The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) (the "Company") (www.IHRA.com) announced that the IRG Sports + Entertainment (IRGSE) Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Company has appointed Skooter Peaco as Interim President of the Company effective immediately.

Peaco replaces Scott Gardner, who resigned as President of the Company, effective as of the same date in order to pursue other interests.

Peaco possesses a deep knowledge of the Company's business, and he assumes his responsibilities as Interim President with the full support of the Board. Since 2003, Peaco has served as the Director of Racing Operations and, most recently, as the Vice President of Racing Operations at the IHRA.

The Board wishes Gardner well in his future endeavors and thanks him for his service over the past two years.

The Company also announced that a Search Committee within the Board of Directors has been created, which will oversee the process for the identification and selection of a permanent President. The Committee has been charged with selecting an experienced individual to take over as the permanent President, improve the performance of the Company and drive long-term growth for the Company upon a newly formed platform that will be announced in the fourth quarter of 2016. 

Additionally, the IHRA announced the revision to the 2016 National Schedule by reducing two national events; the current Baton Rouge, Louisiana, event on March 18-19 and Cordova, Illinois, June 2-4.  These are the only schedule changes to the 2016 National Schedule.

Motovicity Distribution, an automotive performance aftermarket distributor, is announcing the addition of CCW wheels to its line card.

CCW Forged Performance Wheels by WELD Racing offers domestically manufactured performance wheels for Sports Car and Pro-Touring cars, including two-piece and three-piece modular wheel designs for street and track applications.

“Motovicity was a logical distributor of CCW Forged Performance Wheels as exhibited by their commitment to employing ASE Certified sales specialists. Immersed in the street, strip, and road race markets, Motovicity is uniquely positioned to provide the knowledgeable sales consulting reputable dealers are looking for,” said Mike Mulcahy, VP of Sales at Weld Racing.

“Coveted by high-end enthusiasts and racers alike, CCW continues to prove itself both on and off the track,” said Brett Kinsfather, Motovicity Sales & Marketing Manager. “We are very proud to expand our lineup of performance wheels with CCW.”

CCW is now available for wholesale purchase through Motovicity Distribution. For product inquiries, call 888.SPEED.16 to speak to a representative.

Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and ATI Performance Products announced that ATI has renewed its ARCA Racing Series Performance Partners Program sponsorship for 2016.

"We are pleased to welcome ATI and their Super Damper products back to the ARCA family of corporate partners for 2016," said Mark Gundrum, Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Partnerships for ARCA. "When we partnered with Ilmor to build the next generation ARCA power plant, our first and only call for a Harmonic Balancer was to ATI for the Super Damper."
 
ATI Performance Products is a manufacturer of high-performance auto aftermarket components worldwide, from oval track stock car racing, to road racing, to drag racing. This past season, the ATI Super Damper was on 34 teams' engines built by Ilmor Engineering, Inc., and Super Damper equipped engines won 20 out of 20 races.
 
"After an extremely successful roll out of the ARCA Ilmor 396 engine that carries our ATI Super Damper, we felt that continuing our partnership with the series, and ultimately the teams was very beneficial," said ATI Chief Operating Officer and Head of Damper Development JC Beattie Jr. "The ARCA Racing Series offers the final stepping stone for the grassroots racers to make their way to the pinnacle of the circle track racing ladder. ATI Performance Products is proud to be associated with that along the way."
 
ATI will once again post per-race contingency awards and a year-end award during the 2016 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season.

The 2016 season began with ARCA open testing at Daytona on January 15 and 16. The 53rd annual Lucas Oil 200 on February 13 is live on FOX Sports 1, and serves as the show opener for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited Saturday night following the ARCA race.
 

Starting this year, the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series will use elimination-based playoff formats to determine their respective champions, just as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has done for the past two seasons.
 
According to NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France, the new approach not only builds on the resounding success of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but it also provides a training ground for drivers who ultimately will compete at NASCAR’s highest level.
 
"The idea is pretty simple," France said. "When we looked at how successful the format is with the Sprint Cup Series, and the fact that drivers trying to win a championship in those lower divisions are trying to come up to the Sprint Cup, we know the way to win in the future ... you've got to beat people, you’ve got to be winning, you've got to be in the crosshairs of elimination at any given moment.
 
