ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – Ralph Sheheen, president and co-founder of SPEED SPORT, will share his passion for and knowledge of motorsports as the new host of the Grand Opening Breakfast at the 2019 Performance Racing Industry Trade Show.

The breakfast takes place Thursday morning, Dec. 12, immediately before the PRI Show opens its doors for the Three Biggest Business Days in Racing, Dec. 12-14 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

“We are thrilled to welcome to the 2019 PRI Show one of the greatest voices in broadcasting and a guy that shares the passion and love of motorsports,” said Bill Miller, PRI General Manager. “From Outlaws and trucks to Cup and motorcycles, Sheheen covers anything and everything that competes on the track.”

The Grand Opening Breakfast kicks off the PRI Show and is deeply rooted in the 30-plus-year show. Open exclusively to PRI Show attendees (not the general public) free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis, the Breakfast features motorsports legends sharing personal stories and experiences in an intimate setting surrounded by industry professionals enjoying a hot breakfast.

This year’s breakfast will be held in the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom beginning at 8 a.m. Sheheen is taking over the reins as emcee of the event from veteran journalist Dave Despain, who hosted the breakfast for the past 10 years before retiring this winter.

“It gives us great pleasure to have Ralph Sheheen carry on the wonderful tradition of hosting motorsports’ finest on PRI’s Grand Opening Breakfast stage,” said Miller. “He believes so much in the grassroots racer and track operators. If he’s not on the air, he’s at some track hanging in the garage, chatting it up with the racing community.”

“I’m thrilled to host this year’s Grand Opening Breakfast and to be a part of the PRI tradition,” said Sheheen. “The most legendary names in racing have graced the stage before the start of the PRI Show, and to now be a part of that is amazing!”

This year’s PRI Trade Show will feature more than 1,100 companies exhibiting in more than 3,300 booths and showcasing the latest products, services, machinery, simulation and testing technologies, and trailers for the racing industry in a single location. Now in its 32nd year, PRI encompasses all forms of racing and attracts attendees from all 50 states and over 70 countries.

Numerous conferences and seminars, among them the Race Track Business Conference and International Council of Motorsport Sciences’ Annual Congress, offer unlimited business opportunities and provide invaluable insight on the latest technologies and how to apply them throughout the racing world. Furthermore, special features like Machinery Row make PRI the ideal event for motorsports pros to connect and discover what’s trending ahead of the new racing season.

Known as Race Industry Week, the days leading up to and including the Show will offer a range of motorsports-related activities in and around the Indiana Convention Center beginning on Monday, Dec. 9.