Wednesday, June 6 in tiny Rossburg, Ohio, stars representing NASCAR, NHRA, INDYCAR and the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series align in a big way with the Prelude To The Dream.

Eldora Speedway will once again play host to the all-star dirt Late Model race featuring more than 25 world renowned drivers as they battle for dirt supremacy on the half-mile clay oval where HBO Pay-Per-View® will present the event LIVE in high-definition to the entire nation. Net proceeds from the telecast will support Feed The Children, a U.S.-based charity that domestically has helped more than 365,000 families since 2009 through its Americans Feeding Americans Caravan.

The eighth annual Prelude To The Dream joins racing luminaries from all disciplines at one track, on one night as they pilot 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower. It is One Perfect Night.

Tony Kanaan of the IZOD IndyCar Series will again compete against Danica Patrick, who in 2012 has made the full transition from IndyCar to NASCAR. They’ll rub fenders with straight-liners Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Dirt regulars Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz, who have collectively won 24 World of Outlaws championships, will race for the first time in dirt Late Models. All will join NASCAR stars such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte and many others, including a band of brothers: the Busch brothers – Kurt and Kyle – and the Dillon brothers – Austin and Ty.

The live, commercial-free, high-definition broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) with an immediate replay. The Prelude To The Dream has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming in the pay-per-view industry. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at either www.PreludeToTheDream.org or www.HBO.com. Updates can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PreludeToDream and on Twitter at twitter.com/PreludeToDream (@PreludeToDream).

The 2012 edition of the Prelude To The Dream includes hot laps, qualifying, heat races and a 40-lap feature with double-file “shootout style” restarts. New participants include Patrick, Kinser, Schatz and Ty Dillon, who will join Stewart, Capps, Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schrader as drivers who have participated in every Prelude To The Dream since 2005, where Wallace was the inaugural winner.

“We have the most diverse group of drivers we’ve ever had for the Prelude, and for the first time, the Prelude will be broadcast in high-definition,” said Stewart, owner of Eldora Speedway and a three-time winner of the Prelude To The Dream. “This year’s event is going to be a can’t-miss show. We’ve added 10 laps to the feature and partnered with a great charity in Feed The Children. You’re going to see some intense racing by everyone, including some drivers completely out of their comfort zone. We’ll all be racing for a trophy, but also to make an impact with the more than 16 million children who are at risk of going hungry right here in America.”

For the top-10 finishers in the Prelude To The Dream, Feed The Children will send a food truck to each driver’s hometown or city of their choice.

“This is an excellent opportunity to bring attention to the nationwide problem of child hunger by working with these world-class drivers,” said Rick England, chairman, Feed The Children board of directors. “Their efforts will allow more families to put food on the table and help us provide a solution to those hard hit by the current economy.”

The seven previous Prelude To The Dream events have collectively raised more than $3.5 million. With each year’s event gaining significant stature and mainstream interest, Stewart’s ultimate goal is to have the 2012 Prelude To The Dream raise $1 million, with the proceeds benefitting Feed The Children.

“It’s an ambitious goal,” admits Stewart, “but if we don’t set the bar high, we’re not pushing ourselves the way we should. That’s our goal, and me and everybody else associated with this event is going to do everything we can to meet that goal. Now, we just need everyone out there to purchase the event, enjoy all the action going on at Eldora, and know that their dollars are going to a very worthy cause.”

“Each year we are thrilled to bring the exciting live action from Eldora into living rooms across the country,” said Tammy Ross, Vice President, HBO Pay-Per-View & Sports. “This year’s benefitting organization, Feed The Children charities’ mission is that no child should go to bed hungry, and the HBO Pay-Per-View team is thrilled to bring the Prelude To The Dream to fans everywhere to help further that mission.”

With no points and no pressure, the Prelude To The Dream is a throwback race, allowing drivers to step back in time and compete for the reasons they all went racing in the first place – pride and a trophy. And they’ll do it on the same surface racing legends A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti competed on nearly 50 years ago.

For those who want to see the Prelude To The Dream in person, tickets are available online at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or by calling the track office (937) 338-3815. Act fast – the race has sold out in previous years.

We have several spectacular programs underway at IMIS. We are taking the Safety and Technical conference up a notch this year by introducing some new events that will be taking place throughout the season. IMIS Safety and Technical Conference and The Center for Advanced Product Evaluation (CAPE) have entered into a partnership, which will see the crash testing of various racing vehicles at the CAPE facility throughout 2012. The first will be an IndyCar test the day before the Indy 500. IndyCar is very safety driven and will walk away with valuable data from this IMIS driven test. Stay tuned for more information on this and other important test conducted at CAPE.

We at IMIS are pumped about the new IMIS Industry News section in NSSN. This section will feature the latest news, technical columns, and guest columnist in the racing industry. We are very excited at the re-birth of NSSN, the worlds racing bible. This magazine fits perfectly with IMIS as it covers all forms of motorsports from short track all the way to the top series. It’s truly unique in its approach and will become a valuable news source for all things racing.

