John Menzler of Comp Performance Group (top) prepares a run of cars from the Builder's Race group, a set of cars designed by some of the industry's top builders including Rich Evans, Art Morrison and class winners Street Vizions (car bottom row, second from right).

Returning champions were vanquished, former challengers made strong showings, and the industry's leading ladies brought home two inaugural trophies at the third-annual SEMA Pinewood Drag Races.

The drags took place July 24 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, and featured hundreds of pinewood cars, most built by children at Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp and sponsored by SEMA-member companies.

The SEMA Businesswomen's Network, running a pinewood car developed by Mitch Williams and Pilot Automotive, took both the Council Cup and Grand National trophies. Justin Hoffend, meanwhile, representing SEMA Show logistics handlers Freeman, avenged his third-place Modified class finish from last year by topping the group this year.

"The taste of victory is sweet," says Joel Ayres, SEMA Cares committe chairman. "I upheld the honor of SEMA Cares by beating Kersting, [Paul] Scooter, Rick [Rollins], [Jim] Cozzie and Mike [Spagnola] in Modified. I was, however, beaten by 11-year-old Justin Hoffend, so next year, Justin, I'm coming for you."

Ayres adds that "seeing the excitement and smiles from the Childhelp Village kids as their cars raced and won made all the effort and work that the committee put in worth it."

The races also featured the popular Builder's Race, offering top designers in the industry a chance to race unique and innovative cars of their own invention. Derek White of Street Vizions won the HRIA-sponsored event.

"SEMA-member companies really stepped up to the challenge of sponsoring every kid-built car—a record 230 cars sponsored," says race organizer Dave Williams of Rampage Products. "That kind of support shows that the SEMA membership cares deeply about these kids and their needs."

Winners of the 2010 Pinewood Drag Races included:

Build It For Me Class Travis White & Janette Hale, Paramount Restyling Hot Rod Industry Alliance Tricel Honeycomb		Stock Melanie White, Hellwig Products Nicolas Hoffend, Freeman Chuck Schwartz, ConvExx
Modified Justin Hoffend, Freeman Joel Ayres, SEMA Cares Committee Chris Kersting, SEMA		Unlimited Famous Rhodes, eBay Motors Todd Ryden, MSD Ignition Eric Hoffend, Freeman
Council Cup Challenge SEMA Businesswomen's Network		Grand National Trophy SEMA Businesswomen's Network
People's Choice Travis White, Janette Hale, Paramount Restyling

Some of the 100-plus cars built by the children at Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp.		Although aerodynamically disadvantaged in this heat, we give it up for the Rampage Products Wrangler (second from left).
Justin Hoffend readies to drop the gates on a Stock class run.		Mike Spagnola (left), Joel Ayres (middle) and freshly shorn Chris Kersting watch their cars run in the Modified class. Ayres and Kersting finished second and third, respectively.
eBay Motors, with the outside lane car, interpreting "unlimited" very literally. They won the class.		Rose Kawasaki (left), Erin Gilhuly (middle) and Camee Edelbrock celebrate the SEMA Businesswomen's Network victory in the inaugural Council Cup challenge.
Travis White and Janette Hale's car, representing Paramount Restyling, won tops in both the Build It For Me class and the People's Choice Award.		Mitch Williams' much-tested and developed pinewood served as the catalyst for the SBN's Council Cup and Grand National trophy awards.
Nicolas Hoffend took second place in the Stock class, making it a sweep for the family who placed in the top three in the Stock, Modified and Unlimited classes.		Erick Saltrick of Steele Rubber Products presented the Builder's Race trophy to Street Vizions.
The expansion joint at the track's runout created some moments of airborne acrobatics.		Beautiful solid billet "pinewood" from the Builder's Race. See you next year!

Make plans now to attend next year's event! For more information, click here.

	Whether you have a split island or peninsula, keep in mind line-of-site rules when designing your exhibit space.

With the 2010 SEMA Show rapidly approaching, now’s the time for exhibitors to submit their booth plans. Exhibitors with booths 400 sq. ft. or larger must complete the Exhibit Space Design Notification. It is vital that exhibitors fully understand the display regulations and how they impact an exhibitor’s ability to utilize the space within their booth. Exhibitors are often confused between the rules applicable to “peninsula” booths and “split island” booths. Following is a brief synopsis of the differences between the two (view diagrams for both configurations in the Exhibit Display Regulations):

Peninsula Exhibit: Created when an aisle is on three sides of the booth and linear booths are directly behind the peninsula booth. When creating an exhibit layout for a peninsula exhibit, line-of-site rules apply: 5 ft. from the aisle and 10 ft. from a neighboring exhibit; the maximum height for any sign, display, product, fixture or decoration is 4 ft. Diagram 17 of the Display Regulations.

