Retool your race program, refresh your knowledge, and reinvest in your business at the PRI Show, December 12–14, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

As the 2024 race season approaches its white flag lap, the offseason is around the final corner. While we’ll miss the bustling race tracks and roaring engines, the winter months offer a time of renewal for our entire industry.
From drag racers to drifters, engine builders to track promoters, offseason success will pay dividends throughout 2025. As any industry member can attest, all roads to offseason success go through the PRI Show on December 12–14, held at the Indiana Convention Center (ICC) and Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.
“The PRI Show features a cross pollination of disciplines and a pure business racing environment,” said Jim Liaw, general manager of PRI. “You don’t get this any other time of year or anywhere else. It’s important to be there.”
The most influential business event in motorsports, the PRI Show unites all disciplines of motorsports under one roof. In addition to educational programming and engaging activations, the Show floor will be buzzing for three high-octane days of dealmaking and networking.
With thousands of racing entrepreneurs in attendance from more than 70 countries, the 2024 PRI Show will include more than 1,000 companies and well over 3,500 booths exhibiting across 750,000 gross square feet of space. Buyers will have access to the newest race products, services, machinery, simulation and testing technologies, trailer exhibits, and much more.
For any motorsports-related business, there’s a good chance the PRI Show is already an annual tradition. If not, you’re missing out on the offseason’s best opportunity to retool your motorsports program, refresh your knowledge, and reinvest in your business.

Must-See Show Exhibits

Introducing new disciplines or ideas to our industry will always be important—more on those later—but our most popular features and exhibits simply can’t be missed.
For race teams, engine builders, and fabricators, Machinery Row is the place to be. Located in the Yellow Hall, this popular exhibit will feature more than 100 manufacturers, each demonstrating the capabilities of their latest precision automotive machining equipment. Buyers will be able to talk to company representatives, watch machines perform live demonstrations on actual race parts, and hopefully score a “show deal” on a new machine.
For racers looking to find a competitive edge, the Featured Products Showcase (FPS) is a smart place to start. Located in the ICC Capitol Connector near the Yellow Hall and Georgia Street entrance, the FPS is a great opportunity for buyers to learn about dozens of new race products and companies before even hitting the Show floor. Additionally, products included in the FPS will be considered for Featured Product Awards, which are determined by a panel of top racing industry professionals.
Lucas Oil Stadium is the place to see our newly expanded trailer exhibit. The perfect opportunity to comparison shop, the entire field area will be transformed into a massive display of state-of-the-art trailers, motorhomes, toterhomes, and more. The PRI Show is the best place to solve your race team’s transportation needs.
On your way back from Lucas Oil Stadium, swing by the PRI Paddock, located by the Hanging Race Car. Upgraded for 2024, the PRI Paddock will provide helpful information about the Show, while an adjacent live studio features a full schedule of popular motorsports podcasts.
Our popular opening day festivities—the Grand Opening Breakfast and the PRI Happy Hour—will both return in 2024. The Grand Opening Breakfast will officially open the PRI Show on Thursday, December 12, featuring a talk-show style interview between Ralph Sheheen and special guest Travis Pastrana. Meanwhile, the PRI Happy Hour will close out opening day of the Show with complimentary beer, appetizers, and live music in Lucas Oil Stadium.

(Sim) Racing into the Future

Sim racing has exploded in popularity in recent years, with everyone from amateurs to professionals embracing the possibilities of virtual racing. In 2023, sim racing made its debut at the PRI Show and was an instant hit.
“Anybody who walked into Lucas Oil Stadium last year to see the sim racing area could see that the energy, the traffic, and even the demographic was different,” said Liaw. “We had new exhibitors that came in, and it definitely proved that we need to continue to pay attention to, reinvest in, and focus on that area.”

