Days after Ford Motor Company celebrated its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season, the manufacturer will take home its third NASCAR “Driving Business Award.” Ford is the first three-time recipient of the annual award, which is bestowed upon the Official NASCAR Partner that demonstrates leadership and results through its participation in the NASCAR Fuel for Business (NFFB) Council.
 
The NFFB Council hosted its first meeting of the year last week in Las Vegas, bringing together an exclusive group of nearly 60 Official NASCAR Partners. Ford has been competing in NASCAR since 1949 and has been a proud member of the NFFB Council since 2007. Council members bring key personnel from across their organization to construct customized deals that help address specific business needs.
 
As a result of Ford’s participation in the Council in 2015, Ford aligned business goals with a number of Official NASCAR Partners, resulting in highly visible partnerships and a number of programs that were successful in “Driving Business.”
 
“As a proud member of the Council, winning the ‘Driving Business Award’ for the third time is proof, yet again, of how effective the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council platform is at generating a positive return on investment for partners,” said Tim Duerr, Ford Performance motorsports marketing manager. “At Ford, we’re constantly identifying new and innovative ways to add value to our partnerships, and this tool maximizes our B2B strategy in motorsports.”
 
As one of the most active participants of the NFFB Council in 2015, Ford identified procurement opportunities, optimized chances for NASCAR partners to purchase Ford vehicles for their fleets, offered participation in Ford’s “Partner Recognition Program” and created successfucl co-marketing programs. Highlights from Ford’s success in 2015 leveraging the NFFB Council include:
 
· Ford sold more than 3,500 vehicles through its “Partner Recognition Program”
· Co-marketing programs with MillerCoors, Goodyear and SiriusXM result in nearly 900 vehicles sold
· Ford executed multiple deals that eclipsed $5 million in value
· More than two-thirds of Council members participated in business-to-business deals with Ford
 
“Ford continues to be a preeminent member of the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council, setting the standard as an active and dedicated partner during our quarterly meetings,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Committed to winning both on and off the track, Ford’s ability to execute business-to-business deals delivered results worthy of being a three-time recipient of the award.”
 
Since the NFFB’s 2004 inception, the Council has facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue and savings to its participating members.
 

Hammerking Productions Inc., the organization behind King of The Hammers and ULTRA4 Racing is partnering with Nor Cal Rock Rock Racing in the purchase of Valley Off Road Racing Association (VORRA). VORRA was established in 1975 and has organized such iconic desert races as the Fallon 250 and the Yerington 300. Wes Harbor, John Goodby and Dave Cole, promoters and CEOs for VORRA, Nor Cal Rock Racing and Hammerking respectively, solidified their agreement earlier this week.

Following a successful co-promotion of the 2015 Fallon 250, where Hammerking and VORRA staff collaborated to create the largest Fallon 250 in history, both organizations were excited about the possibility of working together.  Cole and Harbor will coordinate on the desert races and Goodby will be adding additional days and heats to Nor Cal Rock Racing’s current short course schedule to include VORRA teams and classes not currently racing in Nor Cal Rock Racing events.

“Some of my earliest desert racing experiences were with VORRA.” explained Hammerking’s Dave Cole. “VORRA has been around for 40 years and is one of the oldest off road racing organizations in the United States. They celebrate grass roots racing, and the majority of our ULTRA4 teams are grass roots racers. I’m excited to see VORRA’s traditions continue and grow, while also giving ULTRA4 teams new opportunities for desert racing in the US.”

The three promoters have been hard at work merging 2016 schedules, as well as accommodating the differences in classes. VORRA hosts a variety of traditional desert racing classes from Class 1 – Class 1600, as well as Full Metal and Mini Metal classes and UTVs, whereas, ULTRA4 Racing and Nor Cal Rock Racing has been focused more on ULTRA4s 4400-4800 and UTV classes. Below is a full 2016 schedule for both VORRA and Nor Cal Rock Racing.

2016 VORRA Schedule:

April 29th – May 1st – Prairie City SVRA – combined with Nor Cal Rock Racing

May 29th  – Hawthorne

July 15th – July 17th – Wild West Motorsports Park – combined with Nor Cal Rock Racing

Sept. 3rd- 4th – Fallon 250 – combined with ULTRA4 Racing

Sept. 23rd-25th – Prairie City SVRA – Combined with Nor Cal Rock Racing

The format for events combined with Nor Cal Rock Racing will be as follows
Friday afternoon- Practice and Registration
Saturday- Prelims
Sunday- Finals only

ABC’s enhanced coverage of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil and increased programming on NBCSN, including 10 hours of live practice telecasts, highlight the Verizon IndyCar Series television programming schedule for 2016.

