Racing industry professionals can now help raise funds for a great children's charity and enter for a chance to win a drag race engine built by Reher-Morrison.

The annual Engine Charity Sweepstakes—a highlight of each year’s Performance Racing Industry Trade Show—is once again being organized by Sunnen Products Company, and raffle tickets for this year’s sweepstakes can be purchased online now until Sunday, December 6, 2015, or during Show hours on the PRI Trade Show floor, at the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes booth in Machinery Row.

All proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets for the grand prize race engine are donated to Victory Junction. Founded in 2004 by NASCAR’s Petty Family, Victory Junction is a year-round camping facility in Randleman, N.C., for children ages six to 16 with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

Click here to purchase tickets now!

Engine Specs:

* Reher-Morrison 583ci Big Block Chevrolet Racing Engine
* Complete Engine Dyno Tuned and Tested
* 1,200 Horsepower and 880 Ft/Lbs of Torque
* Valued at $25,000

Additional ticket information: For online ticket purchases, a confirmation will be sent via email upon completion of the transaction. Actual printed tickets will be kept on file with Sunnen Products Company for future verification, if necessary. Ticket stubs will then be added to the drawing at the 2015 PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana. You do not need to be present to win. The Engine Charity Sweepstakes winner will incur all shipping costs of transporting the engine from the Indiana Convention Center.

The Hoosier 37-190F45 RS tire has taken over as the official tire of the CARS Tour with its debut in competition coming at Concord Speedway on August 29. The new tire will be used on both left and right sides, and utilized by both Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Model machines.

Tire testing to help design a tire specific to the CARS Tour for years to come will take place in the coming weeks, with hopes of debuting the new tire at the season finale on November 1 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

“After much consideration for our competitors, fans, and the overall health of the tour, we felt this is a necessary change moving forward. Our competitors are more familiar with the Hoosier Racing Tire product line, and have been vocal about their desire to utilize it in competition,” explained Tour owner Jack McNelly. “With that said, I have to say that Scott Junod and the entire staff at American Racer have been nothing less than excellent to work with. Their efforts and hard work to help mold the CARS Tour in its initial stages speaks volumes about how valuable they are to the industry.”

The new Hoosier 37-190F45 RS tire being utilized on the CARS Tour will be exclusively available at MTP Tire located at Hickory Motor Speedway beginning August 6. Competitors can contact Kevin Piercy with MTP Tire directly at 828/217-0002 to select tires.

For more information on the new CARS Late Model Stock Tour and CARS Super Late Model Tour, visit www.carsracingtour.com.

Aspiring drivers have one month left to apply for the 2015 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Combine. Young drivers of ethnically diverse backgrounds and females must submit their online application by Sept. 4 in order to be considered for the 12th Annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity (D4D) Combine, Oct. 19-21 at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia. A select number of applicants will have the opportunity to compete for a spot in the 2016 NASCAR D4D class in partnership with Rev Racing.

Each year the NASCAR Drive for Diversity initiative and its competition arm, Rev Racing, seek to obtain the highest quality of applicants representing diverse backgrounds and develop them into successful NASCAR drivers. Combine participants will be evaluated on their driving skills and will also be tested on a series of strength and agility exercises at Hampton University.

"We are very excited to see the applicant pool this year," said Max Siegel, owner of Rev Racing. "The talent level continues to increase every year. We have had great success with this program and we will continue to train and place as many drivers as possible into the national series."

The NASCAR D4D Combine – being held at Langley for the fifth consecutive year – has been the proving ground for several current NASCAR national series drivers, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson, and NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suarez.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

Be a female or member of one or more of the following ethnic minority classifications:

Black or of Black African descent, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian, Alaskan, of Native/Indigenous descent, two or more races (not Hispanic or Latino); or all persons who identify with more than one of these races

Be at least 15 years of age, but no older than 26 years of age as of October 15th of the present year

Be legally eligible to work in the United States; drivers from foreign countries are welcome to apply. If the applicant is not already a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident alien, then the applicant must be legally capable of traveling to the designated location in the United States to participate in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine. Applicants must also be able to obtain necessary authorization to accept employment in the United States if selected to participate in the D4D program.

The deadline to be considered for the 2015 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine is September 4, 2015. Potential drivers can access the participant application online at http://revracing.net/combine-application.

Drivers can have the ability to update their résumés multiple times before the combine submission deadline through an "Update Your Submission Link" located on the application page. Additional information and criteria can be found on supplied link.

Support and technical assistance for the application process is available by emailing info@revracing.net.

Derrick Beach, a well-known PDRA and NHRA announcer, has assumed the position of Senior Vice President of Marketing with the Professional Drag Racers Association.

Beach joined the PDRA as a commentator for the 2015 season, having worked alongside veteran announcer Brian Olson. An Ohio native, Beach is working toward a degree in accounting and sports marketing from the Ohio State University and has cut his teeth at his own Beach Marketing Solutions company.


