NEWS NUGGETS

TOYOTA SECURES SPONSORSHIP OF ENGLISHTOWN NHRA FULL THROTTLE EVENT: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A has expanded its participation in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing by becoming the title-rights sponsor of the event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The 43rd annual Toyota NHRA SuperNationals will be held May 31–June 3.

“Toyota is proud to expand its NHRA involvement with this title-sponsorship initiative,” said Les Unger, Toyota national motorsports manager.

In addition to becoming the sponsor of the Englishtown event, Toyota will have an advertising presence in the ESPN2 broadcasts of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing with commercial inventory, an in-show sponsored feature, and race ticker. Toyota will also increase its national footprint in the sport and expand its on-site display visibility at various races. Toyota sponsors three Top Fuel teams and three Funny Car teams. Al-Anabi Racing, Don Schumacher Racing and Morgan Lucas Racing will field Top Fuel dragsters for drivers Khalid al Balooshi, Shawn Langdon, Morgan Lucas, Brandon Bernstein and Antron Brown. Cruz Pedregon Racing, Tony Pedregon Racing and Kalitta Motorsports participate in the Funny Car class. An all-new ’12 Toyota Camry Funny Car body will be showcased by four drivers: Cruz Pedregon, Jeff Arend, Tony Pedregon and 2012 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award candidate Alexis DeJoria. For more information on this story, log on to NHRA.com.

AARON’S EXTENDS FOR SECOND YEAR WITH DSR; JOINS 2011 CHAMP HAGAN: Aaron’s has extended its partnership with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) through the 2012 season and will be the primary sponsor for NHRA Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan’s Dodge Charger R/T. Aaron’s will be the primary sponsor for Hagan at 13 NHRA national events and the primary sponsor on Antron Brown’s Top Fuel dragster for four events during the 23-event NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season.

“It’s really exciting to kick off the season as the champion with Aaron’s on our car,” said Hagan. “They have the Lucky Dog, and I sure hope he brings me some luck.”

DSR will sport Aaron’s colors for 17 events, which is two more than last year. Other associate sponsors for Hagan’s Charger will be Mopar and Freightliner. DSR Funny Car driver Jack Beckman will display sponsorship from Valvoline NextGen this year on his Dodge Charger R/T. For more information on this story, log on to NHRA.com.

GARLITS 80TH BIRTHDAY RAT ROAST FUNDRAISER TO BE HELD DURING WINTERNATIONALS: Drag racing’s biggest birthday party is about to happen…and it will be big! The greatest driver in NHRA history is celebrating his 80th birthday. And to mark the occasion, a special Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” charity event will be held Saturday evening, February 11 at the Sheraton Fairplex during the weekend of the 52nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries, February 9–12 at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The “Rat Roast” is being presented by the NHRA, with proceeds to benefit the Quarter Mile Foundation, whose mission is to collect and archive the history of the sport of drag racing and related aspects of the high-performance aftermarket.

The Quarter Mile Foundation focuses on capturing the first person, oral histories of the greatest pioneers and legends of the sport. The event will be held at the Sheraton Fairplex on the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds and will include silent and live auctions, including one-of-a-kind memorabilia items. Individual tickets for the Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” are $80, with a limited number of 10-people VIP tables available for $2,500.

To buy tables to the event, contact Rachelle Litwin at NHRA at rlitwin@nhra.com or call 626-250-2269. For individual tickets, go to www.NHRATIX.com and click on the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals ticket page and scroll down to the Special Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” charity event. For tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com.

B.R.A.K.E.S. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BENEFIT DINNER SET FOR FEBRUARY 24: Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe)—a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to teen safe driver training—will host its inaugural Southern California Benefit Dinner February 24 at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California in Pomona. The night will include a special program, dinner, cocktails, silent and live auctions and celebrity guests. All proceeds from the dinner will benefit Doug Herbert’s Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S., which provides free hands-on driver training to teens. Since 2008, B.R.A.K.E.S. has trained more than 3,000 students from 19 states and two countries. The program has a waiting list of several hundred students.

