Observations From the 2022 PRI Show

Fire-Breathing Power
"As if there wasn't already enough interest in Ford's Godzilla engine platform, son of Godzilla will ensure the fire-breathing monster is in the forefront of aftermarket product development heading into the 2023 season," wrote automotive journalist Mike Magda, reporting on the trends he picked up on for the February 2023 issue of PRI Magazine.
Magda added that other priorities for performance and racing companies include improved fuel-delivery products to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of new power-adder engine combinations, as well as more use of sophisticated simulators to expedite driver development and preparation before races.
"With the horsepower level that we're seeing these days, the racers need a real fuel system in the car," confirmed Phillip VanBuskirk, national sales manager of Aeromotive, Lenexa, Kansas, which is developing high-performance fuel components for race cars and late-model production cars like the Ford Mustang. "We're really stepping up the game for stock fuel tanks. They want a high-horsepower pump that can go into a stock tank, and they want brushless with a speed controller that can be tied to the ECU."
"Driving simulators will be the wave of the future to help drive down costs," promised David Smith, driver for Shockwave Motorsports, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, which manufactures race-car simulators suitable for NASCAR, ARCA, Trans-Am, late models and Sprint Car training. A typical setup includes body, roll cage, window net, dash, steering and seating similar to the desired race car. On-track realism is achieved through three 75-in. high-def TVs, fully programmable travel vibrations, adjustable torque steering and even in-helmet sound. "It's one more tool for developing drivers," added Smith.
Sharp-eyed Show observers also honed in on several more trends that race-equipment manufacturers say will be key to a successful 2023, and addressing high-horsepower demands is high among them. Transmissions will have to be more robust to handle the power that bigger turbos and superchargers will deliver. Hub dynos that measure that horsepower will be essential to some teams. Innovations that save time in the garage or pits will also be embraced, and even companies that simply help racers get the race cars from the shop to the track are promising more comfort and utility.

What's more, if new-product releases are an indication of the most popular engine in the country right now, then many of those race trailers will have cars powered by the Ford Godzilla engine. Meanwhile, aftermarket companies are developing improved versions of every component in a fuel system, including fuel tanks, pumps, hoses, fittings, regulators, injectors, and carburetors—all to keep up with the power demands of the engine.
Additionally, demand for "late-model stuff," including newer Ford and LS platform products, as well as lighter-weight billet parts, and even kits for big-wheel drag cars is expected to intensify in the coming year.
Breakthroughs for Buyers
For many buyers, Machinery Row always ranks among the Show's top attractions—and Daniel Adams, with CT Race Worx in Monroe, North Carolina, was on a mission there. A welder and fabricator specializing in side-by-sides and powersports vehicles, he was looking for new and upcoming welders, CNC tube benders, and air-driven and cordless power tools.
"Those are big things in our industry now, and every time I turn around [here], I'm finding something that I need and want," he said. A seven-year veteran of the PRI Trade Show, Adams noted that Machinery Row consistently proves valuable to his business. "We're able to increase production times and also the quality of our end products because we're able to find the tools and equipment that help us produce better product in the end," he said.
With motorsports broadening its appeal, especially among younger demographics, experts say the market for racing apparel, helmets, and safety gear is expected to continue expanding through at least 2026. Of course, comfort, lighter weight, and fire protection remain key factors for buyers, with manufacturers jockeying to differentiate themselves in the areas of quality, regulatory compliance, aesthetics and innovation.
When it comes to the racing and performance, the annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis offers a concentrated glimpse of the category and a foretaste of trends seen at the SEMA Show. Billed as the "three biggest business days in motorsports," the Show roared back to the Indiana Convention Center late last year, its aisles bustling with exhibitors and attendees eager to gain a competitive edge for 2023. It offered many takeaways that attendees of this year's SEMA Show should also keep an eye on.
