BANKRUPT: Champ Car World Series LLC officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in United States Federal Court, March 5. Champ Car will stage its final event April 20 in Long Beach, California, and it intends to continue in the management and possession of its business and property as a debtor-in-possession until its assets can be sold off to pay creditors. The company’s debt is estimated at less than $10 million and its assets are thought to be between $10–$50 million.

HE’S OUT: Two weeks after showing grand enthusiasm at the prospects of joining the Indy Racing League, former Champ Car team owner Derrick Walker has closed the doors to his shop, the result of his sponsorship from Team Australia and investor Craig Gore electing not to return to the team.

ALL OVER: The International Race of Champions is officially finished. The assets of the organization, which featured 12 all-star drivers in identically prepared race cars were sold off over the weekend at the Tinton Falls, New Jersey, shop of Jay Signore, who has operated IROC for more than 20 years.

F-1 RETURN: Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials are hopeful Formula One will return to the speedway in 2009 as part of the 100th anniversary of the famed race track.

THE FIRST ONE: Toyota got its first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Kyle Busch led a one-two Toyota sweep with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart finishing second.

POWER RANKINGS: Kyle Busch won two out of three NASCAR races last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and his victory in the Sprint Cup race was the first in the series for Toyota. Busch leads the standings in both series and also leads the National Speed Sport News Power Rankings, which are published weekly in the 74-year-old motorsports publication.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. To subscribe to National Speed Sport News, click on the following link for a special industry rate: www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/subscribe.html?pid=NQ%2BVfhkepT4%3D.

NEWS NUGGETS

NHRA POWERade SERIES MAKES THIRD STOP ON 2008 SCHEDULE; DRIVERS READY FOR GATORNATIONALS: The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series heads to Florida this weekend for the 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, the third race of the regular season in the 2008 Countdown to the Championship. Defending event winners Tony Schumacher, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson and Karen Stoffer will look to repeat at this legendary event. Pro Stock Motorcycle will also kick off the 2008 season and 12-race regular season in the Countdown to the Championship at this event.
    NHRA legend and Florida native “Big Daddy” Don Garlits will serve as the grand marshal for the race. Fans, racers and media alike will be greeted this year to some changes made to Gainesville Raceway, including a brand new tower that houses race control, offices and a state-of-the-art media center.
    The first round of qualifying begins Friday, March 14 at noon (EST), with the Finals starting at 11 a.m. (EST) Sunday. ESPN2 will air all the racing action beginning Sunday, March 16 with two hours of qualifying highlights at 1 a.m. (EST), then the finals at 6 p.m. (EST).
    To find team reports, review the entry lists, or to get more information on the 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, visit www.NHRA.com. 

NHRA DRIVERS RAISE $14,000 FOR CHARITY IN SONOMA: Stepping off of the dragstrip and on to the road course, drivers from the NHRA POWERade series, along with 40 lucky race fans, raised $14,000 at the sixth annual NHRA Tour de Charity held at the Infineon Raceway Karting Center. Top Fuel’s Rod Fuller and Cory McClenathan, as well as Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Guidera, joined up with NHRA fans to race karts and raise money for Speedway Children’s Charities.
    “I’ve been to this event five of the six years, and it gets better each time,” McClenathan said. “Infineon Raceway does such a great job, and I love helping out the charity. It’s a great cause.”

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY! DRAGWAY @ LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREPARES FOR SEPTEMBER EVENT: With grandstands being raised, grading completed on the starting line and excavations underway for the first of two pedestrian tunnels that will allow spectators to move from the Professional pit area to the Sportsman pit area, construction on The Dragway @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway continues in preparation of the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals, September 11–14 in Charlotte. To see the latest construction photos, visit www.NHRA.com. 