“Our goals are to double the number of teens we train in 2012, alleviate the waiting list, expand into other states and be nationwide within the next three to five years,” said Herbert.

Those interested in sponsoring or attending the inaugural Southern California Benefit Dinner should log on to www.putonthebrakes.org or call the B.R.A.K.E.S. offices at 704-720-3806.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA WINTERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY SUPER START BATTERIES, AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA, February 9–12: The 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series kicks off in Southern California. Defending event winners are Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock). For tickets, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, contact Director of Media Relations Anthony Vestal at avestal@nhra.com.

NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS, FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, February 17–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in Phoenix. Defending event winners are Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 602-268-0200 or log on to firebirdraceway.com. For media credentials, contact Media Relations Manager Alex Baca at abaca@nhra.com.

TIRE KINGDOM NHRA GATORNATIONALS, GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, March 8–11: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to historic Gainesville Raceway for the third stop of the series and season-opening race for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Defending event winners are Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Mike Neff (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, contact senior communications manager Scott Smith at ssmith@nhra.com.

HE SAID, SHE SAID

RECORD-SETTING PRE-SEASON: Al-Anabi Racing dragster pilot Shawn Langdon after running a career-best 3.784 seconds during pre-season testing in Florida: “It’s been great to come out here and run so well right off the bat. These guys are awesome, it feels great to be a part of this team. They’ve set the bar with their performance over the past two years so I’m going to do the best job that I can in the driver’s seat. It’s definitely going to be a fun and exciting year with the competition out here.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

6/8: KB racing Pro Stock duo Greg Anderson and Jason Line have won six of the last eight season-opening O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries. Mike Edwards (2010) and Dave Connolly (2005) are the only non KB Racing drivers to have won the event in Pro Stock since 2004.

DID YOU KNOW

…that a special track walk featuring many of the families that were featured in the “2012 NHRA Full Throttle Real families Calendar” will be held Sunday before pre-race ceremonies at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona? The event that kicks off the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season will also include a display of Nostalgia Cacklefest Cars, a display of all the 2011 Twilight cruise winners from the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum and a Junior Dragster display in honor of the 20th anniversary of the NHRA Junior Drag Racing League.

For tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com.

NEWS NUGGETS

TOYOTA SECURES SPONSORSHIP OF ENGLISHTOWN NHRA FULL THROTTLE EVENT: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A has expanded its participation in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing by becoming the title-rights sponsor of the event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The 43rd annual Toyota NHRA SuperNationals will be held May 31–June 3.

“Toyota is proud to expand its NHRA involvement with this title-sponsorship initiative,” said Les Unger, Toyota national motorsports manager.

In addition to becoming the sponsor of the Englishtown event, Toyota will have an advertising presence in the ESPN2 broadcasts of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing with commercial inventory, an in-show sponsored feature, and race ticker. Toyota will also increase its national footprint in the sport and expand its on-site display visibility at various races. Toyota sponsors three Top Fuel teams and three Funny Car teams. Al-Anabi Racing, Don Schumacher Racing and Morgan Lucas Racing will field Top Fuel dragsters for drivers Khalid al Balooshi, Shawn Langdon, Morgan Lucas, Brandon Bernstein and Antron Brown. Cruz Pedregon Racing, Tony Pedregon Racing and Kalitta Motorsports participate in the Funny Car class. An all-new ’12 Toyota Camry Funny Car body will be showcased by four drivers: Cruz Pedregon, Jeff Arend, Tony Pedregon and 2012 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award candidate Alexis DeJoria. For more information on this story, log on to NHRA.com.

AARON’S EXTENDS FOR SECOND YEAR WITH DSR; JOINS 2011 CHAMP HAGAN: Aaron’s has extended its partnership with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) through the 2012 season and will be the primary sponsor for NHRA Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan’s Dodge Charger R/T. Aaron’s will be the primary sponsor for Hagan at 13 NHRA national events and the primary sponsor on Antron Brown’s Top Fuel dragster for four events during the 23-event NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season.

