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Movers & Shakers: Burnyzz '21 Bronco, '70 Chevelle SS Shine at Auction; Wheel Pros Acquires TeraFlex

 

ChevelleBurnyzz Speed Shop Inaugural Car Auction Moves Over $1 Million in Sales

Burnyzz Speed Shop held a car auction featuring a variety of cars and trucks built and restored by the company. The two-day auction saw more than $1 million in sales. The goal of this first-time auction was to put collectors behind the wheel of their dream iconic car, and to facilitate classic and collector car consignment, purchases and transportation.

BroncoNearly 100 of some of the most beautiful and collectible cars from across the country were sold, with a ’70 Chevelle SS and ’21 Ford Bronco leading the way, earning $126,000 and $100,000 respectively. The two-day event was held at World Equestrian Center, Expo 2 (Florida), and a future event is already planned for December of this year.

The Burnyzz black and white ’70 Chevelle SS sold for $126,000 and featured a new GM 427 C.I. LS7 w/Hot Cam making 600 hp, with a Tremec five-speed transmission. Burnyzz Speed Shop added a full RideTech suspension with adjustable coil overs, Wilwood brakes, Dakota Digital gauges, and completed the build with a high-quality leather interior.

The brand-new ’21 Ford Bronco was a special project for Burnyzz Speed Shop and included an upgrade to the Bandlands Series, Hill Start Assist, Ford Co-Pilot 360 technology and leather trimmed seats, as well as a host of additional luxury enhancements, pushing the auction price up to $100,000.

Devron Jeffers Named Speedway Motorsports Vice President of Business Development

Senior business executive and sales professional Devron Jeffers has returned to Speedway Motorsports as vice president of business development for the company’s national sales team, as announced by Speedway Motorsports Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Kevin Camper. Jeffers will be based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and focus on national sales opportunities for companies headquartered in Texas and the central United States. He will oversee a portfolio of event entitlement, hospitality, facility rental and sports marketing assets amongst Speedway Motorsports’ 11 venues. From 1997 to 2017, Jeffers held a variety of sales positions at Texas Motor Speedway starting with Speedway Club sales representative. Most recently, he served as the chief revenue officer with the East Coast Hockey League’s Allen Americans.

Keystone CelebrationKeystone Automotive Operations Celebrates 50th Anniversary at 2022 BIG Show

Keystone Automotive Operations celebrated its 50th anniversary at the 2022 Keystone Automotive Operations BIG Show sponsored by Weather Guard, in March. The 50-year Legacy Celebration presentation at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center ballroom was the first activity of a full show agenda.

Opening the two-day annual customer event honoring company founder, Joe Amato alongside an impressive roster of associates, customers, industry suppliers, manufacturers and organizations, the company paid homage to many of those who had contributed to its success for the last five decades.

As part of the show activities, attendees were treated to a host of networking opportunities, a Friday night concert presented by Weather Guard, and a Saturday evening reception in addition to 50th  Anniversary activities. Special displays included an Amato’s championship winning NHRA dragster as well as a unique collection of memorabilia from his personal collection alongside a variety of items representing the history of Keystone Automotive Operations over the many years.

New Owners for North Florida Motorplex

The North Florida Motorplex—the dragstrip and dirt track in Fountain, Florida, formerly known as Powerhouse Motorsports Park—has new owners. Kevin and Cody McDaniel—brothers that operate Piggly Wiggly grocery stores in Florida and Alabama—have taken over ownership of the facility, home to the 1/8-mile dragstrip now sanctioned by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA). Track improvements include a new concession stand, tower and bleachers. In addition, officials have widened the dragstrip, plus installed new concrete walls, lighting, and an Accutime timing system. With sponsorship from Coca-Cola, the track will offer a $60,000 points fund, bonuses and a vacation package to Panama City Beach.

MAP Services Corp. Adds 17 New Brands to Client Portfolio

MAP Services Corp. announced the addition of 10 new clients with 17 brands in the automotive aftermarket and powersports. The company's Do-It-For-Me service business model provides a unique service. “We feel a service provider should do exactly that, provide a service and not create more work for a client” says David Portugal, founder of MAP services.

“These new clients have seen the benefits of using MAP Services Corp to monitor and enforce their price polices,” said Portugal.