RACING & PERFORMANCE
As of August 15, 2023
ABRO Industries 20730
ACE International 21228
ACEON 20771
ACL Race 23722
ACUiTY 24431
ADDCO 23735
Advance Adapters 22425
Advanced Clutch Technology 22351
Advertising Edge 20576
AEM EV 24916
AERA-Engine Builders Association 23422
Aero Exhaust-Street Series Performance 20669
The Aeromotive Group/PerTronix 22743
African American Automotive Association (AAAA) 23753
AFR-Procar-RaceTec-Scat-Vortech 23433
Air Lift Co. 23743
AkzoNobel 22957
Alcon Brakes 23159
Alientech Srl 20235
All Automotive Megahub Inc. 23814
Alliant Insurance Services Inc. 20757
Ampere EV LLC 24613
AMSOIL Inc. 23529
AMS Performance 23729
Anhui Ningguo Hantai New Materials Ltd. Co. 20145
Antigravity Lithium Batteries 23869
AnzoUSA 20323
ARP Inc. 23211
ASNU Europe 24427
Associated Electrics 21643
AST/MOTON Suspension 21203
Atech Motorsports 22533
Aurobay 23915
Auto Meter 23111
Autotech Engineering 20137
Autotuner 20641
Backdraft Racing 23547
Baier & Michels USA 20139
Baja Designs/sPOD 24561
Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. 21427
BASF Corp. 20365
Battery Tender 24413
Baxter Performance 20226
BBK Performance 23511
BD Diesel 21241
BendPak 24821
bFlash 23111
Bigboi International 23114
BKC Motorsport 20773
Blaze Performance 24831
BluePrint Engines 22553
BOLT Motorsports 21547
Borla Performance Industries Inc. 22965
BOSS HOG Torque Converters 23823
Braille Battery Inc. 23420
Brembo 23367
Buddy Bar Casting 23021
Bully Dog/SCT Performance 21603
Cam Motion Inc. 23561
CAMMUS 23715
Castrol 23811
Centerforce Clutches, a Division of Midway Industries 22620
CFR Performance 20004
Chevron 24023
Cleantools Inc. 23631
Clutch Industries 24650
Cobb Tuning 23111
COMP Cams 22443
Covercraft Industries LLC including Lloyd Mats 22943
Coverking 20313
CP-Carrillo 22523
Crank Motorsport Australia & USA 20256
CSF Cooling 21411
CTEK 23555
CTERACING 20661
Currie Enterprises 23469
CUSCO USA Inc. 24533
CWI Performance 23969
DARTON SLEEVES 21234
DashLogic 20018
DeatschWerks 20577
Derale Performance 22419
Design Engineering Inc. 20613
Diesel Emission Technologies 24833
Different Trend Inc. 20619
Dimsport 20637
Disc Brakes Australia 23911
DNA Motoring 20343
Dongguan Susheng Manufacturing Technology Co. Ltd. 20022
Driven Racing Oil 22711
DSCsport 20173
DTE Systems USA 23329
Dynapack Dynamometers 20071
DYNASTOP BRAKES 24934
Dynocom Industries Inc. 20213
Eaton 22763
EBC Brakes USA Inc 24067
EcuTek 23111
Edelbrock Group 22443
eFlexFuel 20019
EINTAC USA 24519
Elantec Industrial Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 20547
Emtron Australia Pty Ltd. 20014
ENEOS Motor Oil 24233
Equus 23111
Ercolina-CML USA Inc. 20223
ETL Performance Products Inc. 21529
EXEDY 20025
E-Z UP Instant Shelter 20269
Factory Five Racing 22453
Featherlite Trailers 20713
Federal New Power/FI performance 20064
Fidanza Performance 23225
Flash Drive Motors 24417
Flex-A-Lite 22511
Fortune Auto 21521
FTI Performance 22429
FuelTech ECU 24015
Fu Fei Converter & Muffler (Taishan) Co. Ltd. 20232
Fupower Co. Ltd. 23919
