NMCA Pro Stock to be a very exciting addition to our class lineup at NMCA. We have already seen significant interest from Comp Eliminator teams that like the heads-up format and Pro Stock engine builders are already building cars for the class," said Rollie Miller, NMCA General Manager.

Complete class rules for NMCA Pro Stock can be found at -
http://www.nmcadigital.com/2016-event-info/class-rules-payouts-overview/

Engine & Performance Warehouse, Inc. (EPWI) announced the opening of its newest location in Memphis, Tennessee. The Memphis branch is its 13th location, the first east of the Mississippi River, and has opened to service new customers in the central south region and eastern US. The new location is 12,000 square feet and will stock and represent EPWI’s full line of engine parts, engine kits and related components.

EPWI expects significant growth with the new operation and has the ability to expand/double deck the location as business increases.

EPWI – Memphis is located at 3340 Democrat Road, Memphis, TN 38118. The new location is a strategic fit for EPWI and will allow us to expand our products, services and overall value proposition to a whole new group of customers in the region.

A two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, a pair of pioneer hard top competitors, an acclaimed short track racer with multiple titles and an industry agent/marketer comprise the five-member class of 2016 to be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

The latest inductees—John Bickford, Mike Duncan, Johnny Key, Al Pombo and Jim Thirkettle—were announced Sunday prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Induction of the five will take place June 23 at the Meritage Resort in Napa, California, during Sonoma Raceway’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series/K&N Pro Series West weekend.

This year’s class marks the first time that voting was broadened to include nominees from a variety of historic and present stock car disciplines that include weekly racing competition and tours as well as NASCAR modified stock car racing.

Bickford, originally from Vallejo, Calif., is the step-father of four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and current FOX Sports analyst Jeff Gordon. He directed the youngster’s early, open-wheel career in California and Indiana, and as Gordon’s de facto agent and off-track tutor, Bickford molded Gordon into a superstar in NASCAR’s post-1990, television-centric era.

Duncan, a former minor league baseball player and Bakersfield, Calif.-area rancher, won back-to-back NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championships in 2004-05. He was the series’ Rookie of the Year in 2000 and voted Most Popular Driver in 2007, his final season of competition. Duncan won eight times in the division, along with 20 poles and finished more than 60 percent of his 96 races among the top 10.

The late Johnny Key won four championships in roadster and hard top racing, competing in California and Arizona. In 1952, the Salinas, Calif. driver won 54 times – including eight races over a seven-day span in the California Stock Car Racing Association plus three open wheel events. Key suffered fatal injuries during a AAA midget race in Cincinnati, Ohio in June 1954.

Pombo, born in the Azores but raised in Merced, Calif., competed in dirt cars, hard tops, sprint cars and super modifieds beginning in 1954 and won more than 500 main events, seven NASCAR super modified titles and numerous championships at short track throughout California before retiring in 1971. Racing out of Fresno, Calif., Pombo also briefly competed in what’s now the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 85.

Thirkettle starred as a short track campaigner throughout southern California and became the all-time winner and super stock champion at the now-defunct Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. He won five titles and posted 78 victories at the half-mile paved oval. The Sylmar, Calif., competitor showed his all-around capabilities by posting three NASCAR premier series top 10s at the Riverside (Calif.) Int’l Raceway road course. He won two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races and one NASCAR Elite Series Southwest Series event.