HRIA Presents Awards at the 2010 SEMA Show

SEMA Member News—January/February 2011

	HRIA Chairman Dennis Overholser and Chair-Elect Rick Love flank Brent VanDervort of Fatman Fabrications. VanDervort was inducted into the HRIA Hall of Fame during the 2010 SEMA Show.

Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) member companies met at the Las Vegas Hilton during SEMA Show week to give out the annual HRIA awards to industry leaders and legends. The most influential hot-rodding companies in the industry hand out their awards at this event along with HRIA’s Hall of Fame awards. HRIA wishes to thank all of the sponsors of this great event.

Industry Awards

Goodguys Trendsetter Award: Curt Ukasik

The Goodguys Trendsetter Award recognizes rising young stars in the hot-rod and custom industry. Recipients of this award honor the tradition of hot rodding while imbuing their own unique skills and vision to their craft. This year, Curt Ukasik of RPM Hot Rods received the Goodguys award.

Hand-crafting hot rods in the mountains of southeastern Pennsylvania, Ukasik has already left his mark on the industry in both hot-rod and musclecar fabrication. With the vision to build cutting-edge cars that combine reliability, style and extreme performance, he has taken RPM Hot Rods to the forefront of the industry. He and his team have taken home numerous awards, including the Gearstar Hot Rod of the Year Award and the Detroit Speed Muscle Machine of the Year Award. In addition, RPM built the 2010 Goodguys Grand Prize Giveaway Car, “The Boss Snake” Mustang.

NSRA Achievement Award: Brett Voelkel

		HRIA Banquet Sponsors
		Gold Sponsors Classic Instruments Comp Performance Group Flaming River Industries Goodguys Rod & Custom Association Lokar Performance Products National Street Rod Association (NSRA) Silver Sponsors American Autowire Borgeson Universal Championship Auto Shows/ISCA Dakota Digital Painless Performance Source Interlink Media Steele Rubber Products

The National Street Rod Association (NSRA) Achievement Award is given annually to a business or an individual in recognition of outstanding support of the street-rod industry. The 2010 recipient of the NSRA award was Brett Voelkel of RideTech.

Voelkel has been a car enthusiast since the day he was handed a driver’s license. He attended his first Street Machine Nationals in the late ’70s and immediately caught the custom-car bug. After working for World of Performance in the ’80s, he built his first air-suspension system for his own ’70 Pro Street Mustang. After a series of changes and improvements, Voelkel developed the hot-rod air-ride system that has revolutionized the industry. After 14 years of building world-class suspension systems, Voelkel and his team at RideTech continue to develop state-of-the-art suspension components that help the industry grow and evolve.

ISCA Legends of Hot Rodding Award:
Pete Chapouris

The Championship Auto Shows/International Show Car Association (ISCA) Legends of Hot Rodding Award honors an individual who has continually created and exhibited amazing custom cars and hot rods at car shows across the country. This individual is highly regarded for his or her commitment to hot rodding and innovations that keep the industry growing. For 2010, ISCA honored Pete Chapouris for his decades of creativity and support to the hot-rod industry.

Chapouris grew up in California and began his legendary hot-rodding career with a channeled ’30 Ford Model A. In 1973, his ’34 chopped three-window coupe, finished in traditional black and flames, was photographed for the cover of Rod & Custom magazine alongside the chopped yellow coupe of Jim “Jake” Jacobs. The two rodders hit it off and started the hot-rod business known as Pete & Jake’s in 1974. After selling the business in 1987, Chapouris went to work as SEMA’s vice president of marketing. Eventually, he stepped out from behind the desk in the early ’90s and started the Pete Chapouris Group, which would become the cornerstone of the SO-CAL Speed Shop brand. Along with SO-CAL founder Alex Xydias, Chapouris has hit the road to promote the hobby of hot rodding as one of our industry’s greatest ambassadors.

HRIA Awards

HRIA Industry Recognition Award:
Bob Millard

Bob Millard bought his first car, a ’53 Chevrolet, at the age of 13, and he has been enamored with driving, building, judging and collecting hot rods and custom cars ever since. He has seen all sides of the automotive industry, from owning a service station to working for auto parts stores. At the age of 19, Millard produced his first custom car event and eventually ran countless events for the ISCA over the course of his career. During the ’60s and ’70s, he raced at NHRA and AHRA events in addition to running the ISCA circuit. Millard served as an official, judge, supervisor, division director, competition director and general manager with ISCA. One of his proudest accomplishments is the ISCA Student Career Day Program that introduces students to career opportunities in the automotive industry. This year, his program will reach 20,000 students in 26 cities.

HRIA Business of the Year Award:
Detroit Speed Inc.

Kyle and Stacy Tucker turned their passion for musclecars and hot rods into one of the industry’s most innovative component manufacturers and custom-car builders. Founded as Detroit Speed & Engineering, the company transforms turn-key projects, rolling chassis and custom fabrication projects into modern masterpieces. Through extensive engineering, testing and product development, the Tuckers have revolutionized the suspension and chassis area of the industry. Just as important, Detroit Speed is an active partner and supporter in the hot rod industry, sponsoring industry awards and participating in a variety of hot rodding and racing events throughout the year. In addition, Stacy Tucker has served as a member of the HRIA select committee.

HRIA Chairman’s Award:
Ray Gollahan

	Also inducted into the HRIA Hall of Fame was award-winning car builder Bobby Alloway of Alloway's Hot Rod Shop

Ray Gollahan, recently deceased, founded Antique Auto Sheet Metal in 1972 to provide patch panels and replacement body components. He later founded Brookville Roadster to develop complete steel replacement bodies for the classic and hot-rod aftermarket. Employing skilled steel workers in central Ohio for more than 37 years, Brookville has won countless SEMA and NSRA awards while pioneering the street-rod replacement body market.

HRIA Hall of Fame:
Brent VanDervort

Brent VanDervort is a lifelong hot rodder who started building cars and parts in his backyard garage in the late ’70s. After completing his engineering degree in 1985, he founded his own suspension-components business, Fatman Fabrications. The company focuses on strong, affordable basic components and do-it-yourself installation for hot rodders of all skill levels. Over the years, VanDervort has been an ambassador of hot rodding, serving on the HRIA Select Committee and continually volunteering his time for the betterment of
the industry.

HRIA Hall of Fame:
Bobby Alloway

In 1991, Bobby Alloway walked away from a management position at an automotive dealership in Tennessee to embark on a career in hot rods and custom cars. The list of award-winning cars produced by Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop is long and full of some of the most recognizable cars in our industry. He is the only builder to win the prestigious Riddler Award with his own vehicle. The distinct styling of Alloway-built hot rods and musclecars has forever changed the industry. Alloway has set the bar high for creativity, professionalism and fun in the hot-rod industry.