“It’s really exciting to kick off the season as the champion with Aaron’s on our car,” said Hagan. “They have the Lucky Dog, and I sure hope he brings me some luck.”

DSR will sport Aaron’s colors for 17 events, which is two more than last year. Other associate sponsors for Hagan’s Charger will be Mopar and Freightliner. DSR Funny Car driver Jack Beckman will display sponsorship from Valvoline NextGen this year on his Dodge Charger R/T. For more information on this story, log on to NHRA.com.

GARLITS 80TH BIRTHDAY RAT ROAST FUNDRAISER TO BE HELD DURING WINTERNATIONALS: Drag racing’s biggest birthday party is about to happen…and it will be big! The greatest driver in NHRA history is celebrating his 80th birthday. And to mark the occasion, a special Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” charity event will be held Saturday evening, February 11 at the Sheraton Fairplex during the weekend of the 52nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries, February 9–12 at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The “Rat Roast” is being presented by the NHRA, with proceeds to benefit the Quarter Mile Foundation, whose mission is to collect and archive the history of the sport of drag racing and related aspects of the high-performance aftermarket.

The Quarter Mile Foundation focuses on capturing the first person, oral histories of the greatest pioneers and legends of the sport. The event will be held at the Sheraton Fairplex on the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds and will include silent and live auctions, including one-of-a-kind memorabilia items. Individual tickets for the Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” are $80, with a limited number of 10-people VIP tables available for $2,500.

To buy tables to the event, contact Rachelle Litwin at NHRA at rlitwin@nhra.com or call 626-250-2269. For individual tickets, go to www.NHRATIX.com and click on the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals ticket page and scroll down to the Special Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” charity event. For tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com.

B.R.A.K.E.S. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BENEFIT DINNER SET FOR FEBRUARY 24: Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe)—a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to teen safe driver training—will host its inaugural Southern California Benefit Dinner February 24 at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California in Pomona. The night will include a special program, dinner, cocktails, silent and live auctions and celebrity guests. All proceeds from the dinner will benefit Doug Herbert’s Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S., which provides free hands-on driver training to teens. Since 2008, B.R.A.K.E.S. has trained more than 3,000 students from 19 states and two countries. The program has a waiting list of several hundred students.

“Our goals are to double the number of teens we train in 2012, alleviate the waiting list, expand into other states and be nationwide within the next three to five years,” said Herbert.

Those interested in sponsoring or attending the inaugural Southern California Benefit Dinner should log on to www.putonthebrakes.org or call the B.R.A.K.E.S. offices at 704-720-3806.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA WINTERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY SUPER START BATTERIES, AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA, February 9–12: The 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series kicks off in Southern California. Defending event winners are Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock). For tickets, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, contact Director of Media Relations Anthony Vestal at avestal@nhra.com.

NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS, FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, February 17–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in Phoenix. Defending event winners are Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 602-268-0200 or log on to firebirdraceway.com. For media credentials, contact Media Relations Manager Alex Baca at abaca@nhra.com.

TIRE KINGDOM NHRA GATORNATIONALS, GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, March 8–11: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to historic Gainesville Raceway for the third stop of the series and season-opening race for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Defending event winners are Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Mike Neff (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, contact senior communications manager Scott Smith at ssmith@nhra.com.

HE SAID, SHE SAID

RECORD-SETTING PRE-SEASON: Al-Anabi Racing dragster pilot Shawn Langdon after running a career-best 3.784 seconds during pre-season testing in Florida: “It’s been great to come out here and run so well right off the bat. These guys are awesome, it feels great to be a part of this team. They’ve set the bar with their performance over the past two years so I’m going to do the best job that I can in the driver’s seat. It’s definitely going to be a fun and exciting year with the competition out here.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

6/8: KB racing Pro Stock duo Greg Anderson and Jason Line have won six of the last eight season-opening O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries. Mike Edwards (2010) and Dave Connolly (2005) are the only non KB Racing drivers to have won the event in Pro Stock since 2004.