  • Valterra -Tire Minder
  • Vibrant Performance
  • Oracle Lighting
  • Advanced Clutch Technology
  • Ohlins
  • Rizoma
  • Maxxis
  • Anzo
  • Gold Eagle Brands: 303, 104+ Octane Booster, Cindo, HEET, No Leak, Sta-Bil, TriNova
  • Bridgestone

Wheel Pros Acquires TeraFlex

Wheel Pros, backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., and in partnership with management, announced it has acquired TeraFlex, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket suspensions, shocks, and other components for automotive and off-roading enthusiasts. TeraFlex has established brands, such as Falcon, and in-house product development capabilities that deliver high-performance, quality products. TeraFlex operates three domestic U.S. facilities and sells 3,470 distinct product SKUs across 24 core product families.

Goodyear to Develop Domestic Source of Natural Rubber

Goodyear

The roots of Taraxacum kok-saghyz, a species of dandelion known as “TK” that has proven to be a valuable alternative to natural rubber trees. Photo credit: Farmed Materials.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar program supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and BioMADE to work with Ohio-based Farmed Materials to develop a domestic source of natural rubber from a specific species of dandelion.

Natural rubber has been classified as a strategic raw material that serves as a critical ingredient in military, aircraft and truck tires. Today, more than 90% of the world's natural rubber is made from latex derived from rubber trees and is primarily sourced from tropical locations outside of the United States.

The program will build on research that analyzed more than 2,500 species of plants but found only a few with properties suitable for use in tires. Taraxacum kok-saghyz, a species of dandelion known as “TK,” has proven to be a valuable alternative to natural rubber trees. Farmed Materials has shown initial positive results in pilot programs for TK, yielding strong harvests that necessitate the need for additional planting and funding. While rubber trees typically take seven years to produce the latex needed for rubber production, dandelions can be harvested every six months. TK dandelions are also resilient and can grow in more temperate climates, such as Ohio.

Backed by the DoD, the collaboration of Goodyear, BioMADE and Farmed Materials will accelerate commercialization of TK, beginning in the spring of 2022 with the planting and harvesting of TK seeds in Ohio. The natural rubber produced will be used in the production of military aircraft tires that will be built and tested under rigorous applications by Goodyear in cooperation with the AFRL at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. If additional testing provides promising results, Goodyear sees potential for the application of TK rubber to be used in all tire applications.

Fullbay Acquires Dieselmatic

Fullbay, the turnkey platform designed to improve the operational efficiency of heavy-duty repair shops, has acquired DieselmaticDigital Inc., the digital marketing agency focused exclusively on diesel repair shops. The acquisition layers the digital marketing services of Dieselmatic onto the shop management software Fullbay already offers to help drive demand for repair shop businesses. Terms of the acquisition, which closed April 1, were not disclosed.

Working exclusively in the commercial vehicle-repair industry allows the Dieselmatic team to create unique content, coupled with proven digital techniques and strategies that consistently improve online rankings. The acquisition transition will be seamless for existing Fullbay and Dieselmatic customers and employees. Fullbay expects to retain all employees of both organizations, and anticipates continued growth through cross-branding, customer integration and implementation of best practices. Future integrations between the two brands will include an end-to-end analytics dashboard that provides shop owners with a true ROI on marketing.

MoogMOOG Creates Enhancements to Premium Control Arms Product Line

MOOG, the  steering and suspension brand from Tenneco Inc.'s DRiV group, recently announced a series of enhancements to its premium control arms.

MOOG constantly tests and develops new engineering solutions to improve vehicle ride and performance. Innovations to MOOG Premium control arms include induction-hardened studs and carbon fiber-reinforced bearings with PTFE. Induction-hardened studs provide added strength, while the patent-pending carbon fiber-reinforced bearings reduce socket friction compared to typical non-reinforced bearings. Together these innovations provide longer socket life.

Many of the enhanced control arms come complete with all hardware needed for a fast and easy installation and a laser-etched MOOG product ID to guarantee genuine MOOG quality.

Race Winning Brands Acquires PAC Racing Springs

Race Winning Brands Inc. (RWB), a portfolio company of MiddleGround Capital, has announced the acquisition of PAC Racing Springs (PAC), a manufacturer of high-performance valve springs serving the automotive and powersports performance and racing aftermarket. PAC represents the ninth add-on acquisition for Race Winning Brands.

PAC is headquartered and operates out of an industry-leading facility in Southfield, Michigan, just outside Detroit. PAC’s product line further enhances RWB’s ability to serve various racing markets, from circle track to drag racing. PAC’s manufacturing and supporting operations will remain based out their current Southfield, Michigan, headquarters.

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