“The PDRA has a really good brand,” said Beach. “It’s the fastest eighth mile drag racing series in the world. So there’s nothing else like what we’re doing. We’re the only family-based organization in drag racing. We can relate to every single person that comes through the gate because they are families, and they bring their family to the race track. Our organization is run by families. So we have a pretty unique brand to market.”



At the top of his list of objectives is building brand awareness for the budding organization. 



"We also want to make it more of an interactive fan experience for the fans that come to our events," he added. "I want to do something during the downtime between third and fourth rounds…. Social media is big [too]. We’re going to work on that. We’re also going to take a look at ticket distribution in all the markets we go to. The overall goal is to get the PDRA to where it should be, and that is sold-out crowds at every race.



Beach has also mentioned block parties, featuring cars on display along with live music and activities.

"Not only does it bring business to the local town, but it draws attention to the PDRA and our event that weekend," he said. "We go to some of the same markets that NHRA goes to, and there’s no doubt in my mind we can’t get some of the same results that NHRA gets at their national events in the same markets. We want to improve our relationships with the chambers of commerce, cities, and towns in the markets we go to, as well.”


Beach further plans to build upon PDRA's online TV following to create a more substantial social media presence. “In today’s world, it doesn’t matter if you’re 10 years old or 50 something years old, everything is run by social media, by phones and tablets, the whole deal. So we have to really look at who we’re marketing to, the demographics and age groups we’re trying to appeal to. It goes back to ramping up our social media presence."

For more information, visit www.pdra660.com.

Mike Hill, better known as ‘The Hitman’ to his competitors, has been a standout in outlaw racing for years.

Hill now turns his attention to the Professional Drag Racers Association, and he has joined the organization’s team of promoters to help further PDRA's notoriety and success.

“I like the organization,” Hill said of the PDRA. “I love Pro Mod racing. This type of series has always been enjoyable to me, and I’m the type I like to give a helping hand if I can. I want to see this organization stick around.

"The PDRA has good owners," he continued. "It’s really good to see racers actually own the organization. For them it’s all about racing and having a good organization to race in rather than being worried about making money. I love it and I want to see it survive. I want to be a part of putting people in the stands.”

Hill was a longtime presence in the outlaw racing scene as it gained popularity among racers in the Southeast. And while his racing operation had success, the opportunity arose to team up with famed promoter George Howard. And Hill quickly found his second niche in drag racing.

“Racing was my biggest hobby,” he told. “Why not take something you love and try to make a living off of it? I started doing promotions around 2000 working with George Howard at Huntsville Dragway. We put on a race for Outlaw 10.5 with $20,000 to win. We started from there, putting up big money for Outlaw 10.5 cars and it just grew.”


Since then Hill has promoted some of the country’s biggest outlaw events, including the $90,000 Pro Mod race at Carolina Dragway in 2009.

Hill currently tunes George Williams’ 1968 Tommy Mauney Camaro. Williams plans to debut a second car later this year that his son, Scoot, will pilot. Besides tuning and working with PDRA promotions, Hill will continue his usual promotional events, such as his Battle of the Big Dogs event October 9-10 at Carolina Dragway.

And while Hill was a racer first, he has hung up his helmet in order to focus on promotion and tuning.

“I love what I’m doing,” Hill continued. “I get a similar thrill out of tuning. I see the cars I tune go out there and do good, and I’m just as happy as if I were driving. I hope that my fans, followers and supporters will continue following us through the PDRA.”



Longtime Pirelli World Challenge team C360R (Compass360 Racing) recently announced further 
expansion of its Audi racing program to include an Audi TT-RS in the series’ GTS class.



The new No. 78 car will be helmed by current C360R driver Paul Holton, with support from partners AERO Advanced Paint Technology, Spyder apparel and Audi Sport customer racing. As they have for the past five years, the team and driver will fly the colors of their charity of choice, the Children’s Tumor Foundation.


The move to GTS builds on the team’s growing relationship with Audi, which officially started on track at Sebring, Florida, in March with the launch of their new CTSC ST-class Audi S3 program, and expanded with the recently debuted Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship. The TT-RS will first compete at the penultimate race of the 2015 World Challenge season, at Sonoma Raceway August 29-30, and will also be at the season finale at Laguna Seca.



034 Motorsport will serve as technical partners for the program, with the 034 shop in Fremont, California, serving as home base for the two final West Coast rounds and Christian Miller being tapped to lead the squad.


Like the team’s other Audis, the new TT-RS will be clothed in a livery featuring AERO paint. No. 78 will carry the Children’s Tumor Foundation logo, and will serve as one of the featured cars on the charity’s paddock tour at each race.

While the team begins testing the new TT-RS in the coming weeks in advance of its first race, the team will continue to field its championship-winning Honda Civic Si’s in TCA, with the next race being at Mid-Ohio on August 15-16.