The greatest spectacle in racing is right around the corner, the Indy 500. This is always a busy time for the IMIS staff as they prepare for many meetings and events at the IMIS suite in turn 2 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We are preparing for the 2nd annual Rally in the Alley, an industry event, and the presentation of the C&R / IMIS True Grit Award. This award goes to a deserving Indy Car mechanic and is always a very special feeling to give a $5000 dollar check to the winner.

Myself and the staff at IMIS are all very pumped at the great energy going on right now. We are substantially ahead of where we were YTD 2011 in terms of booth sales, hotel room reservations, and exhibitor expansion. We are proving that Indy is Racing.

Daytona is a great place to see many people in our industry. Over 2 weeks I had the pleasure to meet and visit with many IMIS exhibitors, attendees, and racers from all over the country. We are very fortunate to have a large involvement in motorsports, and work with teams, manufacturers, sanctioning bodies, and many industry professionals.

Our involvement requires we are right alongside the industry at the race tracks, where it all begins. We know how these companies work and feel their needs, and we contribute in a meaningful way that gives back to the industry. This is a very important ingredient to our success at IMIS in just 3 short years and a distinct advantage we have as racing tradeshow.

Speed Weeks:
After setting up the C&R Racing vans in the garage area at Daytona International Speedway it was off to VolusiaSpeedway Park to see a night of exciting sprint car racing on dirt and check in with our short track racers. Sprint car racing is definitely one of the most awesome forms of racing on the planet.

The Bud Shootout, as usual, was an action-packed event. How about Kyle Busch pulling off the win at the line over IMIS partner, Tony Stewart. Kyle crashed twice without hitting anything and still pulled off the win. Love him or hate him, he’s one hell of a driver.

A very special announcement was made during Speed Weeks; the return of National Speed Sport News, the Racing Bible. Ralph Sheheen, Joe Tripp and Curt Moon have brought back one of the most important publications in the world of motorsports.

Also announced is the special “IMIS Industry Section” that will appear in every issue. IMIS will help connect the industry to NSSN and in turn NSSN will help all IMIS exhibitors promote their companies and products on a monthly basis. In a very short time this magazine will be in the hands of everyone in the industry, making advertising in NSSN a tremendous value.  NSSN is a great fit for IMIS because of its comprehensive coverage in all forms of racing. We are very excited.

The Daytona 500 was action packed as usual. It was one of the more memorable races of all time. Through rain andfire, it finished early Tuesday morning with a huge crowd that was on the edge of their seats until the checkered flag dropped. We had a great crowd at IMIS in December, the trend was evident at Daytona this year, and I will look for increased crowds for all other major racing events this year.

As I write this blog, I’m heading back to Indy after getting out of the garage at 5:30 a.m. in the morning. I have the honor of lending assistance to NASCAR with the cooling systems. Their changes in rules to the cooling systems have brought the results they were looking for as the 2 car Tango was non-existent and the racing was great. Good work by John Darby and his group.

That’s all for now. Good luck with the 2012 season and remember, Indy is Racing.

 While this may be a surprise to some, it certainly isn’t to us. We feel this magic when we hold our IMIS event each year. For those who experience downtown Indy, it’s understood why this city is very special when it comes to large events. It’s a combination of the great restaurants, bars, and hotels all within walking distance of a first class convention center, football stadium, and basketball field house. More importantly, it’s the attitude of the city and Hoosier Hospitality. Our state and city knew what it was doing over the past 30 years as it transformed Nap Town into one of the premier event cities in the Nation. Indy is no stranger to large events. After all, the Indy 500 is still the largest single day sporting event in the world and is now 100 years old. All of us at IMIS are very proud to be a part of Indy and fortunate to hold our event here.

 As several hundred thousand visitors converge on Indy and experience this very special city, they say “Wow, how awesome is this.” We say “We knew that.”

 Indy is Racing! And now an NFL Super Bowl destination.

He is one of the great drivers of all time and is in an elite group, which consists of a very small number of truly great drivers that have proven they can win in any type of car. Of the NASCAR champions in the modern era, or any era for that matter, none have been as diverse as Tony Stewart. From the beginning of the Chase, he was calm, cool, and very confident.

Thanks Tony for the great show you put on at Homestead, entertaining all of us gear heads with the reason we are in this sport; to witness greatness and unbelievable ability.

IMIS has displayed at several shows the most recent being SEMA and Parts Peddler. The experiences at these shows help us to keep up with industry trends and give us a chance to further connect with the industry at large. It also helps us better relate to our exhibitors when we can relate to the experience of what they go through as participants at IMIS.

Speaking personally as an active member of the racing industry it is very important to attend these shows. Every category of participant in the motorsports market has incentive and purpose for going to motorsports trade show in general. The race team needs to attend in order to keep up with new products and knowledge that give him the competitive advantage. The manufacture must attend to display and view the latest and greatest technology to their buyers, distributors, and teams. At IMIS we promote educations and networking that makes these things possible. We also encourage all of these categories; teams, drivers, distributors, buyers, parts sellers, and manufacturers, to get out there to IMIS and other major industry events in order to keep your minds sharp and connect with the entirety of the motorsports market place.