DID YOU KNOW

…that a special track walk featuring many of the families that were featured in the “2012 NHRA Full Throttle Real families Calendar” will be held Sunday before pre-race ceremonies at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona? The event that kicks off the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season will also include a display of Nostalgia Cacklefest Cars, a display of all the 2011 Twilight cruise winners from the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum and a Junior Dragster display in honor of the 20th anniversary of the NHRA Junior Drag Racing League.

For tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com.

NEWS NUGGETS

TOYOTA SECURES SPONSORSHIP OF ENGLISHTOWN NHRA FULL THROTTLE EVENT: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A has expanded its participation in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing by becoming the title-rights sponsor of the event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The 43rd annual Toyota NHRA SuperNationals will be held May 31–June 3.

“Toyota is proud to expand its NHRA involvement with this title-sponsorship initiative,” said Les Unger, Toyota national motorsports manager.

In addition to becoming the sponsor of the Englishtown event, Toyota will have an advertising presence in the ESPN2 broadcasts of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing with commercial inventory, an in-show sponsored feature, and race ticker. Toyota will also increase its national footprint in the sport and expand its on-site display visibility at various races. Toyota sponsors three Top Fuel teams and three Funny Car teams. Al-Anabi Racing, Don Schumacher Racing and Morgan Lucas Racing will field Top Fuel dragsters for drivers Khalid al Balooshi, Shawn Langdon, Morgan Lucas, Brandon Bernstein and Antron Brown. Cruz Pedregon Racing, Tony Pedregon Racing and Kalitta Motorsports participate in the Funny Car class. An all-new ’12 Toyota Camry Funny Car body will be showcased by four drivers: Cruz Pedregon, Jeff Arend, Tony Pedregon and 2012 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award candidate Alexis DeJoria. For more information on this story, log on to NHRA.com.

AARON’S EXTENDS FOR SECOND YEAR WITH DSR; JOINS 2011 CHAMP HAGAN: Aaron’s has extended its partnership with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) through the 2012 season and will be the primary sponsor for NHRA Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan’s Dodge Charger R/T. Aaron’s will be the primary sponsor for Hagan at 13 NHRA national events and the primary sponsor on Antron Brown’s Top Fuel dragster for four events during the 23-event NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season.

“It’s really exciting to kick off the season as the champion with Aaron’s on our car,” said Hagan. “They have the Lucky Dog, and I sure hope he brings me some luck.”

DSR will sport Aaron’s colors for 17 events, which is two more than last year. Other associate sponsors for Hagan’s Charger will be Mopar and Freightliner. DSR Funny Car driver Jack Beckman will display sponsorship from Valvoline NextGen this year on his Dodge Charger R/T. For more information on this story, log on to NHRA.com.

GARLITS 80TH BIRTHDAY RAT ROAST FUNDRAISER TO BE HELD DURING WINTERNATIONALS: Drag racing’s biggest birthday party is about to happen…and it will be big! The greatest driver in NHRA history is celebrating his 80th birthday. And to mark the occasion, a special Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” charity event will be held Saturday evening, February 11 at the Sheraton Fairplex during the weekend of the 52nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries, February 9–12 at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The “Rat Roast” is being presented by the NHRA, with proceeds to benefit the Quarter Mile Foundation, whose mission is to collect and archive the history of the sport of drag racing and related aspects of the high-performance aftermarket.

The Quarter Mile Foundation focuses on capturing the first person, oral histories of the greatest pioneers and legends of the sport. The event will be held at the Sheraton Fairplex on the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds and will include silent and live auctions, including one-of-a-kind memorabilia items. Individual tickets for the Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” are $80, with a limited number of 10-people VIP tables available for $2,500.

To buy tables to the event, contact Rachelle Litwin at NHRA at rlitwin@nhra.com or call 626-250-2269. For individual tickets, go to www.NHRATIX.com and click on the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals ticket page and scroll down to the Special Don Garlits 80th birthday “Rat Roast” charity event. For tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com.

