SEMA President & CEO Chris Kersting today commended U.S. Representatives Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) for introducing H.R. 5434, the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019 (RPM Act). The RPM Act of 2019 includes five other original sponsors: Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Bill Posey (R-FL), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), and Michael Burgess (R-TX). This bipartisan bill protects Americans’ right to convert street vehicles into dedicated racecars and the motorsports-parts industry’s ability to sell products that enable racers to compete.  

The RPM Act reverses the EPA’s interpretation that the Clean Air Act does not allow a motor vehicle designed for street use—including a car, truck, or motorcycle—to be converted into a dedicated racecar. This American tradition was unquestioned for nearly 50 years until 2015 when the EPA took the position that converted vehicles must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are no longer driven on public streets or highways.  

 
NHRA has announced the schedule for the 2020 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing series, featuring the NHRA Motorsports Museum’s Hot Rod Reunions. The series will feature thrilling racing action, highlighted by the crowd-pleasing, nitro burning Nostalgia Top Fuel dragsters and Nostalgia Funny Cars.

The 2020 season will begin at the Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet, March 5-8 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. The series will also make stops at Sacramento Raceway, Firebird Raceway, Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway, Beech Bend Raceway Park, and Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park.

The folks at Howards Cams are really excited about their Rattler series of Cams.

The new line, introduced recently, has been a hot item and John Steely, Manager at Howards Cams, is excited about what that brings to the racing community.

One of the more interactive booths at the PRI Show could be found at Aeromotive as the company not only featured their latest products and services, but had interactive displays that drew hundreds to push buttons and watch the products in action.

“Frankly, there are guys over there having more fun playing with the pumps than they would be driving the car that the pump is fueling,” said Kyle Fickler, Director of Business Development at Aeromotive. “It is an interactive display where guys can get in there and get immersed in the technology and it really brings it all to life.”

That display, which had lines of people waiting to watch and learn more about, is the new 7 gallon-per-minute and 10 gallon-per-minute true variable speed brushless fuel pumps, along with the 5 gallon-per-minute pump which was named the Best Product at the SEMA show in Las Vegas in November.

Nitro racer Gary Clapshaw, who once loaned his Spirit of Las Vegas dragster to Don Garlits for an attempt at running 300 miles per hour, has passed away.

Bill Simpson, an icon name in the safety industry, has died at 79, following a stroke.

Simpson, whose achievements include the development of the firesuit, and drag racing parachute, is credited with the implementation of Nomex as a critical material in creating fireproof equipment.

 A racer and a businessman, Paul Lee gets to see the best of both worlds.

On the racing side, the Funny Car competitor touched on his plans for the 2020 season and his hopes for one day possibly competing for a championship.

“We want to get out there and race a lot next year,” Lee said. “We have financing for 16 races so far and we are going to try to find the funding for the other eight with the goal to run the full 24 races and try to make the Countdown - and maybe more. I mean, if you aren’t trying to win a championship, why are you even out there?”

One of the busiest booths at the PRI Trade Show is always that of Holley Performance Products.

And that was once again the case at the 2019 show.

With the popular Pro Modified of 2019 NHRA Pro Mod champion Stevie “Fast” Jackson in the booth, fans and race industry professionals stopped in to see the latest at Holley, highlighted by a feature on the innovative MSD Pro 600 CDI, an innovative eight-channel capacitive-discharge ignition developed specifically for high-horsepower applications with extreme cylinder pressure and coil-near-plug engine-management systems.

The highly anticipated 2019 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 list was revealed during its annual press conference on Friday at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in Indianapolis. The 2019 DI 30 Under 30 list and its members are the focus of Drag Illustrated’s December Issue, No. 151, which includes standout bracket racers Gage Burch and Matt Dadas on the cover.

With a list featuring a strong contingent of talented young drivers, crew members, tuners, fabricators, track owners, media members and other drag racing insiders, the annual Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 selections continue to put a spotlight on the rising stars in the sport. The diverse group in 2019, which features prominent personalities from numerous classes, series and countries, was selected by a panel of Drag Illustrated staffers after reviewing thousands of nominations from the drag racing community that stemmed from the nomination process.

The Edelbrock booth was the center of attention Friday morning at the PRI Show as Don Barry, President and CEO of Edelbrock, joined with legendary engine builder Pat Musi in making a special announcement that drew dozens to the booth.

The announcement saw Edelbrock and Musi join forces in a unique and exciting collaborative effort that left the floor buzzing following the announcement.

Champion drag racer and legendary engine builder Pat Musi of Musi Racing Engines has been working with Edelbrock for nearly 20 years, developing high-horsepower nitrous oxide systems, EFI components, racing cylinder heads and complete crate engines in the Edelbrock line. For 2019, Edelbrock has enhanced its partnership with Musi Racing.