The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge third event of the 2018 season was held at the Summit Piston Powered AutoRama in Cleveland, Ohio, March 16-18. There eight teams from three states competed to qualify for the Dual National Championship held at the SEMA and PRI Shows later this year.

To qualify for the Dual National Championship, a team must finish disassembling and reassembling a small-block Chevrolet engine in less than 33 minutes, including penalties.

Three teams qualified. Coming in at fifth place was team Mr. Gasket, C D Hylton High School from Woodbridge, VA, with the run time of 30 minutes 31 seconds. In second place was Team Remflex, Franklin County Career & Technology Center from Chambersburg, PA, with the time of 21:02.

​The first-place team over all was team Vibrant Performance, Burton Center for Arts & Tech from Salem, VA, with a blistering time of 18:12.The IX Center also held the Junior Engines second year competition as part of this fantastic show. The experience allows individuals or teams comprised of two individuals with one team member being 5-18 years of age. Together they must completely disassemble and reassemble a complete single cylinder OHV engine, utilizing only basic hand tools. Some of the goals behind this contest are to help individuals develop great communication skills and self-esteem.

For additional information in starting a team or sponsorship opportunities, contact Rodney Bingham at RBingham@hotroddersoftomorrow.com or call at 815-722-5460.  [03/28/18]

You don’t have to live near Holley headquarters in Bowling Green, KY, to learn about Holley EFI. You can get the same training May 7-11 at EFI University in Lake Havasu City, AZ, right after LS Fest.

It’s the same curriculum (Tire 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3) taught by Holley’s Tom Kise. It’s also available in EFI University courses scheduled for Sept. 11-14 and Nov. 3-7. See the whole schedule at here. [03/28/18]

Don Hawk, who has served as senior vice president of business affairs for Speedway Motorsports, Inc. since 2014, has been named Chief Racing Development Officer for Speedway Motorsports, officials announced today.

The promotion, announced by Speedway Motorsports’ President and CEO Marcus Smith, is effective immediately. Bruton Smith’s Speedway Motorsports company owns Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Sonoma Raceway where drag racing is held, along with Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kentucky speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

In his new role, Hawk will oversee racing operations, including areas of racing development, innovation and competition across all racing series at the eight Speedway Motorsports facilities. He will be responsible for working with key stakeholders and industry representatives to create exciting and competitive racing for drivers and fans across a variety of motorsports racing series, including NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar, World of Outlaws, SCCA and more. Additionally, he will maintain his role as executive vice president for U.S. Legend Cars International, where he has worked for more than a decade to grow the grassroots racing series into an incubator for some of NASCAR’s rising stars.  (photo courtesy Speedway Motorsports Inc.) [03/28/18]

With a growing commitment to grassroots motorsports, E3 Spark Plugs has announced that the company has significantly increased its level of motorsports sponsorship for 2018. In addition to renewing their longstanding sponsorship of NMRA, NMCA and NHRA drag racing, E3 recently announced the title sponsorship for the NHRA Pro Mod drag racing series.

Other sponsorships that are being renewed for 2018 include title sponsorship of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League. E3 remains sponsor of three major Lucas Oil motorsports events: E3 Spark Plugs Off Road Nationals, the E3 Spark Plugs Lake Model Nationals, and the E3 Spark Plugs Drag Boat Nationals.  [03/28/18]

Keeping the next generation of drag racers healthy may be a little easier this year in the PDRA’s Junior Dragster classes. CoolShirt Systems and Gilbert Motorsports will sponsor Pro and Top Junior Dragster for this racing season.

For over 20 years CoolShirt Systems has been a leader in personal cooling systems. The technology that was developed to keep surgeons cool in the operating room has been translated into a range of industries.

“The company was established with a base in road racing,” explained Jeremy Ellis, CoolShirt Director of Motorsports. “I’ve been drag racing since I was 12 years old. So, when I was brought on in 2014, we started looking at how to expand our market into drag racing. We developed our Drag Pack System specifically for drag racing.”

Ellis recognized the need for CoolShirt in drag racing as a whole, but also knew the Junior population needs the technology more than most.

“Kids’ sweat glands are not fully developed, so they don’t sweat as much to keep their bodies cool like adults do. Kids are more susceptible to heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Once you have a heat stroke, your body never fully recovers. You’re always much more susceptible to it moving forward. So CoolShirt Systems are a preventative measure. But also, if you have had one, since your body never fully recovers, CoolShirt Systems can make up for what your body struggles to do well now.

“Our product covers the core of the body. Your heart and kidneys are the two main areas to keep cool in order to keep your body from adverse heat effects. The heart keeps blood pumping to the extremities and the brain. The kidneys affect bladder function and other things to help keep you alert. They work in tandem. As you get older, your basic organ functions slow down. That’s part of the reason heat can affect some people more as you age. This happens at different points for people, but usually at some point in their aging, people start to notice they don’t tolerate heat as well.

Ellis added, “Being able to sit in the car and stay cool will help your body react better, not only in safety, but also in performance.”

The first event for the PDRA is scheduled for April 5-7 at GALOT Motorsports Park, Benson, NC.   [03/28/18]

Fel-Pro Gaskets is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a schedule of customer-focused activities culminating in an industry and community open house on Saturday, July 21, at the Fel-Pro engineering, manufacturing and distribution complex in Skokie, IL.

Fel-Pro, founded in 1918 in Chicago, was acquired in 1998 by Federal-Mogul Motorparts. It is a worldwide manufacturer of replacement gaskets and sealing products for cars, truck, marine, performance, and severe-duty applications.   [03/28/18]