"And that's how we want our young drivers, at a very early stage, to understand the latest in the competitive style of NASCAR. So no better way to do that than to have our championship formats consistent, and that's one of the main reasons we did that."

The Chase formats in the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series will feature seven races each and two elimination rounds before the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but beyond that, they diverge in format. The XFINITY Series Chase starts with 12 drivers, four of whom are eliminated after each three-race round, leaving four drivers to race for the title at Homestead.
 
As with the Sprint Cup Series, the highest finisher among those four drivers in the season finale is the champion.

In the Truck Series, eight drivers will qualify for the Chase, with two drivers eliminated after each three-race round, again leaving four competitors to run for the championship at Homestead.
 
In detailing the fine points of the two new formats, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said the new format in the two lower national touring series would go a long way toward eliminating "points racing," particularly in the championship race.
 
O'Donnell pointed out that Erik Jones won last year's Truck Series title by taking care of his equipment and finishing sixth in the finale, given that he had a large enough lead to play it safe at Homestead. By definition, that will change under the new playoff format.
 
"The culture we want in our sport is to go out there and win the race, and I think everybody here in this room knows Erik Jones is capable of that,” O’Donnell said. "And we're looking forward to seeing that type of racing when we get to Homestead in 2016, as well."

Chase formats aren't the only innovations, either.

O'Donnell also revealed that NASCAR will implement a "caution clock" in the Camping World Truck Series. If 20 minutes of green-flag racing pass without a caution, the yellow will fly as a competition caution.

O'Donnell also announced a change to the format of the popular Dash 4 Cash bonus program in the XFINITY Series. After knockout qualifying, drivers will compete in two heat races (similar in concept to the Daytona Duel races in the Sprint Cup Series) to set the order for the main event.

Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) and Dragway announces the hiring of public relations professional, Chris Lawyer as communications manager. Lawyer has worked with numerous forms of sports including motorsports, tennis and college athletics during his rising career.

As a member of the communications team, Lawyer will lead public relations efforts for Bristol Dragway and the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities. He also will assist in integrated strategy, development and execution for the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol as well as all Speedway and ancillary events.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Chris to our team as we gear up for our biggest year yet,” said Becky Cox, vice president of communications for Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway. “Having watched Chris in action, he has a thirst for knowledge, commitment to his work and a passion for Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway. That solid combination will enhance our guest and media services and complement our overall team efforts well.”

Lawyer comes to BMS following a two-year stint as Media Relations Manager at the National Hot Rod Association. In addition, Lawyer has held positions with Michigan International Speedway, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Ole Miss Athletics among others.

Lawyer grew up in Winston-Salem, N.C., and is a graduate of the University of Mississippi. He relocated to Tri-Cities, Tenn. in early January.

QA1 recently signed an agreement to sponsor NMRA’s True Street category, which is presented by Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords and takes place at each NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals event.

The company, located in Lakeville, Minnesota, has been a longtime supporter of the NMRA and Mustang racing across the country with its expanding line of shocks, suspension components, driveshafts, ball joints and other street/strip and race products, according to a statement.

“QA1 has always been proud to support NMRA drivers through contingencies over the years, and adding the NMRA True Street class to our sponsorship this year seemed like a great way to provide additional support to racers,” said Melissa Scoles, president.

QA1 True Street is one of the most popular classes in NMRA, attracting more than 120 competitors at most NMRA series events, the statement added.

“With guaranteed NMRA event coverage from Muscle Mustangs, QA1 True Street is the class for Mustang street performance enthusiasts,” said Steve Wolcott, co-founder of the NMRA. “QA1 is the perfect sponsor for True Street because they offer high-quality products for all levels of Mustang performance.”

True Street presents nine awards each race in the Aerospace Components winners circle showcasing a range of street performance.

“Based on our Mustang product line and the many drivers we work with, NMRA True Street seemed like a natural fit,” said Dave Goldie, QA1 drag & street product manager. “We’re excited to be a part of the program and supporting the Mustang racers.”

Day Motor Sports is hosting its 13th annual Super Show on January 23 in Tyler, Texas.

With over 50 manufacturing companies on hand and displaying products, Day Motor Sports wholesale customers can visit and learn about new items for the 2016 season, plus attend seminars put on by various companies.

Engine Pro has renewed its commitment to supporting automobile racing with its 2016 marketing partnership with the Must See Racing sprint car series.

