At last year’s PRI Show, NASA (National Auto Sport Association) announced an exciting and innovative new racing series debuting in 2016. The NASA Prototype (NP) Series features the NP01, an all-new closed-cockpit, prototype-style race car developed by Georgia-based Élan Motorsports.
 
The announcement drew tremendous interest, and Élan Motorsports quickly filled its initial production run. NASA and Élan expect interest to grow as the first NP01 customers receive and start campaigning their new NP01s, so additional production planning is underway. 
 
What makes this series unique is that it features a purpose-built, closed-cockpit, prototype-style race car in a spec series designed to offer the best bang-for-the-buck, cost-effective road racing experience.

Racing veterans know Élan Motorsports is owned by motorsports icon Don Panoz, who founded the American Le Mans Series and Panoz Motor Sports Group, and is the man behind many memorable race cars. The Panoz Esperante GTR-1 race car and street car, the Esperante LMP-1 Roadster S, the Esperante GTLM, and the open-wheel Panoz G-Force and Élan DP01 race cars that raced in the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series, respectively, are just a few examples.

What makes the new NASA NP Series such an exciting prospect is that it features a race car with enormous added value. Each purpose-built NP01 race car comes equipped with nearly everything to go racing, including:

• A sealed two-liter, 185-hp dry sump Mazda MZR engine coupled to a six-speed sequential Sadev transmission
• An AIM Sports MXL2 digital dash/data acquisition system 
• MCS two-way adjustable pro-level racing shocks 
• A completely locked AEM Infinity ECU system, ensuring all series competitors remain on a level horsepower playing field
• A downforce-producing aero body work design that lets owners cost-effectively replace body panels

Less than 24 hours after claiming the fourth Verizon IndyCar Series championship of his career, Scott Dixon was officially minted as the 2015 series champion.

Dixon, who won the 2015 crown with a come-from-behind win at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 30, was honored along with other drivers, teams and manufacturers during the Verizon IndyCar Series Championship Celebration at the Nob Hill Masonic Center in downtown San Francisco.

Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., parent of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, presented Dixon and team owner Chip Ganassi with a $1 million championship bonus check and replicas of the Astor Challenge Cup, the Verizon IndyCar Series’ championship trophy.

“I’m fortunate to drive in INDYCAR and with this team for 14 years,” Dixon said. “With the depth of the competition, winning a championship in INDYCAR is challenging and gratifying. It’s all the small pieces that you have to get out of the car, and this year especially with the introduction of the aero kits. As a team, I think we really do a good job. I couldn’t be prouder of the whole team’s efforts.”

In addition to the championship bonus, Dixon accepted the Jostens Champions Award, a ring valued at $10,000. He also won the Sunoco Diamond Performance Award and its $75,000 prize for winning the most races.

Blair Julian, chief mechanic for Dixon’s No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, accepted the Verizon IndyCar Series Chief Mechanic of the Year Award. Scott Harner and Barry Wanser accepted the Team Manager of the Year Award.

Gabby Chaves of BHA with Curb-Agajanian accepted the $50,000 Verizon IndyCar Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, Graham Rahal claimed the $25,000 TAG Heuer “Don’t Crack Under Pressure Award” for advancing the most cumulative places during the season. Will Power won the Verizon P1 Award for scoring the most points among pole winners, Ryan Hunter-Reay claimed the “Drive to the Finish” Award and the late Justin Wilson was voted favorite driver by Verizon IndyCar Series fans.

Jim Campbell, Chevrolet’s vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports, accepted the manufacturer’s award on behalf of Chevrolet.

Juan Pablo Montoya of Team Penske was honored as the second-place finisher in the championship while his teammate Power was honored for finishing third.

Verizon IndyCar Series award winners:

Championship driver (Astor Challenge Cup): Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams


Jostens Championship Driver Award (ring): Dixon


Championship team (Astor Challenge Cup): Chip Ganassi Racing Teams


Championship team sponsor: Target


Championship team manager: Scott Harner and Barry Wanser, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams


Chief Mechanic of the Year Award: Blair Julian, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams


Sunoco Diamond Performance Award ($75,000): Dixon


Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award ($50,000): Gabby Chaves, BHA with Curb-Agajanian


TAG Heuer “Don’t Crack Under Pressure” Award ($25,000): Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan


“Drive to the Finish” Award: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport


Verizon P1 Award: Will Power, Team Penske


Second place championship driver: Juan Pablo Montoya, Team Penske


Second place championship team: Team Penske


Third place championship driver: Power


Third place championship team: Team Penske


Manufacturers Championship: Chevrolet


Dan and Susie Wheldon “Make a Difference” Award ($1,000 charitable donation): Denise Titus, INDYCAR Medical


Verizon IndyCar Series Fan Favorite Driver: Justin Wilson, Andretti Autosport

At the end of August, it may seem like a good while before the start of the 31st annual Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout, but ask any team, and they’ll tell you it’s crunch time to get everything lined up for the annual trek to take on the Tulsa Expo Raceway inside the River Spirt Expo Center.

