Compiled by SEMA Editors
 Lee Burtelson |  Dan Clarke |
Permatex Names Lee Burtelson Vice President General Manager
Permatex has announced several organizational changes in its Automotive Aftermarket (AAM) Group. These include the appointment of Lee Burtelson as new vice president general manager (VPGM) for engine repair, the retirement of former VPGM Andy Robinson and the promotion of Dan Clarke to lead traditional aftermarket sales. The announcement was made by Mark Severin, president, ITW Automotive Aftermarket (AAM) Group. Burtelson has been named as the new VPGM for engine repair and is responsible for all activities of the Automotive Aftermarket (AAM) Group. Prior to his appointment, Burtelson was vice president of strategic marketing for the ITW Fluids Platform. He joined ITW in 2015 and was a primary force in reviving organic growth in the fluids platform. Prior to his retirement, Robinson promoted Dan Clarke to sales director for the U.S. traditional aftermarket. Clarke has been with Permatex since 2015 and has served as its senior product manager. During his tenure, Clarke oversaw significant growth in revenue, market share and margin in his product categories. Prior to Permatex, Clarke was a business unit manager at Coburn Technologies Inc., and held various management and sales positions with HID Global Corp.
Covercraft Announces Title Sponsorship of Bradley Roy
Covercraft has announced a title sponsorship of Major League Fishing professional angler Bradley Roy. A three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, he is currently 10th in BassFan’s world rankings. Beginning in 2019, the Bradley Roy High School Open fishing tournament will also add Covercraft as the title sponsor. Covercraft branding will be the focus of Roy’s truck, boat and jersey for 2019. With the support of Covercraft and the associate sponsors, Roy will host a sweepstakes for one angler to fish with him and attend the 2019 Covercraft Bradley Roy High School Open. Covercraft will outfit the winner’s vehicle with their products bumper to bumper.
 Bobby Bennett |
Gary Scelzi “Legends: The Series” Episode to Premiere at PRI
For the second year in a row CompetitionPlus.com Owner and Publisher Bobby Bennett will unveil a new episode of “Legends: The Series” at the 31st Annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in the PRI Media Center inside the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The premiere, which will be sponsored by Aeromotive Fuel Systems, will take place December 7, at 2:30 p.m., and will feature four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi. This will be the final episode of Season 4, which has included a who’s who of drivers, including the late Eric Medlen, Jeb Allen, John Force, Warren Johnson, Dale Pulde, Jim Dunn, Larry Dixon and Al Segrini. “Legends: The Series” presented by Strange Engineering has exceeded three million YouTube views since launching in May 2014.
 (L–R): Bob Fox, Darcell Giannone, Anthony Giannone and Brian Reese. |
Race Winning Brands Acquires MGP Connecting Rods
Race Winning Brands Inc. (RWB) has announced the acquisition of Giannone Performance Products Inc., dba MGP Connecting Rods, a manufacturer of high-performance aluminum connecting rods. MGP represents the fifth add-on acquisition for Race Winning Brands, which has a portfolio of brands including JE Pistons, Wiseco Performance Products, K1 Technologies, Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance, Dart Machinery, Rekluse Motor Sports, Falicon Racing and ProX Racing Parts.
Toyo Tires Plans $138M Two-Phase Expansion Of Georgia Facility
Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. announced that it is planning a $138 million expansion of its facility in Cartersville, Georgia. Through a two-phase expansion, Toyo will construct a new 254,000-sq.-ft. facility with an annual production capacity of 2.4 million passenger vehicle tires. Upon completion, the company will employ approximately 2,100 Georgia residents and create more than 150 jobs. New jobs will include positions in production, support and administration. In 2016, Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. became the Toyo Tires Group’s largest manufacturing operation with an annual production capacity of 11.5 million tires.
“Horsepower Wars” Season 2 Returns
Power Automedia’s all-original show “Horsepower Wars,” which debuted in 2018, will return in 2019 featuring three “Horsepower Wars” series:
- $10K Drag Race Shootout “2” – Four teams compete with $10,000 to build a drag car in only 10 days. After the builds, they have to square off in a heads-up drag race, where one winner will stand alone at the end on the biggest stage.
- Pony Wars 2019 – The Mustang vs. Camaro show returns, with the addition of a new Dodge Challenger, adding a MOPAR to the mix.
- Junkyard Challenge – An all-new series debuts in 2019, where teams compete in multiple driving competitions using affordable trucks that they build using creativity and ingenuity. The teams will do battle in a variety of racing competitions, from offroad, dirt track, tug of war and more.
“Horsepower Wars” Season 2 kicks off in March 2019 with filming for “Pony Wars 2019.”
 Graham Light |
Graham Light Joins NHRA Motorsports Museum Board
Graham Light announced that he will join the Board of Directors of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Auto Club of Southern California. Light, who earlier this year announced his retirement as NHRA’s senior vice president of racing operations at the end of 2018, will utilize his relationships, knowledge and years in the sport to work furthering Wally Parks’ dream of creating a world-class motorsports museum to preserve NHRA’s history. As a member of the museum board, Light will work closely with Museum Chairman Tom McKernan, and the other members of the museum board, to help move the museum forward. Light will serve in a key stewardship position for the history of the sport, which will be a natural fit due to his strong connections with many of the people who helped to shape that history. Light will be available to work on special projects that may be developed between NHRA and the museum and will be a key fundraising partner with the museum’s staff, furthering Parks’ legacy.
 Joe Maylish |
MAHLE Motorsport Announces New Marketing Manager Joe Maylish
The North American motorsports division of MAHLE, MAHLE Motorsport, has announced that Joe Maylish has recently been hired to lead the company’s marketing department from headquarters in Fletcher, North Carolina. Maylish brings a wealth of experience to the job, including working most recently as sales and production manager for SPEED SxS, a division of Robby Gordon Motorsports in Charlotte, North Carolina. Previously, he worked as a sales associate and then regional sales manager for U.S. Legend Cars/Speedway Motorsports Inc. in Las Vegas. In this pivotal position, he was exposed to various forms of racing including NASCAR, NHRA, off-road and various forms of grassroots motorsports. This position gave him both a broad racing background and event operations management experience that made him an ideal candidate for the position at MAHLE.
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