Gandrud Performance Parts 21415
Garage Collective 20052
Gintani 21341
Globaltech Auto Parts Co. Ltd 20244
GMB North America 24216
GNS Auto Parts 24529
Gofront Tudor Autoparts 24628
Gold Eagle Co/303 Products 21254
Goodridge 24064
Granatelli Motor Sports Inc. 23311, 23315
Grassroots Motorsports Magazine 23726
Greddy Performance Products Inc. 21539
Green Filter 22835
GRIDLIFE 24229
GTR Simulator 20046
Guangdong Meizhou KamLung Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 24212
Guangzhou Adtory (Minsheng) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd. 24014
Guangzhou ChiBenDa Automobile Radiator Co. Ltd 20050
Guangzhou Dekadi Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 24886
Guangzhou Wantian Industrial Co. Ltd. 20147
Hamburger's Superchargers Inc. 23455
Hangzhou DJ Machinery Co. Ltd. 20059
Hangzhou Haihua I&E Co. Ltd. 20032
Hangzhou Magic Power Racing Parts Ltd. 20527
Hangzhou Taimei Performance Ltd. 20157
Harrop Engineering USA 20531
Hastings Manufacturing 22927
Hawk Performance 22933
Heatshrink.com 24218
Hebei Kinglin Rubber & Plastic Tech Co. Ltd. 20230
Hedman Performance Group 22343
Hefei Deluxon Machining Co. Ltd. 20036
Helical Technology Ltd. 20063
HELLA 23643
Hengshui Haofa Rubber and Plastic Co. Ltd. 24880
Hengyi Turbocharger 20640
Hillco Fastener Warehouse 23418
HKI Air Suspension 23765
HKS USA Inc. 21553
Holley 22463
Hondata Inc. 22627
Hoppo's Hydraulics & Air Ride Suspension 20239
Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Foundation 80000
Hot Shoppe Designs Inc. 20753
Hot Shot's Secret 23261
Howards Cams 23223
HP Tuners 23351
HSD 20636
Hypercraft 24713
ICD DESIGN LLC 24521
ICE Ignition 23614
Idemitsu Lubricants America Corp. 24267
iMohr Technic & Design 23818
ImportAlliance 21206
Injen Technology Co. Ltd. 22861
Innovate Motorsports 23111
Integrity Light Metals LLC 24884
INTERCOMP 23820
ISKY RACING CAMS 22619
ISSPRO INC. 20666
Jagrow Performance 20057
Jamo Performance Exhaust 20731
JBOM 20755
JEGS High Performance 24119
Jiangsu Kaller Auto Parts Technology Co. Ltd. 24429
Jinhuan Auto Parts Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 20067
JMD Tubes LLC 20227
JMS CHIP Inc. 22515
JRZ Suspension Engineering 24328
Justice Brothers Inc. 22814
Kaeser Compressors Inc. 20119
K&N Engineering Inc. 22331
K&P Engineering 20012
Kano Labs-Makers of Kroil 23618
KC Specialty Tube 24528
KEMA Enterprise Co. Ltd. 20062
Keystone Automotive Operations 21249
KONI Shock Absorbers 24033
Kooks Headers & Exhaust 22631
KTS Turbobillet X 23719
KW Automotive 23143
L.A.SLEEVE 20079
Legend 7 Motorsports 24935
Leonardo Diagnostic Tool 20149
Lincoln Electric 23411
LIQUI MOLY 23611
Lithium Pros 22715
Livernois Motorsports & Engineering 20270
Logpro 20252
LucasClassic 20024
LYKT 24878
Mackin Industries Inc. 22811, 22911
Magicmotorsport 20013
Magnaflow 23243
Magnuson Superchargers 22867
MAHLE Motorsport 22733
MARADYNE HIGH PERFORMANCE FANS 23121
McLeod Racing-Silver Sport Transmissions-FTI Performance 22429
Meguiar's Inc. 22357
Melling Performance 23653