ATI Performance Products, Inc. has announced the inaugural “Jim Beattie Stock / Super Stock Memorial Race” to honor its late founder, James Beattie, Sr.

The “Jim Beattie Stock / Super Stock Memorial Race” will be held during the NHRA Division 1 LODRS event at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, on August 14–16, 2015.

Open to racers in the Stock and Super Stock classes, ATI Performance Products will award $1000 to the winner or highest finisher with an automatic transmission package in each class. The award is not contingent on the use of ATI products, but racers must display the Jim Beattie Memorial Decal throughout the entire event, and all other contingency requirements will apply.

Beattie, who passed away on March 27, 2015, at age 73, was an avid race fan, inventor and mechanical genius. After serving in the US Navy, he opened a modest general transmission rebuilding business that has grown over the years into a renowned high-performance parts manufacturer. ATI now produces race transmissions, torque converters and high-performance components used by racers throughout the world.

For more information, visit ATI’s website at www.atiracing.com.

On the eve of the Knoxville Nationals, the approximately $7.4 million Knoxville Raceway expansion project has been put on hold by the Marion County Fair Board and General Manager Brian Stickel has resigned in protest.

The plan includes a four-story building on the southwest corner of the track, and would include 50 to 60 suites. The Iowa Legislature passed a bill during the 2014 session that would provide for the rebate of state sales and use taxes of up to $2 million for the renovation.

Stickel told KNIA/KRLS News he has worked hard to promote growth at the raceway for 10 years and they were making progress, but he disagrees with the Board’s decision.

Fair Board President Dennis Haselhuhn says the Board voted to put the expansion on hold until the end of the fiscal year to see if the financials are in adequate order to allow for it.

Stickel was named the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll’s Promoter of the Year in 2013 and 2014. His resignation will take effect after the Nationals later this month.

NASCAR announced today that the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards -- and all of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week -- will return to Las Vegas in 2015 as part of a renewed partnership with the destination. The agreement ensures that Las Vegas will continue hosting the week-long celebration, offering fans and industry members a chance to see the sport’s stars and congratulate the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards will headline NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week at Wynn Las Vegas on December 4, 2015. The 16th annual DAYTONA Rising / NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum, hosted by SportsBusiness Journal, will kick off NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week festivities at The Mirage on December 1-2.  

"We've had a great experience in Las Vegas and are very pleased to extend our partnership with the city," said NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps. "Las Vegas has consistently set the stage for a vibrant, exciting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week, when the sport looks back on the season and toasts its newest Champion."

NASCAR began hosting its premier series awards show in Las Vegas in 2009 following a 28-year run in New York City. Since then, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and Champion's Week has hosted events at over 30 venues along the famous Las Vegas Strip, drawing the sport's top drivers and an assortment of high-profile musical and celebrity guests.

"We are thrilled that NASCAR and Las Vegas will continue their strong and successful partnership as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week return for the seventh year," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "Each year this event gets bigger and better, and Las Vegas provides the ultimate backdrop to this unrivaled experience in the most exciting city in the world."

For the first time, the DAYTONA Rising / NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum will expand to a third day and make its debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, providing sports industry executives a first-look at the newly completed DAYTONA Rising project. The DAYTONA Rising / NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum has established itself as the premier event where thought leaders both in and out of the racing community gather to discuss, debate and share insights that impact the future of racing. Registration is required at www.MotorsportsMarketingForum.com, and more details on the agenda will be shared in the weeks and months ahead.

"We're very happy to expand our 2015 NASCAR Motorsports Marketing program to include a Daytona component on February 17, given how much excitement there is surrounding the DAYTONA Rising project," said Richard Weiss, Publisher of SportsBusiness Journal. "It's a win-win combination for attendees who will join in our December Motorsports Marketing Forum discussions in Las Vegas who will now also be able to get an insider's perspective on the Daytona International Speedway project."

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards will air on NBCSN beginning at 9 p.m. ET. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the awards show live at 8 p.m. ET.

Champion, a recognized leader in racing and performance lubricants, will be the title sponsor of the Williams Grove National Open sanctioned by the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on October 1, 2 and 3, 2015, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
 
The Champion Racing Oil National Open is an event with more than 50 years of history that includes the biggest names in motorsports competing at half-mile Williams Grove Speedway, one of dirt racing’s legendary venues.

Champion Racing Oils are built specifically to meet the lubrication demands of race, hot rod, classic and muscle car engines, especially those using flat tappet and roller cams operating at high rpm's and requiring high-pressure valve springs. To meet these demands, Champion utilizes its premium ZDDP anti-wear protection package, which contains a unique balance of chemistry that includes high levels of zinc and phosphorus.

Champion Oil is a globally recognized industry leader in specialty lubricants for over 59 years. Champion also produces and blends over 350 products including fuel, oil, engine additives, and lubricants for the racing, automotive, heavy truck, agricultural, industrial, and specialty markets.

For more information, visit www.championbrands.com.