Split Island Exhibit: Similar to a peninsula exhibit space (an aisle is on three sides), however, instead of linear booths behind the peninsula, it simply shares a common backwall with another peninsula exhibit. For split island exhibits, both booths that share the common backwall can utilize the entire booth space up to the maximum allowable height of 16 ft. Diagram 18 of the Display Regulations.

Note: Split island configurations are not guaranteed for future shows and exhibitors may require a peninsula installation. Companies are advised to build a flexible exhibit that can be adjusted to fit a peninsula location and the line-of-site rules.

The Exhibit Space Design Notification is due by September 10, 2010. This information allows Show management to review booth diagrams to prevent any issues onsite with display regulation violations.

If you have any questions regarding the Exhibit Display Regulations or the Exhibit Space Design Notification, please contact Jeff Pressman at jpressman@convexx.com.

	Whether you have a split island or peninsula, keep in mind line-of-site rules when designing your exhibit space.

With the 2010 SEMA Show rapidly approaching, now’s the time for exhibitors to submit their booth plans. Exhibitors with booths 400 sq. ft. or larger must complete the Exhibit Space Design Notification. It is vital that exhibitors fully understand the display regulations and how they impact an exhibitor’s ability to utilize the space within their booth. Exhibitors are often confused between the rules applicable to “peninsula” booths and “split island” booths. Following is a brief synopsis of the differences between the two (view diagrams for both configurations in the Exhibit Display Regulations):

Peninsula Exhibit: Created when an aisle is on three sides of the booth and linear booths are directly behind the peninsula booth. When creating an exhibit layout for a peninsula exhibit, line-of-site rules apply: 5 ft. from the aisle and 10 ft. from a neighboring exhibit; the maximum height for any sign, display, product, fixture or decoration is 4 ft. Diagram 17 of the Display Regulations.

Split Island Exhibit: Similar to a peninsula exhibit space (an aisle is on three sides), however, instead of linear booths behind the peninsula, it simply shares a common backwall with another peninsula exhibit. For split island exhibits, both booths that share the common backwall can utilize the entire booth space up to the maximum allowable height of 16 ft. Diagram 18 of the Display Regulations.

Note: Split island configurations are not guaranteed for future shows and exhibitors may require a peninsula installation. Companies are advised to build a flexible exhibit that can be adjusted to fit a peninsula location and the line-of-site rules.

The Exhibit Space Design Notification is due by September 10, 2010. This information allows Show management to review booth diagrams to prevent any issues onsite with display regulation violations.

If you have any questions regarding the Exhibit Display Regulations or the Exhibit Space Design Notification, please contact Jeff Pressman at jpressman@convexx.com.

CONTROVERSY: Controversy marred the IZOD IndyCar Series and Formula One over the weekend. Helio Castroneves lost the Honda Indy Edmonton because of a late-race blocking penalty, while Ferrari was issued a $100,000 fine for supposedly issuing team orders that affected the outcome of the German Grand Prix.

HISTORIC: With Jamie McMurray’s victory in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday, team owner Chip Ganassi became the first owner to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season.

MAGIC NUMBER: Kody Swanson’s victory in the USAC Mopar National Midget Series event at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Indiana, Thursday was the 134th for Wilke-Pak Racing, which moved them to the top of the all-time USAC winner’s list.

SO LONG: The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge will shut down at the end of the 2010 racing season. The series was created through a joint partnership between Miller Motorsports Park in Utah and Ford Racing in 2008.

STICKING AROUND: The International Motorsports Industry Show has signed an agreement with the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association that will keep the event in Indianapolis indefinitely.

TRAGEDY: Tyson Perez, a crew member for 2003 ASCS National champion Travis Rilat, was killed after a methanol barrel exploded at the team’s shop July 18. Rilat was also injured and is expected to spend two to three months in a Seattle, Washington, burn unit.

MOVING ON: Marcos Ambrose will leave JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

HYBRID POWER: The American Le Mans Series will welcome its first hybrid race car to the series when the Porsche 911 GTR R hybrid debuts at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, during the Petit Le Mans October 2.

STILL STREAKING: The Pennsylvania Posse continued its winning streak against World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series regulars with victories by Lance Dewease and Greg Hodnett at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Friday and Saturday.

IN TROUBLE: Indy Racing League officials have placed driver Milka Duno on probation through the remainder of the season because of her continued failure to maintain expected performance standards.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. To subscribe to National Speed Sport News, click here for a special industry rate.