Drafting off that success, the 2024 PRI Show will expand the sim racing area to accommodate more exhibitors, more booths, and yes, more sim sleds that will be available to demo throughout all three days of the Show.
Beyond the exhibit area, attendees will also see a return of the PRI SIM Racing Arena presented by SRO Motorsports Group America. The Arena will feature daily invitational sim races on Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official simulator for Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS, for sim racers and professional drivers. The feature races will provide 28 invitational slots in two sanctioned classes—Sim Pros and Real World Pros—with races streamed live to SRO and PRI’s livestream platforms.
It’s all part of our effort to introduce the broader industry to one of the fastest growing disciplines in motorsports. The racing may be virtual, but the competition and economic potential are very real.
“Sim racing is an area where we are seeing growth,” said Michael Good, president of PRI. “I’m personally excited about that, as I think it’s a great catalyst to bring the younger generations into the sport and give them a glimpse of what it’s like to be on a track.”
Beyond welcoming newcomers into motorsports, PRI also believes sim racing provides an exciting opportunity for traditional motorsports brands to engage in this emerging space.
“Sim racing provides an opportunity for brands at the PRI Show,” said Liaw. “Maybe not all, but a number of brands can get involved in the sim space because the more elaborate the software is, the more opportunity there is for brands to be involved from both a technical and branding standpoint. Once again, it’s about that cross pollination of disciplines.”
The PRI Show presents an ideal opportunity to talk with representatives from leading sim racing companies. Not only can this help traditional racers better understand what sim racing is about, but also if sim can help grow their business.
“Ultimately, the PRI Show is about trying to grow and elevate the industry as a whole,” said Liaw. “If there’s this discipline that provides benefits by building future motorsports customers, while also providing a medium for motorsports brands to promote their products, they should absolutely be incorporated as part of the Show.”

Learning Opportunities

If discovering new products and making valuable connections are two key pillars of the PRI Show, education is the third. To ensure attendees leave Indianapolis equipped with knowledge to go faster and grow their business, we’re offering 13 curated education sessions free of charge for attendees.
Several of last year’s most popular sessions will be returning but with new content, including Online Advertising Lessons from Bryan Robb of Digital Throttle, a Women in Motorsports panel moderated by Jeanette DesJardins of CarChix, and Sponsorship 101 from industry veteran Alex Striler. Other PRI Education sessions will cover topics ranging from simulators to social media, tuning techniques to torsional harmonics. A complete list of education sessions, times, and speakers can be found on PRI’s Map Your Show or visit online at bit.ly/PRIeducation.

Beyond these PRI Education sessions, a variety of motorsports-related conferences will also be held in Indy in conjunction with the PRI Show. Notable conferences include the Race Track Business Conference (RTBC), the NHRA Member Track National Conference, the International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) Annual Congress, SFI Foundation Motorsports Forum, AERA EPIC Conference, and Women with Drive Summit IV presented by Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA).
The Women with Drive IV Summit is an exciting addition for 2024, with hundreds of motorsports industry representatives expected to attend. The summit will take place Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, December 9–11, and feature three days of speakers, sessions, and networking. The goal is to provide resources, mentorship, coaching, and career connections for women across all disciplines of motorsports.
“We’re excited to have WIMNA and their team here for their big event,” said Good. “Executive Director Cindy Sisson is driving positive change and having such an impact across all of motorsports with WIMNA’s initiatives.”

The RTBC, which will take place on Wednesday, December 11, features a full day of eight panel discussions with leaders covering all aspects of the industry. Both the NHRA and ICMS conferences will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, December 11 and 12. ICMS will also hold a Racetrack Safety Program on Friday, December 13—a hands-on training session open to anyone working in track fire and safety. AERA’s event will take place on December 11. Meanwhile, the SFI Foundation will host a detailed presentation on trends, learnings, and processes in SFI motorsports safety on Friday, December 13, in Room 210. It will be open to all sanctioning body leadership.
“These conferences also carry over to all the Show programming, workshops, seminars, Show floor, and feature areas,” said Liaw. “So if someone has the time, now they can come in on Monday, leave on Sunday, and have multiple days of programming that are beneficial to them.”
More conferences and registration details can be found at https://bit.ly/PRIevents.