Happening December 30, 2015 through January 2, 2016, the biggest New Year’s Party in all of Motorsports will see no change to the classes competing but instead, will see the 1,200cc Mini Sprints expand into a Winged and Non-Wing division.

“We’ve been getting a consistent number of drivers in the 1,200cc Mini Sprints, but it hasn’t grown in over the past five years like the other divisions have,” said Shootout Director Matt Ward. “We talked with several drivers, and one of the things we were told that keeps some teams from participating, is unlike the Micro divisions where you can run the same car in four classes, the 1,200 limits you to that class so unless you are able to bring a second car, or find a ride, your whole weekend consists of four races.

“We’re always looking at ways to make the event better and smoother and right now, we are just tweaking a few things to see what effect it has and go from there. We want to be fair to the drivers who continually support the Shootout because without them, this event wouldn’t be what it is today.”

With the change in the lineup for the 1,200cc Mini Sprints, Deming Speedway owner and promoter, Paul Lemley, has signed on as the tech inspector for the 1,200’s at the 2016 Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout. Officials are working with Paul on the current rules to make sure everything comes together seamlessly. A press release concerning the rules package will be released in the coming weeks.

Classes for the 31st annual Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout will include:

• Winged Outlaw

• Non-Winged Outlaw

• “A” Class Winged

• “A” Class Non-Winged

• “A” Class Restricted

• Junior Sprints

• 1,200cc Non-Winged Mini Sprints

• 1,200cc Winged Mini Sprints

• ECOtec/Ford Focus Midgets

Chris Green, Marco Cirone and Orey Fidani clinched Drivers’ Championships in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin with smooth, composed drives to the podium Sunday in the season finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Scott Hargrove, Cirone and Michael de Quesada won the season-ending round 10 in the Platinum Cup, Platinum Masters and Gold Cup classes, respectively.

Green earned his first Platinum Cup championship in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche in his third full season in the class. Green held off Daniel Morad by five points, 170-165.

“It’s here,” Green said. “It hasn’t really hit yet. There was so much hard work by the Pfaff guys, Castrol backing us 100 percent all season. My entire team is all full-time employees of Pfaff, except for my engineer and chief mechanic, and everybody has given their 110 percent this year. So the least I could do was bring home the championship for them this year.

“I’m so proud of them, so proud of everybody involved, from (Pfaff owner) Chris Pfaff all the way down to the people taking care of my tires. Everybody has such an important role in this series, for myself and for Orey. We’re on cloud nine right now.”

“After an intense season, Chris Green has proven that he had what it takes to win the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin championship for 2015,” said Alexander Pollich, president & CEO, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. “His victory caps an exciting racing weekend after our brand’s first and second place in LMP1 and GTE Pro classes at the 6 Hours of Nurburgring. Congratulations to Chris and all the drivers.”

Cirone won the Platinum Masters championship for the third consecutive season in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. He beat Tim Sanderson to the crown, 196-180.

“I’m so happy,” Cirone said. “This is our third in a row, and I can’t thank my team, Mark Motors Racing, enough. They always give me a great car to drive.”

Fidani won the Gold Cup title by just two points, 170-168, in the No. 13 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche over fellow series rookie Michael de Quesada.

“I’m just ecstatic, overly excited,” Fidani said. “I didn’t really expect this coming into the beginning of this year. But, hey, hard work and driving smart pays off. This series was everything I thought it would be and probably a little bit more.”

Alegra/Porsche Centre Oakville Motorsports won the Platinum Cup Team Championship in the first year of its partnership, edging Pfaff Motorsports, 174-170. The results were reversed in the Gold Cup Team Championship, with Pfaff taking the title in its second season as an independent team, 172-168, over Alegra/Porsche Centre Oakville Motorsports.

Hargrove surrendered his 2014 Platinum Cup title to Green on Sunday, but he finished a dominant season with his sixth consecutive victory and seventh win in eight starts this season in the No. 25 OpenRoad Racing Porsche. Hargrove missed the first two rounds of the season before rejoining the series in June starting at round three in Toronto.

Pole sitter Hargrove held off Morad in the early laps and then pulled away from the field in the 45-minute race. He beat Morad to the checkered flag by 10.901 seconds.

