Compiled by SEMA Editors
 Dave McMullen of EnerSys presents Red Bull GRC driver Rhys Millen with an oversized check during the post-race presentation ceremony following last week's Red Bull GRC Las Vegas event. | |
2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross Driver Rhys Millen Receives Extreme ODYSSEY Performer Award, Bonus Check
ODYSSEY battery by EnerSys, an official battery of Red Bull Global Rallycross (Red Bull GRC), presented Red Bull GRC driver Rhys Millen with a bonus check in the amount of $40,000 as part of the Extreme ODYSSEY Performer contingency award program. Dave McMullen, director of commercial marketing for specialty and UPS markets at EnerSys, awarded Millen with an oversized check during the post-race presentation ceremony following the Red Bull GRC Las Vegas event, Wednesday, November 5. As an official battery sponsor of Red Bull GRC, ODYSSEY battery by EnerSys has granted the top three finishing drivers at each race with a cash bonus and points award through the Extreme ODYSSEY Performer contingency award program. Millen, the driver with the most points toward the award at the end of the season, received an additional bonus.
 The Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle leads the way in Las Vegas. Photo credit: Tanner Foust Racing | |
Rockstar Energy Drink Driver Tanner Foust Named Rallycross Fan Favorite
Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust received the Global Rallycross "fan favorite" award to cap a successful 2014 racing season, and says he is looking forward to more rallycross next year in the new Volkswagen Beetle. Last Thursday night's awards ceremony in Las Vegas marked the conclusion of the 10-stop 2014 Global Rallycross Championship.
Foust and his Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross teammate Scott Speed opened the GRC season in Barbados last May in a pair of Volkswagen Polo rallycross cars that had been previously campaigned in Europe. Foust earned his first GRC win of the season in the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Polo at Round 4 in New York and this September made the switch to the brand-new Volkswagen Beetle. He drove that car to its first heat race win on its Los Angeles debut.
The final race of the 2014 Global Rallycross season took place last Wednesday night in Las Vegas on a temporary track built outside The LINQ Hotel and Casino under the view of the High Roller observation wheel. For the first time, the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team brought out both of the team's new Beetles.
At last week's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Foust unveiled the Tanner Foust Racing Eneos RWB Beetle, which represents collaboration between the Volkswagen rallycross driver and famed Porsche tuners Rauh-Welt Begriff.
 Kobalt Tools Ford Fiesta ST driver Patrik Sandell battled hard in Las Vegas. Photo credit: Olsbergs MSE | |
Joni Wiman Wins Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship
Olsbergs MSE Ford driver Joni Wiman is the 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross champion. The Red Bull/Bluebeam Ford Fiesta ST driver emerged the winner in a tough championship battle that came down to a thrilling season finale in Las Vegas last Wednesday night. Wiman, who moved into the points lead after September's penultimate round, held off a trio of championship challengers on Wednesday to claim his first-ever Supercars title.
This year marked the rookie Wiman's first season of Supercars competition with Olsbergs MSE. A protégé of two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm, Wiman vaulted onto the rallycross scene last year with a dominant season in the GRC Lites category and was promoted into the top class of competition for 2014. He is the first Supercars driver ever to score the championship title and rookie of the year honors in the same season. It is the fourth-consecutive GRC title for the leading Olsbergs MSE Ford team, and the fourth series championship for manufacturer partner Ford.
International Drag Racing Hall of Fame 2015 Inductees Announced
The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame (IDRHOF), housed at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing (Ocala, Florida), has revealed its inductee class of 2015. This group marks the 25th anniversary of honoring significant individuals who contributed to the sport during their careers. The induction ceremony will take place in Gainesville, Florida, at the Paramount Plaza Hotel & Suites, Thursday, March 12, 2015, immediately preceding the NHRA Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals. Bob Frey will serve as the evening’s master of ceremonies.
The 2015 class of inductees is composed of a pair of Pro Stock legends, a colorfully successful Top Gas driver, two southeastern U.S. Funny Car drivers, a legendary crew chief and one of the legendary names of the Modified sportsman class. They include: Lee Edwards, the late Shirl Greer, Jerry Gwinn, Butch Leal, Bob Muravez, Bill Schultz, Jess Van Deventer and Dave Dunmore.
The honorees are selected by a committee of veteran drag racing and performance industry figures. The presenters will be named in the future.
 WELD Racing has announced a new partnership with Justin Pawlak for the 2015 race season. | |
WELD Racing Announces Partnership With Formula Drift Driver Justin Pawlak
WELD Racing has announced a new partnership with Justin Pawlak (JTP) for the 2015 race season. JTP has competed in the professional Formula Drift series for a number of years with increased success each season. Piloting a ’14 Ford Mustang, JTP is a vocal supporter of “made-in-the-U.S.A.” brands and believes in supporting those companies whenever possible.
JTP will continue to race his ’14 Ford Mustang in the 2015 Formula Drift series, as well as other events throughout the country. The car will feature 18-in. WELD S77 wheels in staggered widths to accommodate the massive horsepower from the Roush-Yates supercharged Ford Racing Coyote engine.