Let’s be clear: 2020 wasn’t supposed to go down like this. 

A global pandemic wasn’t supposed to bring motorsports to a grinding halt…and cause massive uncertainty and anxiety—or worse—for the manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of performance parts, equipment, and services. Let alone for the racers themselves, or for that matter their crew members, sponsors, and media partners. 

Speed shops weren’t counting on restricting or closing their showrooms to customers, then feeling compelled to push hand sanitizer, require face masks, or enforce social distancing (whatever that means anymore).

Race tracks weren’t planning on having to upend event schedules, or scrap their seasons altogether, thanks to a jumble of mismatched health and safety requirements that still vary wildly by state, county, city, etc.

Nor was our team expecting to work so hard, as always, to bring the industry to Indianapolis for three days in December, only to have to reverse course and wait another year to produce the world’s premier business and networking event for motorsports professionals—the PRI Trade Show. 

Truly, most of us would describe 2020 using an assortment of four-letter words.

But with all of that said, sometimes you have no choice but to play the hand you’re dealt. Hard as it may seem, it means not dwelling on the losses, the obstacles, or what could or might have been. 

To paraphrase a current NFL head coach with more Super Bowl rings than fingers on one hand: “We’re on to the next game.”

For us, that next game actually began last month with the launch of our first-ever PRI Road Tour, a cross-country content blitz that will take our team, by van, to more than 85 motorsports businesses and organizations across the US over a two-month span. 

And it continues in this issue of PRI Magazine, which is loaded with exclusive features and reports on the parts, cars, suppliers, and educational opportunities you’d typically find on the floor of the Indiana Convention Center in early winter. 

For instance, nearly 150 top manufacturers and service providers representing all forms of motorsports are highlighted, along with their latest products and sales contact information, in our dedicated Supplier Showcase, which begins on page 26. These companies have spent months or longer developing go-fast parts and solutions to help your race operation gain a competitive edge. And we’re proud to offer you a direct line to learn more about their incredible innovations. 

An all-new section in these pages, but one our Show attendees will surely recognize, is PRI’s Featured Vehicles display, which starts on page 100 and provides an up-close look at 19 remarkable race cars, including details down to the engine platform, aftermarket products used, and inside stories known only to the owners…until now.

And, for business and management tips you can put into use today (or soon), look no further than our half-dozen PRI Education columns (How To Create An Effective Pricing Policy; Where Can You Grow Your Business In 2021?; Use The Power Of Google To Amplify Your Shop's Presence Online; Non-Verbal Communication: Tips From An Interrogator; The Secrets Your Web Visitors Are Keeping From You; and How To Hire Rock Star Employees.) Penned by experts in their respective fields, these write-ups cover everything from pricing policies to digital marketing insights to non-verbal communication strategies.

There’s a ton more to digest in this month’s edition of PRI, so we invite you sit back, relax, and take a little time to catch up on what’s happening across motorsports. After all, it’s never too early to start planning for that next game.