Meziere Enterprises 22614
Miller Electric Manufacturing LLC 23229
Milltek Corp. 24313
MILODON 22635
Minshine Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 21220
Mittler Bros Machine & Tool 20537
MOOKEEH 24526
Mothers Polish 22843
Motive Gear | Richmond 23265
Motor State Distributing 22831
Multivictor Technology Co. Ltd. 20632
Mustang Dynamometer 21229
National Emblem Inc. 22719
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) 10000, 10003
Neotech Co. Ltd. 24549
Netami USA Inc. 20735
NGR Performance 24210
Ningbo Govi Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 24995
Ningbo Henri Development Trade Co. Ltd. 20749
Ningbo Lingmai Machinery Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 20078
Ningbo Pino Metal Products Co. Ltd. 20739
Ningbo Racing Performance Products Co. Ltd. 20729
Ningbo Sunrising Silicone Hose Co. Ltd. 20571
Ningbo Xinlu Polyurethane Industrial Co. Ltd. 20563
Ningbo Yinzhou Moxin Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 20156
Ningguo BST Thermal Products Co Ltd. 20761
Nitron Suspension 23865
Northern Radiator 20249
Nostrum High Performance 23519
NRG Innovations 20113
ODYSSEY Battery 23659
Öhlins Racing AB 24929
OptiTorque Technologies 21208
ORACLE Lighting 20555
Orthene 24648
OS Giken USA 22725
O-Tech (Jiaxing) Inc. 21210
Pacific Performance Engineering 21351
Penske Racing Shocks 23569
Performance Design 23219
Performance Electronics 22524
Performance Plus 20278
Performance Racing Industry 22321
Performance Tube Bending 20038
Perma-Cool Inc. 22527
Pirngder Industry Co. Ltd. 20767
PML Inc. 21262
PolyDyn Performance Coatings 22626
Power Automedia 23664
PowerflexUSA 21224
Power Service Products 24117
PowerStop LLC 22611
Precision Engine Parts 20775
ProCharger Superchargers 23663
Prosport Gauges Inc. 22415
Pulsar Turbo Systems 24882
PWR Advanced Cooling Technology 23443
QA1 21357
Qingdao Greatwall Automotive Parts Co. Ltd. 20236
Qingdao JTLD Industrial and Commercial Co. Ltd. 20727
Qingdao Reliable &Trust Car Parts Co. Ltd. 20741
Qingdao Senho Tech Trade Co. Ltd. 24993
QTP Quick Time Performance 23935
Quarter Mile Foundation 10010
RaceDeck 21503
Race Ramps 23769
RACEWARS 24789
Race Winning Brands 22563
RacingJunk.com 24211
Ragazzon 20631
Ramair-We Are Filters 24223
RECARO Automotive 23447
Redcat 21215
Redi Global, Ltd. 20630
Red Line Synthetic Oil 23133
Red Roberts Inc. dba Driveline Components Co. 23220
Red Wood Enterprise Co. Ltd. 20745
Refone Auto Power Co. Ltd. 20626
Reliable Automotive Equipment Inc. 24827
Renegade Racing Fuels and Oils 23414
Revex International Co. Ltd. LLC 20155
Ridgeline Lubricants 23929
Robert Bosch LLC 23711
Rockstar Performance Garage 21403
Royal Purple Synthetic Oil 23343
RS Racing Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 23622
Ruffian Cars 21653
Ruian Dofi Modifted Co. Ltd. 20055
Ruian Jia Beir Auto parts Co. Ltd. 23965
Ruian Niki Trade Co. Ltd. 24779
RYNO Classifieds 23463
SamcoSport 22518
SAMGTOS Auto Spare Parts Co. Ltd. 20769
S&B Filters 23165
SCOGGIN DICKEY PARTS CENTER 24142