COMING ATTRACTIONS

ACDELCO NHRA GATORNATIONALS, GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, MARCH 13–16: The Pro Stock Motorcycle category opens its 2008 season at the Gatornationals, annually one of the most popular stops on the NHRA POWERade Series tour. Defending event winners include: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ron Capps (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY NHRA SPRING NATIONALS, HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK, MARCH 28–30: Drivers in all four categories in the POWERade Drag Racing Series will duel it out for a Texas win (at this fourth race in the regular season). Defending event winners include: J.R. Todd (Top Fuel); Ron Capps (Funny Car); Jason Line (Pro Stock); and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS, THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, APRIL 10–13: The NHRA POWERade series travels to Sin City for the fifth event of the 2008 season. Defending event winners include: Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock).

HE SAID, SHE SAID

SHELL SHOCK: With the many changes that have occurred in Pro Stock Motorcycle during the off-season, many riders will be starting the 2008 season with new teams and on new bikes. One of those is 2007 third-place finisher Chip Ellis. Ellis will be competing this season for Don Schumacher racing, climbing aboard his Schumacher Electric Suzuki at this year's ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals. Ellis says that one of the biggest changes for him in 2008 has been getting used to his new surroundings in Indianapolis.
    “The facility here is unreal,” Ellis said, referring to the DSR shop. “We have pretty much unlimited resources as far as parts and the technology aspect of it goes. It’s awesome. The shop is so big; right now we have 13 trucks inside the building. Everybody just works like they were at the track—out of their trucks. It’s a real change for me.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

9: The most wins held by a single racer at Gainesville Raceway. Pro Stock’s Warren Johnson will look to add a 10th ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals win and 97th career win in his 526th start. Johnson’s last Gatornationals win came in 2000.

DRIVERS TELL ALL

WELCOMING ONE MORE TO THE TEAM: Top Fuel driver Antron Brown had more than just an exciting break between races as he and wife Billie Jo welcomed their third child, Adler Carson, Saturday, March 8, .
    “It was a beautiful experience to have our third child, Adler,” Brown said. “My wife Billie Jo is recovering well and Adler, our little eagle, is flying strong too. I want to thank everyone for all the well wishes and prayers.”

For more information, visit www.nhra.com.

Parrot Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Paris-based Parrot SA, appointed David Wenning to senior vice president of sales and marketing to further strengthen Parrot’s presence in the United States. Wenning spent the past two years leading U.S. operations for TomTom where he developed a 15-person sales team.  Prior to TomTom, he served as commercial vice president in charge of distribution channels at Palm and spent 12 years with Apple where he was responsible for sales to national retailers, such as Sears, Staples and Circuit City.

With Sebring less than a week away, Tiger Racing’s Paul Brown was brought in to pilot the No. 96 K&N Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 for the season opener. Brown has 44 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT series starts in his career, including 19 top-10s and five top-five finishes. For more information see www.world-challenge.com.

Paul Brown's No. 96 K&N Engineering Porsche 911 GT3
 
Federated Auto Parts expanded its relationship with NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Ken Schrader and Ken Schrader Racing for the 2008 season. Schrader will continue as the spokesperson for Federated Racing and Federated Car Care Centers, and Federated is also the Official Auto Parts Supplier of Ken Schrader Racing. Schrader will drive a Federated-sponsored vehicle in 2008 in selected NASCAR Nationwide Series, ARCA, Truck and Grand National West events designed to support Federated members in all regions of the country.

American dragstrips are dedicated to not only providing competitive racing programs for locals, but a way of showing high school kids the proper and safe place to racer—rather than on the street. Many tracks have successfully created and promoted youth racing programs. Flowmaster Mufflers has decided to help keep those programs going by creating its first-ever Flowmaster High School Safe Streets Drag Racing Program which began in February.
    The Flowmaster High School Drags will involve 30 tracks for 2008 reaching across the United States and provide special rewards to racers who win in weekly competition. Points will be earned by racing in a special Flowmaster-sponsored competition conducted by the track. Among the year-end racer rewards are a $1,000 U.S. Saving Bond, discounts on Flowmaster products, special Flowmaster apparel and trophies noting their accomplishments surrounding the racing season. For more information, visit www.flowmastermufflers.com or call 800/544-4761.