B.R.A.K.E.S. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BENEFIT DINNER SET FOR FEBRUARY 24: Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe)—a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to teen safe driver training—will host its inaugural Southern California Benefit Dinner February 24 at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California in Pomona. The night will include a special program, dinner, cocktails, silent and live auctions and celebrity guests. All proceeds from the dinner will benefit Doug Herbert’s Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S., which provides free hands-on driver training to teens. Since 2008, B.R.A.K.E.S. has trained more than 3,000 students from 19 states and two countries. The program has a waiting list of several hundred students.

“Our goals are to double the number of teens we train in 2012, alleviate the waiting list, expand into other states and be nationwide within the next three to five years,” said Herbert.

Those interested in sponsoring or attending the inaugural Southern California Benefit Dinner should log on to www.putonthebrakes.org or call the B.R.A.K.E.S. offices at 704-720-3806.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA WINTERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY SUPER START BATTERIES, AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA, February 9–12: The 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series kicks off in Southern California. Defending event winners are Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock). For tickets, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, contact Director of Media Relations Anthony Vestal at avestal@nhra.com.

NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS, FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, February 17–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in Phoenix. Defending event winners are Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 602-268-0200 or log on to firebirdraceway.com. For media credentials, contact Media Relations Manager Alex Baca at abaca@nhra.com.

TIRE KINGDOM NHRA GATORNATIONALS, GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, March 8–11: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to historic Gainesville Raceway for the third stop of the series and season-opening race for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Defending event winners are Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Mike Neff (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, contact senior communications manager Scott Smith at ssmith@nhra.com.

HE SAID, SHE SAID

RECORD-SETTING PRE-SEASON: Al-Anabi Racing dragster pilot Shawn Langdon after running a career-best 3.784 seconds during pre-season testing in Florida: “It’s been great to come out here and run so well right off the bat. These guys are awesome, it feels great to be a part of this team. They’ve set the bar with their performance over the past two years so I’m going to do the best job that I can in the driver’s seat. It’s definitely going to be a fun and exciting year with the competition out here.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

6/8: KB racing Pro Stock duo Greg Anderson and Jason Line have won six of the last eight season-opening O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries. Mike Edwards (2010) and Dave Connolly (2005) are the only non KB Racing drivers to have won the event in Pro Stock since 2004.

DID YOU KNOW

…that a special track walk featuring many of the families that were featured in the “2012 NHRA Full Throttle Real families Calendar” will be held Sunday before pre-race ceremonies at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona? The event that kicks off the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season will also include a display of Nostalgia Cacklefest Cars, a display of all the 2011 Twilight cruise winners from the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum and a Junior Dragster display in honor of the 20th anniversary of the NHRA Junior Drag Racing League.

For tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to www.NHRATIX.com.

SEMA is supporting a bill in the West Virginia State Legislature to provide owners of antique motor vehicles with an exemption from taxation and fees. The bill is pending in the House Roads and Transportation Committee for consideration. West Virginia law defines an "antique motor vehicle" to mean any motor vehicle that is more than 25 years old and is owned solely as a collector's item. 

The bill exempts antique vehicle owners from sales tax and all other taxes and fees. Under the bill, certificates of title and other required permits would be granted free of charge. 

For more information, Visit SEMA Action Network's website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA is supporting a bill in the West Virginia State Legislature to provide owners of antique motor vehicles with an exemption from taxation and fees. The bill is pending in the House Roads and Transportation Committee for consideration. West Virginia law defines an "antique motor vehicle" to mean any motor vehicle that is more than 25 years old and is owned solely as a collector's item. 

The bill exempts antique vehicle owners from sales tax and all other taxes and fees. Under the bill, certificates of title and other required permits would be granted free of charge. 

For more information, Visit SEMA Action Network's website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA-opposed legislation has been introduced in the Virginia State Legislature that threatens to provide localities with the authority to raise from $100 to $500 the amount they may charge for an annual license tax for vehicles that do not display current license plates and are not exempted from this requirement.