Total on-air programming from INDYCAR’s network partners is more than 110 hours, up from 2015. It includes live coverage of all 16 races on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule, qualifying shows for all NBCSN events and Indianapolis 500 time trials on ABC, practice sessions from seven NBCSN events and recap shows on NBCSN for Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires race weekends.

“Viewership of INDYCAR programming has surged the past two years and that is directly related to the incredible on-track competition, the quality of programming produced by our partners at ABC and NBCSN, and the careful selection of the best race time slots available,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, the parent of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“In compiling the 2016 television schedule, we have continued to build off strong lead-in programming and optimal time slots to extend that viewership momentum. We believe this, coupled with the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, returns to iconic Indy car tracks at Phoenix and Road America, and an exciting new event on the streets of Boston will propel the excitement and viewership further forward.”

Verizon IndyCar Series coverage kicks off with ABC’s live broadcast of the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at 12:30 p.m. ET this Sunday. ABC will air four additional races in the first half of the season: the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 14; the 100th Indianapolis 500 on May 29; and both races of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans on June 4-5. All ABC broadcasts are produced by ESPN and will also stream live on WatchESPN.

This marks the 52nd straight year ABC is broadcasting the Indianapolis 500, among the longest-running active relationships between a network and sporting event in television. In addition, ABC will air the final two hours of Indianapolis 500 qualifying on both May 21-22. The first day of qualifying is used to set the provisional field of 33 cars. The second day features the Fast Nine Shootout to determine the pole sitter for the 100th Running of the Indy 500. ESPN3 will provide extended qualifying coverage on May 21-22 and a second-screen option of onboard camera shots for the May 29 race.

The ABC coverage includes for the 12th consecutive season its “Side-by-Side” feature during national commercial breaks utilizing a split screen to show the advertisement and the continuing racing action simultaneously. The feature is enhanced for 2016 with a larger screen showing on-track action. The leaderboard moves to the top of the screen and can rotate through the field instead of displaying only the leaders.

Booth talent for ABC broadcasts remains the same for the third straight year, with Allen Bestwick the anchor and former Indy car drivers Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever serving as analysts. The 2016 season marks Goodyear’s 15th in the ABC booth and the ninth for Cheever. Pit reporters will be Jon Beekhuis, Rick DeBruhl and Dr. Jerry Punch. Lindsay Czarniak will serve as host for the Indy 500.

“We’re proud to be part of a sport with not only historic traditions but also a very exciting future,” said Julie Sobieski, ESPN vice president, league sports programming. “We have been pointing to the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 for a long time and especially look forward to that event and our 52nd consecutive year at the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'”

NBCSN’s Verizon IndyCar Series coverage begins with the series’ return to Phoenix Int’l Raceway for the Phoenix Grand Prix on April 1-2. NBCSN will telecast the opening practice session and qualifying live on April 1, along with the 250-lap race at the 1.022-mile oval on April 2 in primetime.

NBCSN continues with qualifying and race coverage from the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 16-17; practice, qualifying and the race April 22-24 from the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park; and 4.5 hours of live coverage from Miller Lite Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27, including the final practice before the Indianapolis 500, the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race and TAG Heuer Pit Stop Competition.

The final eight events of the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule, beginning with the Firestone 600 from Texas Motor Speedway on June 10-11, air on NBCSN or CNBC, NBCUniversal’s business network. The two CNBC race telecasts – the Honda Indy Toronto on July 17 and the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on July 31 – will be followed by same-day re-telecasts on NBCSN in strategic time slots. The NBCSN slate also includes the Road America Grand Prix from the famous Wisconsin road circuit June 24-26 and the season finale, the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, Sept. 16-18.

Leigh Diffey will serve as the lead play-by-play voice for NBCSN’s coverage, joined in the booth by analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Beekhuis, Katie Hargitt, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller and Marty Snider will report from the pits. In addition, Rick Allen, NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR play-by-play voice, joins NBCSN’s Verizon IndyCar Series coverage for select races.

“Coming off the most-watched INDYCAR season ever on NBCSN, we are excited to produce even more hours of thrilling open-wheel racing coverage this year,” said Jon Miller, president, programming, NBC Sports & NBCSN. “INDYCAR continues to be one of the cornerstone properties that makes NBC Sports the home of motorsports.”