Make Your Plans Now

The Show is fast approaching, and making a plan is the best way to maximize your time and resources in Indy.
Downloading the PRI Show App is the easiest way to ensure you can successfully navigate around the Show. Attendees can use the app to search exhibitors and products, navigate the floor plan, review conference and seminar schedules, obtain details on special events, and create a personalized Show agenda. Additionally, they’ll be able to reach out to exhibitors and request appointments—a great way to maximize your time in Indy.

“The fact that the PRI App is at your fingertips, and you don’t have to worry about pulling out a big map, is nice,” said Karin Davidson, PRI Show director. “The app has all the current information, anything that you need to know about the Show—events, booths, exhibitors, sessions, and more.”
Finally, make sure to book hotel and restaurant reservations well in advance of coming to Indy. We’ve partnered with the Visit Indy Housing Bureau to ensure racers get the best possible deals on rooms during their visit to the Show. Further information regarding lodging and travel can be found at performanceracing.com/trade-show/hotel-travel.
Call it a reunion, call it a party, call it the biggest motorsports industry gathering of the year—the 2024 PRI Show offers something for everyone in our industry.
Winning the offseason starts in Indy. We’ll race you there.

T.O.P.S.

If race tracks are the thumping heartbeat of our industry, the promoters, track operators, and sanctioning bodies are the glue that keeps us charging forward.
To recognize their value and contributions to our industry, PRI ensures this essential group has their own “home” during the PRI Show, December 12–14, in the T.O.P.S. (track operators, promoters, and sanctions) Headquarters presented by MyRacePass.com.
Located in Rooms 130–136 in the 7000 hallway of the Indiana Convention Center, entry is free with a valid Show badge with race track or sanction affiliation.
“We understand the importance of track operators, sanctioning bodies, and promoters to PRI,” said Tom Deery, PRI track ambassador. “As their trade organization, PRI wants to make sure we’re there to service them.”
“On the Show floor, we’re talking about a lot of parts, technology, and hardware that’s involved,” said Jim Liaw, general manager of PRI. “But the other side of it is, where do those cars go racing? Tracks and promoters are part of our larger racing ecosystem, and their health is vital.”
The T.O.P.S. HQ was first introduced at the PRI Show in 2021. Deery explained it was a relatively simple idea to provide a “getaway space to get out of the hustle and bustle of the trade show floor.” However, the T.O.P.S. HQ education sessions and programming have grown quickly.
“We started out the first year with a couple sessions, and last year we had 18 or 19,” said Deery. “This year we’ll have probably 25 different meeting groups that will take place.”
The sessions will cover a wide range of topics including roundtable discussions about paved oval tracks, pulling groups, go-kart racing, dirt track, drag racing, road racing, and more. Beyond the roundtables, there will be various education sessions dedicated to website and social media marketing strategies, technology updates for ticketing and event management, updates about race tires and fuel, and more. A full schedule of T.O.P.S. sessions will be available online at performanceracing.com after November 15.

“One session will include the SCCA President Mike Cobb and IMSA President John Doonan,” said Deery. “They’re going to do a roundtable sit-down discussion about the nuts and bolts of road racing. They’ll be looking to really explore, share, learn, and meet the people who make road racing happen.”
Beyond the education and discussions, T.O.P.S. HQ will once again host BS and Brews Happy Hour on Friday night, December 13. “BS and Brews is becoming a bit legendary and is a great opportunity to kick back a little bit,” explained Deery. The event will offer complimentary beer, snacks, and plenty of networking opportunities for track operators and peers.
BS and Brews may be a fun highlight, but it also encapsulates the overall goal of the T.O.P.S. HQ: bringing race promoters together to learn, connect, and succeed.
“At one table we might have people from a drag strip, a go-kart facility, and a tractor puller,” said Deery. “But they’ll be talking and probably realizing they all have many of the same challenges or opportunities.” —Jack Haworth