Mitchell 1 announced that it will hold this year’s first Shop Management System Training Workshop in Atlantic City, April 3–5, at the Sheraton Hotel Atlantic City Convention Center. The training workshop, designed for those who have been using Mitchell’s shop management system for six months or more, will guide users through advanced functionality in the OnDemand5 Manager system.
    Instructors will explore advanced setup, inventory, reporting, management and more, as well as integration with aftermarket cataloging and Customer Retention Marketing (CRM). For more information or to register for Mitchell 1’s management system training workshop, visit www.buymitchell1.com/form/m1users.htm. Registration deadline is Friday, March 21.

Design Engineering Inc. (DEI) reported that it acquired a new larger facility. The company expanded its manufacturing and warehouse operations and added a new research and development department and additional office space.

DEI's new facility 

Standard Motor Products Inc. (SMP) launched a new corporate website, www.smpcorp.com, to serve as a valuable resource for customers. The new site was completely redesigned to be user-friendly and easy to navigate. It contains valuable company and career information and industry information with direct links to helpful automotive and marketing group websites. The site also prominently features the new SMP corporate logo, which was redesigned to highlight the company’s global presence and its commitment to delivering automotive solutions.

AMSOIL announced that it partnered with Injen to launch a new line of co-branded AMSOIL/Injen Power-Flow series diesel air intake systems, which feature patent-pending Variable Induction Technology, diesel Power-Box and a dry media Ea nano-fiber technology air filter. More information at www.amsoil.com.  

Mark Your Calendar!
All members of PRO are invited to join the PRO Select Committee at the annual open Project Planning Meeting.

When: Thursday and Friday, June 12–13, 2008
Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Detroit, Michigan

While an agenda is not yet finalized, the open meeting typically runs from 11:00 a.m.–5 p.m. on Thursday, and from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Friday. Stay tuned to the PRO website at www.sema.org/pro for more details, but mark your calendar now!

PRO Select Committee Nominations
PRO members have the unique opportunity to help shape the future of the restyling industry by choosing appropriate representatives to serve on the PRO Select Committee as their eyes, ears and voice. Select Committee nomination forms have been mailed and are due Friday, March 21. The forms are also available on the PRO website at www.sema.org/pro. If you have any questions regarding the elections, contact Jim Skelly at 909/396-0289, ext. 103, or jimsk@sema.org.

PRO Column in SEMA Member News
Read PRO's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about PRO, visit www.sema.org/pro or contact Jim Skelly at jimsk@sema.org.

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ARMO Members Invited to Participate in Free New Products Showcase
ARMO-member companies are invited to participate in the 11th annual New Products Showcase being held in conjunction with Spring Carlisle, April 23–27. Be sure to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to introduce your creative and innovative products to the industry and enthusiasts. 

All ARMO-member companies are eligible to participate for free. There will be two categories for products: Best New Original Restoration Product of the Year and Best Restomod Product of the Year. The winning products and companies will be honored at the ARMO Industry Awards Reception during the 2008 SEMA Show. For an entry form, click here. All entry forms must be received by SEMA no later than Wednesday, April 16, 2008.  

ARMO Column in SEMA Member News
Read ARMO's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For more information about ARMO, visit www.sema.org/armo or contact Jan Desma at jand@sema.org.

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HRIA Column in SEMA Member News
Read HRIA's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For more information about HRIA, visit www.sema.org/hria or contact Jan Desma at jand@sema.org.

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TORA Column in SEMA Member News

Read TORA's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about TORA, visit www.sema.org/TORA or contact Jim Skelly at jimsk@sema.org.

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MRC Column in SEMA Member News
Read MRC's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about MRC, visit www.sema.org/mrc or contact Jan Desma at jand@sema.org.