NBSCN will also telecast five “IndyCar Chronicles” 30-minute specials, the INDYCAR Championship Celebration and hour-long recaps of all Indy Lights race weekends.

SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting and Chairman of the Board Doug Evans today commended Senate members for introducing legislation that would protect modified racecars from overreaching U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. Today’s bill introduction underscores the growing Congressional effort to clarify the law and preserve our nation’s racing industry and pastime.

“The public and regulated industry need certainty regarding how the Clean Air Act is applied,” said Kersting. “SEMA supports passage of S. 2659 and thanks Senators Burr, Capito, Heller and Tillis for legislation that provides a clear exemption to allow conversion of street vehicles for racing competitions.

The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2016 (RPM Act), introduced by Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dean Heller (R-NV) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), is a companion bill to H.R. 4715, introduced earlier this week in the House.  Both bills seek to ensure that converting street vehicles to racecars used exclusively in competition does not violate the Clean Air Act.

In July of 2015, the EPA issued a proposed regulation to make the act of converting a motor vehicle into a racecar illegal if the emission system is taken out-of-compliance from its stock configuration. This prohibition would include even those vehicles used solely at the track and never again used on public roads.

“This policy would contradict the Clean Air Act, congressional intent and decades-long application of the law in the marketplace,” said Evans, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, Luken Communications, LLC.  “SEMA contends that this EPA proposal represents clear agency overreach and is an incorrect reading of the Clean Air Act by current EPA officials.”

Motorsports competition involves tens of thousands of participants and vehicle owners each year, both amateur and professional. Retail sales of racing products make up a $1.4 billion market annually. According to the National Speedway Directory, there are over 1,300 racetracks operating across the U.S., including oval, road, track and off-road racetracks.  If the EPA regulations were to be finalized, the impact on racers, racetracks and businesses that cater to the racer community would be substantial.

The EPA recently re-opened the proposed regulations to receive additional public comment. However, allowing public comment does not resolve the issue because the EPA has not withdrawn the problematic language in its proposed regulation, nor has it conceded that motor vehicles may be modified for competition use. The RPM Act of 2016 would ensure that these vehicles are exempt from EPA regulation in perpetuity.

The RPM Act has been assigned to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The EPA proposed regulations are scheduled to be finalized this summer.

Supporters of the House and Senate legislation to protect modified racecars are urged to contact their Senators and House member and request their support for the RPM Act by clicking here: http://semasan.com/issue_alert.asp?g=SEMAGA&issue=EPA&parent=SEMAGA

One of the most extraordinary things to happen during PRI's exhibit at the Autosport Engineering Show earlier this year in Birmingham, England, was how very normal it was for this American company to be exhibiting there. It didn't feel foreign at all. I note this because I remember a time when it was, more or less, a shocking new thought to promote PRI overseas. Throughout much of the racing industry a dozen years or so ago, not much consideration was given to the racing market outside of national borders, although Australia has always been a strong international market for US racing products, and Canada, of course. There were the complications of currencies, language, customs, shipping, marketing, selling and more. The US market is plenty big, which also reduced the urgency to expand sales beyond national borders. Now, at the Autosport Engineering Show, PRI is a well known entity to other exhibitors and to attending motorsports professionals from throughout Europe. We should note that other US racing parts companies have also become familiar sites at the event. This year, exhibitors included ARP, Aurora, L.A. Sleeve, A.R.E. Dry Sump Systems, Aviaid, K&N Filters, Performance Friction, Royal Purple, Tilton Engineering, Titan Motorsport USA, Total Seal, VAC Motorsports, Ferrea, Supertech and more.

We also regularly hear stories from racing retailers and race engine builders that the internet has surprised them by connecting them with international business, which can be nurtured to become a valuable and steady source of new sales. The stories typically begin, "It started when I got this email from a guy in Sweden...."

On the drive to Birmingham from London, Francisque Savinien, PRI's director of global sales and marketing, and myself visited with two UK racing companies that have established US facilities as they make inroads in the US racing marketplace—Mountune Racing and DC Electronics. The savvier racing companies open a business in the target country in order to drive sales and provide better customer service.

With the move of the PRI Trade Show to Indianapolis, attendance by US motorsports professionals has grown tremendously. International attendance has stayed strong, as 70 countries are represented. Just as important, exhibits by international racing companies allow buyers to truly shop the world for new racing technology in one visit to the PRI Trade Show.

