A variety of open-wheel race cars 

at the 2019 PRI show

The 2019 Performance Racing Industry trade show features every conceivable type of race car on display, but today we focus on short-track open-wheel cars 

Zeb Wise's USAC midget was at the Z-Max booth 

Justin Grant's NOS Energy midget was at the USAC Racing booth 

Logan Seavey's 2018 USAC Championship winning midget 

at the Mobil 1 oils booth. This Toyota-powered  car also won the 2018 

USAC car owner title  for Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb/Agajanian racing

This Toyota Racing Development winged sprint car at the 

Mobil 1 display was the focus of the TRD announcement 

of their development of an engine for the Word of Outlaws 

Kyle Steffens' USAC Silver Crown car 

in the Performance Plus Global Logistics booth.

Not only is P Plus his sponsor, Kyle is the Global Sales Director 

All photos by the author 

USAC 2019 national event schedules

The United States Auto Club (USAC) announced the 2019 event schedules for their three national series at the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis Indiana.  

NOS Energy Drink becomes the new title sponsor for the all-dirt national midget series, while AMSOIL remains the title sponsor of the all-dirt national sprint car series.  The Silver Crown series expands to twelve races for 2019 evenly split with six races each on dirt and pavement.

Mike McLish’s 1968 Camaro

At first glance a visitor might dismiss this wide, low 1968 Chevrolet Camaro on display in the Flowmaster Mufflers booth at the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) as just another Camaro. But this Camaro built for owner Mike McLish by the Cotati Speed Shop in Santa Rosa California really is unique.

While a custom Art Morrison frame with Corvette ZR-1 suspension parts Brembo brakes and Forgeline wheels is not all that unusual, the powerplant is what really sets this car apart. The engine is an all-aluminum fuel-injected Donovan 410-cubic inch block built by Gaerte Engines of Rochester Indiana that has a unique racing history. 

It was with this engine that Brian McLish (Mike’s son) won the sprint car portion of the 2012 Gerhardt Classic at Madera Speedway and the 2012 United States Auto Club (USAC) Western Classic Racing Series pavement title. 

The detuned 750-horsepower engine, which now runs on gasoline instead of methanol, is connected to a six-speed sequential gearbox and differential from Australia’s Holinger Engineering.

After the SEMA show, Mike McLish intends to use his all-steel Camaro which was on the cover of the December 2018 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine, in Ultimate Street Car Association event and for track days.   

All photographs by the author

   

Scenes from Willie Davis' memorial service

Famed racing mechanic Willie Davis passed away on April 16 2017, and his sister and daughters hosted a memorial service May 24th at the Brickyard Crossing. The author attended and exchanged some great stories about Willie at the service. The service also featured a large display of mementos and photographs from Willie's life and one table contained a collection Willie's trophies and plaques that documented his many accomplishments.

One table documented Willie's accomplishments with 

the City of Burbank streamliner at the Bonneville Salt Flats 

 All photographs by the author