“It was a great race,” Hargrove said. “We made some adjustments again. We were quick yesterday, but we felt like we could be a little quicker today, too. So we made some adjustments to the OpenRoad Porsche, and it was fantastic.

“At the start, Daniel was pushing really hard. I think he wanted to get out in front, so he gave me good pressure for the first couple of laps. I definitely had to fend him off. But after that, it was smooth sailing and just kind of a Sunday drive, literally on a Sunday.

“I’m really, really enjoying driving these Porsches.”

Morad earned his ninth podium finish of the season in the No. 22 Alegra/Porsche Centre Oakville Motorsports entry. He held off Green by .333 of a second at the finish.

“I’m a little disappointed it’s the last race,” Morad said. “It was so much fun all season, having the comeback season after four years out of the car. It feels really good to close that one out and also get the Team Championship for Porsche Centre Oakville and Alegra Motorsports in our first season as a partnership.

“Man, it was a tough race. Chris was quicker than me at the halfway point, and I saw him closing in more and more, lap by lap, and going down the Andretti Straight where I saw his roof at first, then the headlights, then the whole bumper. So he put me under a lot of pressure at the end, but I knew he would be intelligent about it. It was the last race, and he was going for a championship. I figured he wouldn’t go for the pass because he didn’t need to. All he needed to do was finish behind me. So well done to Chris. A well-deserved championship.”

An industry leader and digital publisher of 12 premier automotive magazines and comprehensive video production services, Power Automedia announces the appointment of Evan Griffey as its new editor of Revved magazine.
 
Griffey, a native Californian and current resident of Washington State, has been in the publishing industry for 25 years. In his tenure, Griffey has worked as an automotive journalist, editor, creative director and publisher.
 
“I look forward to reconnecting with the people and the cars I love to be around,” Griffey said. “With Revved magazine, I hope to tap into the verve and zeal that defines the passion people have for the sub-culture and the high-performance market.”
 
Launched in November 2014, Revved magazine revolutionized a new trend in digital publishing to deliver relevant sport compact content. Featuring high-impact photography and videos ranging from 1970s classics to the latest and most popular tuner vehicles, Revved lives and breathes the tuner lifestyle.
 
“I used to read Turbo magazine as an enthusiast in the 90s and in my opinion, was the best sport compact publication that ever existed,” said Mark Gearhart, editorial director at Power Automedia. “We are very excited to have Evan’s 20-plus years of sport compact experience on Revved.”
 
Power Automedia currently produces video for automotive industry companies and publishes 12 automotive performance and truck magazines that reach more than 1.6 million readers per month.

Chevrolet, which won 10 of the 16 Verizon IndyCar Series races, claimed the Manufacturers Championship for the fourth consecutive season.

Chevrolet re-entered Indycar competition as an engine supplier in 2012. This year, Chevrolet and fellow supplier Honda took on the additional role of developing and supplying manufacturer-specific aerodynamic bodywork packages for road/street courses/short ovals and superspeedways for the Dallara IR-12 chassis used by all Verizon IndyCar Series teams.

Drivers utilizing its aero road/street course/short oval aero kit, which complements the 2.2-liter, direct-injected V6 twin-turbocharged engine, reset track records in qualifying for six races.  
 
“Our fourth consecutive Manufacturers Championship is the result of consistent preparation, teamwork and execution by our Chevrolet teams, drivers and technical partners,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports for Chevrolet. “Together, we focused on delivering strong engine and aero performance all season long.”

Manufacturers earn points toward the championship at each race based on the positions of each of their top-three finishers. They earn bonus points for winning the Verizon P1 Award, leading the most laps and for each engine that reaches its 2500-mile threshold before being changed out. Points are reduced for engines that fail to reach the 2500-mile minimum.

“We’d like to congratulate Chevrolet on clinching the 2015 Manufacturers Championship and to thank Honda for its resilient competition throughout the season,” INDYCAR vice president of technology Will Phillips said. “The Chevrolet IndyCar V6 has had a strong and consistent performance this season, which has been reflected by success on the racetrack in both race finishes and engine durability.

“We made adjustments to how points were scored in the Manufacturers Championship this year, which accurately reflected Chevy’s strong performance throughout the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season, highlighted by a win in the Indianapolis 500.”

Chevrolet’s race wins consisted of three by Team Penske (Juan Pablo Montoya two, Will Power one), three by Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (Scott Dixon), two by CFH Racing (Josef Newgarden) and two by KVSH Racing (Sebastien Bourdais). Team Penske collected 11 Verizon P1 Awards this season, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams earned two and CFH Racing one.