From our vantage point publishing the racing industry's business magazine and producing the racing industry's trade show, we have the perfect seat to watch the evolution of this industry. In my 25 years here, I've seen visionaries gamble and win on new technology, new marketing strategies and new business opportunities. One of the great stories has been the development of a true global marketplace for racing technology. We salute the innovators, and thank them. It wasn't easy. The racing industry—and PRI—is better for it.

Circuit of The Americas confirmed the return of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix to Austin, Texas, on October 21–23.

Following Lewis Hamilton’s championship-clinching win at last year’s wet and windy race, widely considered to be the best of the 2015 season, COTA is thrilled to welcome F1 back to Austin for the fifth year running. Furthermore, with the addition of Haas F1 Team—the first American-led Formula One outfit since 1986—to the grid, this year’s race will take on extra significance for fans of F1 in the US.

Bobby Epstein, Chairman and CEO of Circuit of The Americas, commented on the announcement: “We are so happy to confirm F1’s return to COTA.... We can’t think of a better way to mark this important 5-year milestone for F1 in Austin. Since we first hosted this event in 2012, we have gained a lot of knowledge and insight that has allowed us to make significant annual improvements to the event that we are confident will continue to establish the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix as the standout race weekend on F1’s calendar.”

For more information, visit CircuitofTheAmericas.com.

QA1 has expanded its contingency programs with NMRA, NMCA and NMCA West to include awarding top performers using a QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft. In addition, the existing contingency programs for racers using QA1 shocks or struts have been expanded to include 18 new racing classes to support even more racers.

The expansion reflects QA1’s growing driveline division, which offers REV Series carbon fiber driveshafts for both hardcore drag racing and high performance street use. “We are proud that so many racers have put their trust in our driveshafts,” said Dave Goldie, QA1 Street Performance and Racing Product Manager, “and we are happy to support them the same way we have supported those who trust our performance line of shocks and struts.”

This is the fifth year that QA1 is a contingency sponsor for NMCA Muscle Car Nationals, NMCA West Street Car Nationals and NMRA National Series, which provide the largest cash programs in their respective racing areas, totaling over $8.5 million in total posted cash between the three. “QA1 is committed to helping racers compete at the highest level, and these programs highlight the best of the best,” Goldie said. “NMRA and NMCA have been great partners and run very professional events that attract a lot of racers. We look forward to continue working with them.”

To be eligible for contingency, racers participating in the NMCA Muscle Car Nationals, NMCA West Street Car Nationals and NMRA National Series need to be running QA1 shocks/struts or a QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft and have a QA1 decal displayed on their vehicle. For each program, QA1 is awarding cash prizes in values ranging from $75 to $300 for the winners and runners up in each participating class:

NMRA Contingency Classes
Shocks & Struts: Factory Stock, Pure Street, Modular Muscle, Super Stang, Open Comp, Truck & Lightning, Ford Muscle (NEW), Terminator/GT500

Driveshafts (all NEW): Street Outlaw, Renegade, Coyote Modified, Modular Muscle, Super Stang, Open Comp, Truck and Lightning, Ford Muscle, Terminator/GT500

NMCA Contingency Classes
Shocks & Struts: Radial Wars (NEW), Nitrous Pro Street (NEW), Xtreme Street (NEW), N/A 10.5 (NEW), Street Outlaw (NEW), Factory Super Cars (NEW), and Top Sportsman (NEW), Open Comp, Nostalgia Super Stock, Nostalgia Muscle Car, LSX Challenge.

Driveshafts (all NEW): Radial Wars, Nitrous Pro Street, Xtreme Street, N/A 10.5, Street Outlaw, Top Sportsman, Open Comp, Nostalgia Super Stock, Nostalgia Muscle Car, LSX Challenge.

NMRA West Contingency Classes
Shocks & Struts: Limited Street (NEW), Outlaw 8.5 (NEW), N/A 10.5 (NEW), Top Sportsman (NEW), Nostalgia Street Car (NEW), Open Comp, Mustang Madness (NEW), Super Quick (NEW), Quick Street (NEW), Pro Comp (NEW), Street Comp (NEW)

Driveshafts (all NEW): Outlaw 8.5, N/A 10.5, Nostalgia Street Car, Open Comp, Mustang Madness, Super Quick, Quick Street, Pro Comp

For more information on QA1’s efforts to support, recognize and award top performers who are using QA1 products, visit www.qa1.net/about/contingencies.

NHRA’s revamped race coverage on FOX Sports earned more than 300,000 additional viewers through the first two Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events of the season, which included the Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, Calif. on Feb. 14 and the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Phoenix on Feb. 28.

