INDIANAPOLIS, IN – If you think that because Christmas is only a few days away, all high-performance automotive events have been tucked away for the winter -- you’d be wrong. Mid-December is the time when the annual Performance Racing Industry show – otherwise known as PRI – brings together “the world’s largest gathering of motorsports professionals” at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. This three-day trade show is open to PRI Members in the motorsports industry, featuring 1,000 exhibiting companies with nearly 70,000 attendees from all 50 states and some 70 countries.
Founded by racing entrepreneur Steve Lewis back in 1986, PRI has grown each year before eventually being purchased by SEMA in 2012. While the trade show remains SEMA’s “little brother,” PRI has found a true niche-market highlighting all things motorsports and the racing aftermarket. Beyond the show itself, PRI is also a monthly print and digital magazine that calls itself “the voice of the racing marketplace” celebrating all forms of motorsports -- including the latest trends, new merchandising ideas and product releases, innovative business strategies, engineering advancements, and more.
The old joke in the motorsports community is that if you want to make a small fortune by going racing, you should start with a big fortune. But PRI points out that motorsports is a huge industry, noting that racing in all its forms generates $69 billion for the economy and 318,000 jobs. That’s not just race teams and their personnel, but also the people who work in the hospitality suites and the companies that provide parts and services, like tires and lubricants. All of racing also pays $22 billion in wages and $8 billion in taxes.
Two of FordRacing.com’s most-traveled enthusiast event photographers, Bill Cook and Mark Storm, went to Indy last week to attend PRI 2025 and sent us hundreds of photos. With them, Cook filed this report:
“Last Wednesday morning after 6 inches of snow was dumped on us, I met up with Mark Storm of Autotrader to start our drive to Indianapolis. Things fortunately improved as we moved south of the Detroit metro area. We checked in around 4 p.m. and walked over to the Convention Center to get a peek at the show during the final setup to take pictures without so many people in them.
“Thursday morning was the Grand Opening Breakfast. It was packed. Mario Andretti was the featured guest. His answers to questions, personal stories and anecdotes during his discussion with veteran race broadcaster and interviewer Ralph Sheheen were quite entertaining. Sharing the stage was the meticulously restored 1965 Brawner-Hawk Ford that Mario drove to 3rd place (qualified 4th) in his first Indy 500. He was the Rookie of the Year and also won his first USAC National Championship (now IndyCar) that year. He is the only driver to ever win a Formula One World Championship (1978), the Indianapolis 500 (1969) and the Daytona 500 (1967). All three of those cars had Ford power.
“We spent the rest of the day covering 3,300 booth spaces occupied by 1,100 suppliers and exhibitors. The PRI display space here covers 1 million square feet! Enthusiasts come from across the country for the cars as well as for the chance to see the newest parts and technology. They also get access to countless manufacturers and service providers, offering unlimited opportunities to network face-to-face with industry leaders. We spent Friday morning doing more of the same before heading back to Michigan at lunchtime. Start walking with us via the photo gallery below to enjoy some of the Fords we found there:”
FORD RACING PHOTOS / COURTESY BILL COOK