The expansion of MAVTV Motorsports Network continues with the launch of 6 new National Cable Television Co-op members since June, bringing the total carriage of MATV by NCTC members to 137 throughout the United States. MAVTV's newest distribution partners include Harlan Municipal Utilities, Walnut Telephone Co., Suddenlink Communications, Windstream, RS Fiber Cooperative and Fibrant.
 
"We are continually impressed with the influence that motorsports fans are having with their local TV providers in getting MAVTV added to their TV line-ups," said Bob Patison, President of MAVTV.  "As we continue to deliver high quality and unique programming options, our fans and our distribution partners continue to respond."

MAVTV is a television with its roots deep in the automotive world. In addition to its automotive build shows like Full Custom Garage, Gearz and Chop Cut Rebuild, MAVTV offers viewers prestigious racing events across all genres of motorsports, including live pro motocross, drag boats, sprint boats, pro pulling, international rally racing, drifting, dirt track racing, sprint cars, off-road and everything in between.
 
MAVTV is also currently available on Verizon, DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter, Bright House, Cablevision, Suddenlink, Google Fiber and many others.

National Performance Warehouse (NPW) has announced the completion of its fourth acquisition for 2015. NPW has purchased the Lorin Peck Tool Co. of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lorin Peck is one of the oldest and largest tool and equipment warehouses in Utah. The company was started in 1928 and was a MAC Tool distribution center until the 1970s. The company expanded into a wide selection of popular tool brands and was a pioneer for lines such as Vise Grip, Channel Lock and Diamond Horseshoe.

The Lorin Peck operations will be merged into the modern National Auto Parts Warehouse facility in West Valley City, Utah. This acquisition adds to the diversity of NPW’s product offerings and opens another vein of new customers for the company.

Grainger Peck, a son of the founder and president, when asked about the sale commented, “Our family has run the business for a long time and was happy to find NPW—another family run business that would continue servicing our customers and carry on the legacy and goodwill we have built. We are glad we made this connection.”

“People ask me if I am moving to Utah as it seems all our efforts are there,” said Larry Pacey, president and CEO of NPW. “I can only say that we are looking at Texas and the Midwest and we want to be and need to be in those markets. As we say, ‘If we find the right fit,’ and Lorin Peck, another fine, family owned business, was a good fit for the Utah operation. They are great people with a great reputation. We expect to continue building on their foundation.”

NPW now operates from 12 locations in the U.S and Canada. The company distributes more than 650 lines of traditional, performance, truck, chemical, engine and tool and equipment lines.

The Performance Warehouse Association (PWA) has announced its newly elected board members for the term of 2016-2017.

Newly elected board members are:

Andy McJannett, Performance Improvements

PWA Chairman-Elect

McJannett is currently serving his second term on the PWA Board and is a passionate advocate for the industry, our association and PWA members.

Rodney Bingham, 1st Performance Warehouse

PWA Board Member

Bingham was elected to serve a second term on the PWA Board. Bingham grew up in this industry and his priority is making sure this great industry is around for future generations.

Paul Van Woensel, Engine & Performance Warehouse

PWA Board Member

Woensel will enter into his third term as a PWA Board member. He intends to stay focused on the things that PWA can best accomplish to help the warehouse distributor.

Roger Goyette, National Performance Warehouse

PWA Board Member

Goyette was a former PWA director. He feels PWA’s greatest strengths are the integrity of its members and the PWA Conference. Goyette looks forward to once again serving on the PWA Board.

PWA President Tracie Nunez stated that this is an exciting time for PWA members. “Andy McJannett brings enthusiasm and relevance to the board as the next chairman-elect. PWA continues to have strong leadership, with Rodney Bingham and Paul Van Woensel continuing their service and Roger Goyette returning as a director,” said Nunez. “They all understand PWA’s history and vision for the future while embracing today’s changing business climate.”

Local motorsports professionals and those in town for last month’s Knoxville Nationals joined PRI at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum on Friday, August 14, for our annual Manufacturers Luncheon. Dozens of race industry members enjoyed a festive atmosphere on the second floor of the Hall of Fame facility, where they were treated to a catered BBQ lunch supplied by local favorite The Rib Shack. In attendance were representatives from World Racing Group, EMI, Rod End Supply, Speedway Motors, Pro Shocks, MAVTV, HMS, CHE Precision, Kear’s Speed Shop, Pro Shocks, National Speedway Directory SuperFlow, RacingJunk.com, Weld Racing Wheels, Xtreme Racing Products, MagTech, and more. As always, we’d like to extend a special thank you to NSCHoF’s Bob Baker and his staff for hosting the event and rolling out the red carpet. A truly great time was had by all!