Among the exempted vehicles are parts cars that are stored on private property for fewer than 60 days. However, we believe that this bill represents an opportunity for localities to sidestep local zoning laws that were designed to protect vehicles being restored on private property and incentivizes collection of a substantial tax on owners of long-term restoration projects. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA-opposed legislation has been introduced in the Virginia State Legislature that threatens to provide localities with the authority to raise from $100 to $500 the amount they may charge for an annual license tax for vehicles that do not display current license plates and are not exempted from this requirement.

Among the exempted vehicles are parts cars that are stored on private property for fewer than 60 days. However, we believe that this bill represents an opportunity for localities to sidestep local zoning laws that were designed to protect vehicles being restored on private property and incentivizes collection of a substantial tax on owners of long-term restoration projects. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

Pursuing a pro-growth manufacturing and job creation agenda, creating access to small business loans and credit, finding affordable health insurance options for employees, countering burdensome vehicle equipment regulations and combating counterfeit products are just a few of the political issues facing SEMA members during this critical election year.

Join your fellow SEMA members in Washington, D.C., May 9, 2012, to demonstrate to lawmakers the importance and strength of the $28 billion specialty-equipment industry. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to connect face-to-face with your legislators on Capitol Hill and inform them of the issues that matter most to you and your business. The SEMA Washington Rally is exclusively for SEMA members.

Scheduled events include:

• Legislative briefing session with SEMA staff
• One-on-one meetings with your legislators
• “SEMA: Driven by Innovation” product demonstration for members of Congress
• Capitol Hill luncheon with members of Congress
• Private reception and dinner with member of Congress keynote speaker
• Opportunities to visit attractions in the nation’s capital.

To register or for more information, visit www.sema.org/dcrally or contact Dan Sadowski at 202-783-6007, ext. 19 or dans@sema.org.

Registration deadline: May 1, 2012.

Pursuing a pro-growth manufacturing and job creation agenda, creating access to small business loans and credit, finding affordable health insurance options for employees, countering burdensome vehicle equipment regulations and combating counterfeit products are just a few of the political issues facing SEMA members during this critical election year.

Join your fellow SEMA members in Washington, D.C., May 9, 2012, to demonstrate to lawmakers the importance and strength of the $28 billion specialty-equipment industry. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to connect face-to-face with your legislators on Capitol Hill and inform them of the issues that matter most to you and your business. The SEMA Washington Rally is exclusively for SEMA members.

Scheduled events include:

• Legislative briefing session with SEMA staff
• One-on-one meetings with your legislators
• “SEMA: Driven by Innovation” product demonstration for members of Congress
• Capitol Hill luncheon with members of Congress
• Private reception and dinner with member of Congress keynote speaker
• Opportunities to visit attractions in the nation’s capital.

To register or for more information, visit www.sema.org/dcrally or contact Dan Sadowski at 202-783-6007, ext. 19 or dans@sema.org.

Registration deadline: May 1, 2012.

SEMA News—January 2012

	Bob Moore is the co-founder and current chairman of SEMA’s Business Technology Committee and a tireless advocate for the use of standardized data and building a shared data system.

As the co-founder and current chairman of SEMA’s Business Technology Committee (BTC), Bob Moore is also a tireless advocate for the use of standardized data and building a shared data system. He has been working in the automotive aftermarket since 1976 and is a partner with Jerry McCabe in J&B Service, a consulting company that specializes in the automotive specialty-equipment market. Moore is a member of the SEMA Board of Directors, serves on its executive committee and serves as a volunteer for a variety of industry organizations. He spent some time with SEMA News recently to discuss progress the association is making with respect to business technology.

SEMA News: When we spoke last year (see “A Few Words With Bob Moore” in the December 2010 issue of SEMA News), you were adamant about the need for the industry to embrace data standards, particularly the Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) and the Aftermarket Catalog Enhanced Standard (ACES). Could you refresh us about those systems?

