Compiled by SEMA Editors
 Formula DRIFT at the Texas Motor Speedway has been rescheduled for the weekend of October 30–November 1. |
Formula DRIFT Announces Unavoidable Date Change for Texas Motor Speedway Event in October
On August 28, Texas Motor Speedway announced that all events scheduled prior to its NASCAR Cup Race on October 25 are cancelled or postponed due to continuing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Formula DRIFT was scheduled to visit Texas Motor Speedway October 16–18, for Rounds 5 and 6 of its PRO Championship, as well as Round 3 of the Link ECU PRO2 Championship. After discussions with the track management team, Formula DRIFT has announced its event will be rescheduled to the end of the month. FD TX will now take place over the weekend of October 30–November 1. To accommodate the new schedule, Formula DRIFT will move its operations to utilize the venue’s permanent grandstands, creating a new track layout for the competition. The event is limited to 50% capacity, and fans who have already purchased tickets for the previous date will automatically have their ticket transferred to the new dates. Those who cannot attend the rescheduled event may request a full refund.
NBA Legend Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin Form Cup Series Team
Basketball legend Michael Jordan has agreed to purchase a NASCAR Cup Series Charter. Bubba Wallace will be the driver for Jordan and his partner Denny Hamlin when the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season begins. Jordan, widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time and current owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, will be the majority owner of a NASCAR Cup Series team. Wallace, the series’ only black driver, previously announced earlier this month that he would not return to Richard Petty Motorsports. Hamlin will be a minority owner of the single-car team and is expected to remain a driver of the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. The organization’s name, manufacturer affiliation, car number, sponsors and other details would be announced later. The group is reported to have entered an agreement to acquire the team charter from Germain Racing, which currently fields the No. 13 with driver Ty Dillon.
NHRA Inks Multi-Year Extension With Fox Sports
The National Hot Rod Association and FOX Sports have announced a multi-year extension of their agreement to telecast all NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series competitions across FOX, FS1 and FS2 well into this decade. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The NHRA and FOX relationship began in 2016. The updated deal will see NHRA and FOX Sports continue collaboration in the production and telecasting of NHRA competition in the United States and Canada, including expanded coverage on the FOX broadcast network and FS1, an NFL adjacent event, and five hours of Finals coverage at the NHRA U.S. Nationals over Labor Day Weekend each year. The multi-year extension continues FOX carriage of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Lucas Oil Sportsman, and E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series on FS1 and FS2 and multiple encore telecasts of all events designed to enable motorsports fans to watch the NHRA at their convenience. The NHRA and FOX will each market advertisements in NHRA programming to NHRA national sponsors, race sponsors and other advertisers.
 The NMCA All-American Nationals is returning to Summit Motorsports Park (Norwalk, Ohio) in 2021. |
NMCA All-American Nationals Returns to Summit Motorsports Park in 2021
The NMCA Muscle Car Nationals has announced the NMCA All-American Nationals is returning to Summit Motorsports Park (Norwalk, Ohio) in 2021 with a five-year contract extension. The national event moves back to its regular weekend of August 26-29, 2021. The NMCA All-American Nationals was moved to an alternate location in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s returning to its home for 2021 through 2025 and will also include the Chevrolet Performance COPO Camaro Shootout Presented by COPO Parts Direct and the Ford Performance Cobra Jet Showdown Presented by Watson Racing.
The NMCA Muscle Car Nationals begins its season in March at Bradenton Motorsports Park (Bradenton, Florida) with a date to be revealed soon. The tour moves north to Commerce, Georgia, at Atlanta Dragway for the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals, April 8-11, 2021. The traveling musclecar festival makes its way to the border of the West as it stops in Madison, Illinois, just outside of St. Louis, and under the shadow of the Gateway Arch for the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing May 13-16, 2021. A soon-to-be announced stop takes place in July before the tour’s return to Summit Motorsports Park with the All-American Nationals August 26-29, 2021. The season finale will happen at Lucas Oil Raceway, just outside Indianapolis in September.
FIA WEC Reveals Provisional 2021 Calendar
Officials have released the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship provisional calendar. Six races across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, are on the calendar. The races will vary in length between six and 24 hours. The calendar, subject to further change according to the evolution of the current pandemic, or contingent to the calendars of other FIA World Championships, opens with preseason tests at Sebring, March 13-14, followed by the 1000 Miles of Sebring on March 19.
2021 FIA WEC Provisional Calendar*
- March 13-14: Pre-Season Tests Sebring (USA)
- March 19: 1000 Miles of Sebring (USA)
- May 1: TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
- June 12-13: 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)
- July 18: 6 Hours of Monza (Italy)
- September 26: 6 Hours of Fuji (Japan)
- November 20: 6 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain)
*Subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council
 The 35th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals will once again offer members of the active or retired military, government employees and first responders a variety of ticket discounts to the NHRA national event. |
Texas Motorplex Honors Military and First Responders
This year during the 35th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, to be held October 14-18, the Texas Motorplex will once again offer members of the active or retired military, government employees and first responders a variety of ticket discounts to the NHRA national event. Military members will be able to save 20% on adult reserved or general admission tickets on any race day. The offer is also redeemable online in advance through a unique purchase link available to verified users on GovX. Additionally, savings will also available at the gate with presentation of professional or Military ID at the ticket window. During race day on Sunday, the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation will host and recognize hundreds of guests, thanks to the generosity of Billy and Steve Torrence, the father-and-son Top Fuel team and owners of Kilgore-based Capco Contractors. For tickets and more information visit www.texasmotorplex.com.
IndyCar Confirms Music City Grand Prix Set for 2021
The Music City Grand Prix announced that the newest NTT IndyCar Series race will debut August 6-8, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. The three-day international festival of speed and sound will be staged on a temporary grand prix circuit in downtown Nashville and around the Nissan Stadium campus. The event will feature live music performances, chef-curated food experiences and entertainment that centers on speed. Nissan Stadium will serve as the paddock for the race, with a 2.17-mile temporary track set across the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge into downtown Nashville and back. The first street course added to INDYCAR since 2013, it features 11 turns and plenty of straightaways for drivers to pass.
For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) website.