“We’re extremely happy with the numbers from our first two events on FOX Sports 1,” said Peter Clifford, NHRA president. “Our fans’ response has been incredible and we look forward to continuing to provide a great product on FOX the rest of the season. Our audience is trending younger and we are keeping our viewers tuned in for longer periods of time during each telecast. It is a terrific start with our new television partner.”

According to Nielsen Media Research, FOX Sports 1’s airings of the two NHRA events realized a 15 percent increase over the same two events last year. The 2016 coverage had a total of 2.6 million viewers for the finals telecasts, qualifying shows and re-airs on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.

“The power of our partnership with FOX Sports is the number of hours of programming and increased opportunities it gives our fans to watch NHRA,” said Ken Adelson, NHRA vice president of broadcasting and executive producer. “This is exactly what we were hoping to see.”

Circle K NHRA Winternationals coverage reached more than 1.4 million viewers, including the two qualifying shows, Sunday finals show, and re-airs the following week. The CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals reached more than 1.2 million viewers overall, with a 300-percent increase on Saturday night qualifying from the previous year.

“Seeing the early ratings for NHRA races on FS1 is tremendously encouraging,” said Patrick Crakes, FOX Sports senior vice president of programming, research and content strategy. “We worked closely with them to put together a very aggressive television package for 2016 and beyond, and to get off the line with some momentum is exciting for everyone involved.”

The Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions announced Wednesday that three events on May 28, June 25 and Sept. 17 at Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio, have all been canceled.

Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio, will move their June 4 Arctic Cat All Star event to Saturday, May 28, with a rain date of May 29.

Eldora Speedway will move their Thursday, June 23, Ohio Sprint Speedweek program to Saturday, June 25, with a rain date of Sunday, June 26. This show will be the $10,000-to-win finale event of Speedweek. Thursday, June 23, will become a rain date, if needed, for any of the first six Speedweek events beginning on June 17.

The weekend of Sept. 16-17 will become an open weekend for the All Star Series for the potential rescheduling of weather postponed events throughout the year.

“I’m certainly disappointed in the schedule changes; we’ve worked hard over the past 15 months to try to bring unification to 410 sprint car racing under the All Star umbrella,” said Tony Stewart, owner of the All Star Circuit of Champions.

“Rob (Hunter) and Shane (Helms) were willing to work with us last year to bring their group back to the All Stars and we’ve had great support from a large majority of tracks. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to unite with Fremont Speedway on common goals for the Series and 410 sprint car racing. We look forward to building the All Star Series in 2016 and in years to come with the support from our tracks, teams and most importantly the fans that support all of our events.”

Lucas Oil Products, an industry leader in lubricants and fuel treatments, has extended the naming rights for the NHRA-owned and operated multi-purpose auto racing facility located just west of Indianapolis, officials from the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning organization announced.
 
The naming rights began in 2011 and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis has proudly represented Lucas Oil Products during numerous events at the legendary facility. Lucas Oil Raceway conducts racing events from March to November on a .686-mile oval, a 2.5-mile road course and the historic drag strip. Premiere events include weekly drag races, championship events on the oval, as well as sled-pulls, autocross and drifting competitions at venue. The historic drag strip also hosts the world’s most prestigious drag race, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals held annually over Labor Day weekend.
 
“Lucas Oil Products is a world class company and its full line of products are well known to the racing community,” said Randy Simpson, general manager of Lucas Oil Raceway. “This extension will allow the facility to build upon our successful promotions and continue to present top flight events for fans who visit the facility from around the globe.”
 
“We are very pleased to announce the extension of our naming rights relationship with the Lucas Oil Raceway facility in Indianapolis,” says Lucas Oil COO, Tom Frederickson. “The NHRA and the entire drag racing community have always been an integral part of Lucas Oil motorsports marketing programs. Lucas Oil Raceway is a premier facility that will continue to give us even more opportunities to promote drag racing and develop new business relationships throughout the Indianapolis area.”        
 
The multiyear agreement continues the involvement Lucas Oil Product’s has with NHRA. The company is the primary sponsor of one NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event, the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals, Aug. 18-21 in Brainerd, Minn. Lucas Oil also provides primary sponsorship to several stars in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel drivers Richie Crampton and Morgan Lucas, and Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors Hector Arana and Hector Arana Jr. Lucas Oil Products is also partners with John Force Racing as well as legendary Top Fuel racer Chris Karamesines.  In addition, the company is the series sponsor of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and provides sponsorship support to many teams competing in that series.