Scorpion EV 24513
Scotchman Industries 20178
Sea Foam Sales Co. 20238
Seamless Tanks 23660
Seibon Carbon Anderson Composites 21451
SEMA Data 20678
Shanghai Jiawen Performance Industries Co. Ltd. 21533
Shanghai Kaizuo Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 20246
Shenyang Xinjin Auto Parts Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 20131
Shenzhen JDDTECH New Material Co. Ltd. 24111
ShiftPower-USA 23427
THE SHOP Magazine 22628
SHW Performance 22521
Silver Sport Transmissions 22429
Smeding Diesel LLC 21209
Sonnax 20255
Sound Ware (Liang Fei) Industry Co. Ltd. 20672
Spaceloc Corp. 21260
SPAL USA 24543
SPA Performance USA 23515
Spec-D Tuning 20331
Specialty Auto Parts/Proform 23035
Specialty Products Co./Peterson Fluid Systems 20519
Speed Dawg Shift Knobs 20176
Speedhut 24622
Speedmaster 22753
Sprint Booster/JRP Inc. 23333
Sprintex Superchargers & E-Compressors 20217
Spyder Auto 20353
Stage 8 Locking Fasteners Inc. 22730
Stainless Headers Manufacturing Inc. 23623
Summit Racing Equipment 81180
Sunoco Race Fuels 20567
Sun Top Hi-Tech Manufacturing Inc. 20743
SuperFlow Dynamometers & Flowbenches 21256
Supertech 24029
SUZHOU CHENGSU 24876
Suzhou Hualaimei Auto Parts Technology Co. Ltd. 24214
Suzhou Linker Automotive Co. Ltd. 20159
SWAI AUTO 20662
Swisstrax 21257
The SWITCH Lab 24421
TAROX Brakes 24217
Team Plus 21218
Techflex 23543
Tech Line Coatings Industries Inc. 23624
TEIN USA Inc. 22823
Thorney Motorsport 24936
TILTON 23129
Timpte Inc. 20655
Topgear 23363
Topgear Tuning Ltd. 21216
TOP STREET PERFORMANCE 20043
Torque Trends 24813
TotalEnergies Quartz Engine Oil 24466
TPI Arcade Inc. 24835
Trans Am Worldwide 21221
Traxxas 21329
TREMEC 21441
Trickflow 23011
Turbosmart USA 21513
Turnkey Trailers 81010
Turn 14 Distribution 21303
U&C Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 23565
UCoat it 21237
UFI Filters 20158
United Engine & Machine 23523
Universal Air Suspension 21317
UpRev LLC 20647
Valvetronic Designs 20165
Valvoline Global 24342
Vance & Hines 23027
Vapor Trapper 24777
Versodeck 21663
Vibrant Performance 24129
VMP Performance 23922
Vorsteiner & Gunther Werks 21615
VP Racing Fuels 22315
Wagner Tuning Inc. 23829
Wavetrac Differentials 23321
Wenzhou Dongjinlong Safety Equipment Co. Ltd. 20077
Wenzhou Jeatu Safety Systems Co. Ltd. 20166
Wickedflow 21263
Wilwood Disc Brakes 24327
Winjet Automotive 20513
Woolf Aircraft Products Inc. 20263
World Union Supply Chain (USA) Inc. 24530
Wossner Pistons 23521
Wuxi Booshiwheel Power Technology Co. Ltd. 20127
Wuxi Speed Automotive & New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. 21230
XCLUTCH 24011
XForce Performance Exhaust 23015
Yellowspeed Racing Co. Ltd. (TCR International Co. Ltd.) 21507
Yibai Auto Parts 20747
Yi Jeong Industrial Co. Ltd. 20154
Yin Ching Auto Parts Co. Ltd. 20234
Yuhuan Jiuren Machinery Co. Ltd. 20020
YULCHON KOREA, MEXICO, POLAND 24115
Zeitronix 24435
ZF 20024
Zhejiang Kylight Industry Co. Ltd. 20037
Zhejiang Yazhixing Automobile Components Co. Ltd. 20625
ZING-KING Inc. 24555