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Racing News: Donna Garlits Honored at Recent USA-1 DragFest; Motovicity Distribution Announces 2019 Dates for The Never Lift Half Mile

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Donna Garlits
Donna Garlits was recently honored for her efforts to preserve, promote and perpetuate the heritage of drag racing as the general manager and CFO of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida.

Donna Garlits Honored at Recent USA-1 DragFest  

Donna Garlits—the youngest daughter of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits—was honored for her efforts to preserve, promote and perpetuate the heritage of drag racing as the general manager and CFO of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida, at Bruce Larson’s “USA-1 DragFest Presented by Drag Racing List” gathering, November 10, in Dauphin, Pennsylvania. She retired from the day-to-day management of the museum in 2017, but still retains the title of vice chairman of the board of directors. The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame’s 29th Annual Induction Banquet, on which Ms. Garlits worked to increase its visibility and importance, will be held Thursday, March 14, 2019, at the Wyndham Garden Hotel – Gainesville in Gainesville, Florida. Ticketing and other information are available by calling the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing toll-free at 877-271-3278.

Landon Simon
Landon Simon will switch to BMP’s black, green and blue No. 1 beginning this week at the Gateway Dirt Nationals.

Landon Simon Partners With Best Performance Motorsports for 2019 and Beyond

Reigning Lucas Oil WAR Wildcard Series champion Landon Simon will drive for Best Performance Motorsports in 2019. Simon, who has owned, operated and driven his familiar black, silver and blue LSR No. 24 with support from primary sponsor Mt. Baker Vapor for the past five years, will switch to BMP’s black, green and blue No. 1 beginning this week at the Gateway Dirt Nationals. The Best Performance Motorsports Super Late Model team based out of St. Marys, Ohio, has competed full-time with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series since 2016. The newly formed open-wheel team will operate out of Simon’s Indianapolis shop. A full Sprint Car schedule and additional Midget events will be released at a later date. The Gateway Dirt Nationals is held in The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri, and features the largest indoor dirt track in America, with a semi-banked 1/5-mile dirt surface.

Motovicity Distribution Announces 2019 Dates for The Never Lift Half Mile

The Never Lift Half MileThe Never Lift Half Mile race will take place April 27–28, 2019, in Coalinga, California.

Motovicity Distribution has announced that the dates for The Never Lift Half Mile race next year will be April 27–28, in Coalinga, California. The Never Lift Half Mile doesn’t have the usual ¼-mile limitations, and gives drivers an opportunity to open up, bringing speeds of more than 230 mph in 2018.  In addition, the competition has a cash payout for each of the class winners, totaling more than $38,000 in payouts. For more information, visit www.neverlifthalfmile.com.

SAMTech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown to Return in 2019

The SAMTech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown will return to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in 2019 and will expand to eight races during the year. The popular category will make inaugural visits to the Virginia NHRA Nationals in Richmond, Virginia, and the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kansas.

The SAMTech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown series will compete at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, the events in Richmond and Topeka, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, and will conclude at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals. Drivers will once again be competing for a year-end NHRA Wally based on all eight events counting toward the championship.

The 2018 SAMTech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown champion was Leah Pritchett, who raced to three consecutive wins in her Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak during the year.

2019 School of Automotive Machinists & Technology Schedule

  • March 14–17, Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, Florida
  • April 26–28, NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • May 17–19, Virginia NHRA Nationals, Richmond, Virginia
  • June 7–9, Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals, Topeka, Kansas
  • June 20–23, Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio
  • August 28–September 2, Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis
  • September 27–29, AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis
  • October 17–20, AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Dallas

For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) eNewsletter.