Engine Pro president, Don Weber, said the decision to continue its relationship with MSR for a sixth year brings the performance engine parts manufacturer and distributor closely in line with the racing community where many of its parts and accessories are used.

“Must See Racing events are exciting to watch and are professionally presented,” Weber said. “The race schedule gives drivers and enthusiasts alike the opportunity to be exposed to the Engine Pro name and become more familiar with our products.”

The series in 2016 will compete and sanction 16 events in seven states at some of the most significant short tracks in the country, including Anderson Motor Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway and Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan, where the Engine Pro “Fast Car Slash” will be held August 20, according to MSR organizer, Jim Hanks.

Series events will be televised on MAVTV this year, and also be accessible through various online venues.

The British motorsports industry has delivered another successful year in 2015, celebrating and recognizing the achievements of the renowned supply chain at the Motorsport Industry Association's (MIA) annual Business Excellence Awards.

The event, which took place in Birmingham on Thursday, January 14, as part of the Autosport International Show, saw more than 500 guests from across the globe come together to recognize the achievements of the motorsports industry over the past 12 months.

The MIA Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Xtrac, was presented to Yorkshire-based sports car manufacturer Ginetta Cars for its outstanding business growth and 2015 return to Le Mans. The British company, now in its 58th year, employs 70 people and boasts four single-marque championships, featuring in excess of 70 cars across their respective grids.

"Ginetta Cars is a true British success story, producing innovative and ground-breaking cars, alongside thrilling race championships and extensive support for up and coming drivers,” said MIA’s CEO Chris Aylett. “With almost six decades' experience in the management, design and production of cars like the G40, G55 GT4 and GT3, Ginetta crafts many of its components on site in Leeds and is committed to supporting British motorsport.

"Taking an ambassadorial role,” he added, “Ginetta also operates on the global stage, with a presence across Europe, Asia, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, as well as North and South America. Indeed, the MIA Business Excellence Award recognises the company's global aspirations, with the 2015 debut of the Ginetta-Juno LMP3 in the European and Asian Le Mans Series. We offer our congratulations to the whole Ginetta team, who all thoroughly deserve this award."

The MIA Business Excellence Awards Dinner in association with Dell was attended by an audience of over 500 senior executives from the international motorsports business community.

First presented in 1995, the MIA Business Excellence Awards recognize excellence at all levels within the motorsports and high-performance engineering industry.

The 2015 winners, in the seven categories, were:

1 - MIA Service to the Industry Award (sponsored by Goodridge)
Winner: Jonathan Lee Recruitment

2 - MIA New Markets Award (sponsored by Dell / Intel)
Winner: Prodrive

3 - MIA Export Achievement Award (sponsored by Performance Racing Industry)
Winner: Hewland Engineering

4 - MIA Technology & Innovation Award (sponsored by Ricardo)
Winner: bf1systems

5 - MIA Teamwork Award (sponsored by Grainger & Worrall)
Winner: Bentley Motorsport

6 - MIA Business of the Year with annual sales under £5 million Award (sponsored by Lestercast)
Winner: Base Performance Simulators

7 - MIA Business of the Year with annual sales over £5 million Award (sponsored by Xtrac)
Winner: Ginetta Cars

South Boston Speedway senior vice-president Nick Idgalsky has announced that the 59-year-old four-tenths-mile short track will be kicking off a three-year capital improvement plan this year.

Idgalsky, who is also the chief operating officer of Pocono Raceway, which owns South Boston, released details of the plan which $1 million will be spent to provide updates to the NASCAR weekly racing venue.

The most significant project will be the complete repaving of the track’s racing surface following the 2016 season.

“I was very excited,” said Cathy Rice, speedway general manager. “It’s definitely much-needed, and I’m looking forward to seeing all the improvements completed.”

This will be the track’s first repave since 1993.

Part of the improvements include renovating the grandstands at the track as well. Rice says those grandstands that had been made of wood for so long will now become aluminum bleachers. Those renovations are ongoing, and Rice says they’ll be complete in time for the 2016 season opener on March 12.

Over the course of 2017 and 2018, years two and three of the plan, the speedway’s public address system will be overhauled along with the track lighting.

For fans, also coming in those years will be additional fan amenities including expanding the picnic area and updating the playground for children.

Also, in 2016 teams will have a set number of tires they’ll be able to use, and the track will give everyone competing $500 to buy them.