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2009 Media Trade Conference News
MPMC members are encouraged to look for a “Save the Date” reminder postcard some time in early April. Exhibitor applications for the 2009 MPMC Media Trade Conference are scheduled to be mailed out in mid-June. In the meantime, stay tuned to the MPMC website at www.sema.org/mpmc for the latest updates.

MPMC Column in SEMA Member News
Read MPMC's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about MPMC, visit www.sema.org/mpmc contact Jim Skelly at jimsk@sema.org.

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SCC Column in SEMA Member News
Read SCC's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about SCC, visit www.sema.org/scc or contact Paul Moritz at paulm@sema.org.

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WTC Column in SEMA Member News
Read WTC's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about WTC, visit www.sema.org/wtc or contact Paul Moritz at paulm@sema.org.

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Speed Networking Breakfast Powered by SBN
Check out this video of SBN members in action during the valuable Speed Networking Breakfast—Powered by SBN held annually at the SEMA Show. Check out the video by clicking here.  

SBN Column in SEMA Member News
Read SBN's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about SBN, visit www.sema.org/sbn or contact Paul Moritz at paulm@sema.org.

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Join YEN
Did you know that the SEMA Young Executives Network has over 500 members networking in the industry and is the largest SEMA committee? If you are employed by a SEMA-member company and are under the age of 39, then you can join the SEMA Young Executives Network for FREE. If you are interested in becoming part of the team, please visit our website at www.sema.org/yen.

YEN Member of the Month Spotlight
Did you know that YEN has a Member of the Month Spotlight on the SEMA website and that anyone can be nominated? To view previous selections or to make a nomination, visit www.sema.org/yen. 

YEN Column in SEMA Member News
Read YEN's column featured in the March/April issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about YEN, visit www.sema.org/yen or contact Paul Moritz at paulm@sema.org.

Filler for eNews

Dates and locations for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows and activities have been announced. Details are:

Data from SEMA’s Automotive Lifestyles survey continues to show that even if gas prices surpass the $4 mark, hard-core automotive enthusiasts—the driving force of our industry—still plan to spend money on their vehicles. A survey of automotive magazine subscribers and website visitors during the first week of March (when the national average for a regular gallon jumped to $3.16) showed that nearly one in four would wait until prices rose $1 before spending less on specialty equipment.

Fifteen percent of the enthusiasts surveyed would wait until an additional $2 were tacked on to the current price, while an astounding 9% said that prices would have to surpass $4 more per gallon before cutting their specialty-equipment spending. Although gas prices have been increasing, enthusiasts say that the average price of gas across the nation would have to rise to $4.63 for them to curb their specialty-equipment spending.

Despite the current spike in prices eroding the disposable income earned by automotive enthusiasts, they seem loyal to their passion for personalizing their vehicles. To test this, these consumers were asked to rate how they would allocate their extra spending cash as gas prices increase.

According to the September-November Automotive Lifestyles survey, other non-necessity “luxury” items tend to compete with automotive specialty equipment. A little more than one in three of survey respondents, however, said that they'd first spend their money on custom automotive parts and accessories before going on vacations or buying music and portable electronics. Consumers will cut spending on other non-essential items, such as music and video games, before spending less on their rides.

Reports of consumers changing their driving habits and spending less due to rising gas prices have been circulating for some time now. Consumers may alter their driving habits during days of high gas prices, but it seems that once consumers become automotive enthusiasts, their desire to customize their cars or trucks takes precedence over other spending. The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) recently reported that 91% of consumers they surveyed said they are driving less.

Meanwhile, a "Kelley Blue Book" study reported that 50% of consumers reported less shopping of non-essential retail items compared to 44% who claim they will eat out less often, 40% who plan to purchase fewer media entertainment items, and 9% of new-car shoppers who intend to delay the purchase of a new home due to the rise in gas prices.

Automotive enthusiasts that make vehicle personalization part of their lifestyle, however, are less sensitive to gas price hikes. So far, they seem ready to continue fueling their need to customize.

For more from the SEMA Research & Informaiton Center, visit www.sema.org/research.  