Bob Moore: ACES and PIES are the formats that the replacement-parts industry has adopted for sharing data. Even the acronym PIES refers to sharing: Product Information Exchange Standard. It is a way to share information about the products themselves between trading partners. While the standardized formats make it very easy to translate information into an electronic document, ACES and PIES do not assure valid and accurate data. They are just standardized ways to publish and share information. Accuracy is absolutely up to the creator of the product, who is also the creator of the data.

As the chairman of the BTC, I have sometimes been criticized for being so singularly focused on getting the data right and creating methods for sharing it. And I plead guilty, because if the data isn’t available and correct, it doesn’t matter how slick your website is or how well your searches are optimized or how hip your social media is. If the data isn’t there, or it is wrong, your customers can’t find the parts they want.

I fully understand people’s frustration over why we’re talking more about mobile applications, cloud computing, localized advertising and those kinds of cutting-edge things, but without accurate, shareable data, the value of those things is undermined. It’s like buying the best Blu-ray player on the market but not having discs to put in it.

SN: You’ve also been outspoken regarding how electronic catalogs are formatted, especially concerning automotive specialty-equipment parts. Where do you see the pitfalls with the current forms of electronic catalogs?

BM: Electronic cataloging, as it is understood by almost everybody in the industry, is driven by year, make and model searches. That’s fine when you’re dealing with basic replacement parts, but it’s a little more problematic when you’re dealing with specialty and performance products. We have more complicated data issues than standard replacement parts do. Sure, we have application considerations, but more often we have product and performance considerations that have to be taken into account.

We need the ability to do different kinds of lookups for the SEMA community. If, for example, you’re building a high-performance engine and you need to run a cooling hose close to the exhaust manifold, you may need to search for a hose that will perform at extreme temperatures, that accommodates particular types of fluids, or that has a specific internal diameter. Or perhaps you need something with all of those characteristics and maybe for a particular brand. The classic year, make and model doesn’t cut it in these instances. But because the technology we use has been adapted primarily from the replacement-parts industry, that’s how lookups have been historically done. SEMA is out to change all that.

The fact is, we all lose sales if we can’t answer specific questions about fitment or finish or performance. We need to be able to do these sorts of enhanced product searches that are rare in the replacement-parts environment. This is something we are working very hard on in developing the SEMA Data Cooperative. The BTC is going through every product category in the SEMA segment to develop searches that are meaningful to our customers. If you are shopping for an air filter, for instance, what are the most important searchable product attributes? You might care about how small a particle you can filter, airflow rates and other specific performance data that can have an affect on other components in your engine.

To obtain that, you have to have category-specific experts—manufacturers—who can list the important search criteria for a whole variety of parts. We will define each of those by product segment and put them into a SEMA standardized form in order to optimize the selling of those products. Again, though, you have to have the data to be able to search for those items.

	Electronic cataloging is currently driven by year, make and model searches. Moore believes that the specialty-equipment industry needs the ability to do different kinds of lookups.

SN: You mentioned the SEMA Data Cooperative. Is that the same as the SEMA Data Pool. If so, how will it help address these issues when it finally comes to fruition?

BM: Yes, it is the same thing. We’ve changed how we refer to the industry initiative in part because of how the initiative has evolved. It really is a cooperative effort by the trade association in conjunction with the creators of data—the manufacturers—and the receivers of data—resellers and consumers. The SEMA Data Cooperative will help the industry make more information about more products available so consumers can make better and more informed decisions about buying our products. It will also make it easier for the makers of parts to populate more places with product information—more websites and more point-of-sale systems.

Ours is very much a discretionary business. If somebody can’t find the product he wants, either online or in a store, the money that might have been spent on a performance part could be easily diverted into a new TV, a barbeque grill or any other avocational product. You only have so much time to make the sale, and if the customer can’t find what he’s looking for, he’s apt to spend his money elsewhere.

SN: What about quick-response codes (QRC). In this age of smartphones and camera-enhanced technology, can they help in this process when they’re used in ads?