Source: SEMA Research & Information Center

In February, 22% of consumers indicated that they plan to purchase specialty equipment over the next three months, down from 26% that said so in February 2007. Looking closer at who will buy what on the other hand shows that some product categories have actually gained momentum compared to last year.

For example, more women said that they plan to purchase Accessory and Appearance and Racing and Performance products this year. The same is true for the 18- to 24-year-olds, who also told SEMA that they plan to buy these products. Each month SEMA surveys mainstream consumers regarding their intent to purchase specialty equipment.

Despite the Wheel, Tire and Suspension segment taking a bit of a hit, according to these consumers’ intentions to buy, more of the 25- to 44-year-old age group indicated purchase plans than those surveyed this same period last year.

For more from the Research & Information Center visit, www.sema.org/research.  

Source: SEMA Research & Information Center

Although automotive enthusiasts consistently tell us that they are buying their vehicles used and accessorizing them, there is still a steady percent that are buying new vehicles. Over the past three years, on average about 61% of enthusiasts surveyed indicated that the vehicle for which they spend money customizing was purchased used.

Dubbed the Automotive Lifestyles survey, each year SEMA asks subscribers of automotive enthusiast magazines about their vehicle accessorizing habits. These consumers are generally referred to as “enthusiasts,” a subset of mainstream consumers. With about two out of every five automotive enthusiasts purchasing their vehicles new, predicting what vehicles these consumers will purchase in the coming months gives specialty-equipment companies a tool for planning their own market strategy.

Recent WardsAuto vehicle production data shows that for the next quarter of this year, automakers plan to build 4,015,900 new vehicles in North America, a drop of 3% from the 4,141,600 manufactured during the same period last year. This breaks down to 1.7 million cars, a 2.2% gain, and nearly 2.3 million light trucks, a 6.6% drop from last year.

Looking further down the road, total 2008 light-vehicle sales are expected to drop compared to last year. AutoPacific predicts that close to 7.7 million cars will be sold in the United States this year, a 1% drop from 2007. On the light-truck side, they forecast about 8.1 million will be sold this year, 3% less than last year. The new-vehicle market seems to be shifting more toward small cars (3% growth, 2.7 million forecasted to sell in 2008) and crossover utility vehicles (CUV) (11% growth, 3.1 million forecasted to sell in 2008). AutoPacific says both segments are poised for growth.

Currently, small-car owners who took the Automotive Lifestyles Survey are geared toward enhancing performance. The top specialty-equipment parts purchased were performance tires, air intakes, exhausts, polish, and performance fluids. For CUV owners, performance add-ons took a backseat to polish, floor mats, alarm systems, license plate frames, performance tires and window tint—the top modifications performed by this group. Because these two vehicle segments are expected to grow through 2008, their likelihood to impact the specialty-equipment industry also grows.

For more from the Research & Information Center visit, www.sema.org/research.  

Source: SEMA Research & Information Center

The mobile electronics segment of the specialty-equipment industry continues to maintain its upward trajectory, both in the number of new products it introduces each year and the total market share it consumes.

Over the last three years for example, the number of mobile electronic products entered into the “Best New Mobile Electronics Product” category of the SEMA Show New Products Showcase grew, on average, 35% per year.

In 2005, there were only 46 entries, compared to 69 the following year and 83 in 2007. Product categories experiencing the highest growth from 2006 to 2007 included multimedia receivers w/ GPS navigation (250%), stereo speakers (133%), GPS navigation (83%), backup camera/parking assistance and hands-free cellphone (50% each).

This surge in product entries has given rise to the growth of the overall mobile electronic market within the specialty-equipment industry. In 2005, total mobile electronics sales reached $5.5 billion—15% of the market—and jumped 11% to $6.1 billion in 2006, or 16.5% of the market at the retail level.

For more from the Research & Information Center visit, www.sema.org/research.  

Click here to read the latest Mobile Electronics Trend article in the March issue of SEMA News.

Source: SEMA Research & Information Center