BM: They can be very valuable—if they’re used correctly. But if all a QRC does is take you to the manufacturer’s home-page, what benefit do you really deliver? You could probably find that information quicker by just entering the manufacturer’s name in a search engine. If, on the other hand, you have a QRC on a product, such as a serpentine belt, and the code takes you to a video on how to install that belt onto a specific engine, that’s a different story. That makes QRCs extremely valuable.

Unfortunately, some businesses think it’s cool to have QRCs in their ads but don’t really use them to their full potential. If consumers find that they are repeatedly just dumped at a manufacturer’s homepage and left to dig out the information they are looking for, they will stop scanning the codes. It’s very much the boy who cried wolf; eventually, the townspeople stop coming.

Same thing with mobile computing or cloud computing. These are all fabulous things, wonderful tools. But absent good data and the ability to quickly provide deep dives into product attributes or services, such as installation videos, they’re not really living up to their potential.

SN: The SEMA Data Cooperative and the building of a system for comprehensive searchable product attributes is obviously a huge undertaking. How is it all going to be paid for?

BM: The SEMA Board of Directors and SEMA staff have identified this as a critical strategic issue for us to attack as an industry. This is exactly the sort of thing that a trade association ought to be investing in. It will potentially expand the market for our parts and can create multiple paybacks to its constituencies. Within certain parameters, the Board of Directors has authorized the funding to set the standards and to create the broad infrastructure to accommodate the system, but it will require each manufacturer to also make an investment on their own part to ensure that their data is accurate, shareable and complete.

We can’t do that for them. We can tell them the smart items to concentrate on, and we can show them how to do it and how to get it into compliant formats. We can even create the repository and a method to share it in the receiver-required formats. But still, every fuel pump manufacturer has to be able to say this part number pumps this many gallons per hour, and every fuel-filter manufacturer has to be able to say this filter allows and filters this size particulate matter, and then every fuel-injection company has got to be able to say this is the required fuel delivery with particulate matter no larger
than this.

It is critical to get all of the information into a shareable condition so that when a consumer is shopping for all three, every pertinent retail website has the comprehensive information. Otherwise, that consumer has to log onto three, four or five different websites to track down all the data. If we put all this information together in a single source, retail websites will be able to sell complete systems, even though the components come from different manufacturers.

	Mobile computing, cloud computing and QRCs are all wonderful tools, Moore says, but absent good data, they’re not really living up to their potential.

SN: It sounds like a truly transformative initiative, something that could change the whole industry.

BM: Bingo! If there is a reliable source for information on all product lines, it is going to spur whole new enterprises. If we do a good job of stimulating this industry to get its data together, to get populated and get it in shareable condition, there will be an explosion of applications that will enable people to do all kinds of cool stuff. I’ll give you one example:

There are some products that are very difficult to sell online. Typically these products require a high degree of customization for consumers to get products exactly the way they require them. A good example is seat covers. Some conditions are based on the vehicle, so of course its year, make and model matter, but so does whether you have a bench or bucket seats. Then there are myriad preferences the consumer has: Do they want fabric or leather? In what color? Do they want it embroidered with a particular logo on the headrest?

Software developers have developed something called configuration software that streamlines and automates the process of ordering such items. Without this software, it would be virtually impossible to sell such items online. But again, configuration software won’t work without the availability of accurate, shareable and complete data.

SN: It would seem that the industry should be hopping up and down to get at this type of system.

BM: A robust SEMA Data Cooperative would create the same type of potential for online buzz that the SEMA Show does in Las Vegas each year. It’s exactly the kind of thing that the association ought to be investing in.

SN: So in the long run, they are not only going to be sharing their product information with more channel partners and consumers more effectively, but they are also going to be able to do so at a lower cost than if they came up with their own, independent systems.

BM: That is the ultimate goal of the model. Using any technology—QRCs, mobile computing, localized online advertising, any of it—the fuel that powers it is the information that you have available about your products. That is the reason that I am such an advocate for getting the data right first. It just means that all of the other stuff that we are trying to do will work better.