NEWS NUGGETS

KALITTA, JOHNSON GRAB FIRST WINS OF THE SEASON IN DENVER: It was a day of firsts as Top Fuel pilot Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson both raced to their first victories in more than a year Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. For Kalitta, the win over runner-up Brandon Bernstein was his first since February 2009, when he won the season-opening Winternationals.

“When I saw the win light come on down there, it was real special, a great relief,” said Kalitta. “They do a great job here, and each year, the facility gets better and better, and I’m just glad to finally get a win here. I’ve been close a lot of times and, fortunately, we got it done today.”

Though Bernstein was unable to collect his first win of the season, he did clinch his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. In Pro Stock, Johnson picked up his first win of the season and third win at his title sponsor’s event, a track that he has all but dominated in the past few years, when he drove past competitor Jeg Coughlin in the final round.

“We wouldn’t mind having all 23 races here,” said Johnson. “We really have an awesome setup for here. The engine guys, the car guys and everyone else did their job, and I can’t say enough about them. We just made a perfect run every run.”

From here, drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will have one more opportunity to clinch a spot in the Top 10 point standings and advance to the Countdown to 1 playoffs as the series heads to Northern Minnesota August 12–15 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

HIGHT, HINES RACE TO VICTORY IN DENVER: Defending Funny Car world champion Robert Hight and former three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andrew Hines were able to hold off the competition in their classes to pick up the win Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang past team owner John Force in the final round to pick up his fourth win of the season and move even closer to Force and that first-place spot in the point standings.

“It’s nice to get back on the winning side here in Denver,” said Hight. “My crew chief Jimmy Prock has never had a problem making horsepower, but with the racetrack being so good last year with the cooling system and everything, we just didn’t have enough horsepower, and that bothered Jimmy. He came in here with a game plan—new parts and different things—and he definitely found the horsepower that he needed.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, former world champion Hines was able to hold off runner-up Karen Stoffer to pick up his third win of the season in his second consecutive final round appearance.

“I grew up three hours south of here in Trinidad, Colorado, so it’s good to win here on the mountain,” said Hines. “This place is my home. We didn’t have the best motorcycle this weekend, just like we didn’t have the best motorcycle (when we advanced to the final) at Sonoma, but we were able to get the job done. That says a lot about our team.”

For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS, BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, August 12–15: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to northern Minnesota for the final race of the Countdown to 10 regular season. Defending event winners include Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL, O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS, September 1–6: The famed Labor Day event at historical O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is the first of six races in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, September 16–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in North Carolina and second stop of the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle). 

HE SAID, SHE SAID

JUST HAPPY TO CLINCH: Top Fuel pilot Shawn Langdon on clinching his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs with his first round appearance at the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:

“Our main goal at the start of the year was to make the field for the Countdown and we clinched our spot today, so that’s good. Although it’s hard to be super excited after a first-round loss; it was just a good race that we lost by a few feet.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

10: That’s the number of spots that remain for the Countdown to 1 playoffs (two in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car, two in Pro Stock and five in Pro Stock Motorcycle) in all four classes as the series heads to Brainerd International Raceway for the final race of the regular season, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

DID YOU KNOW…

That Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon and Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards clinched the No. 1 seeds in the point standings heading into the Countdown to 1 playoffs?

The clinch secures both drivers a 20-point bonus once the playoffs begin in Indianapolis.

 

NEWS NUGGETS

KALITTA, JOHNSON GRAB FIRST WINS OF THE SEASON IN DENVER: It was a day of firsts as Top Fuel pilot Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson both raced to their first victories in more than a year Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. For Kalitta, the win over runner-up Brandon Bernstein was his first since February 2009, when he won the season-opening Winternationals.

“When I saw the win light come on down there, it was real special, a great relief,” said Kalitta. “They do a great job here, and each year, the facility gets better and better, and I’m just glad to finally get a win here. I’ve been close a lot of times and, fortunately, we got it done today.”

Though Bernstein was unable to collect his first win of the season, he did clinch his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. In Pro Stock, Johnson picked up his first win of the season and third win at his title sponsor’s event, a track that he has all but dominated in the past few years, when he drove past competitor Jeg Coughlin in the final round.

“We wouldn’t mind having all 23 races here,” said Johnson. “We really have an awesome setup for here. The engine guys, the car guys and everyone else did their job, and I can’t say enough about them. We just made a perfect run every run.”

From here, drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will have one more opportunity to clinch a spot in the Top 10 point standings and advance to the Countdown to 1 playoffs as the series heads to Northern Minnesota August 12–15 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

HIGHT, HINES RACE TO VICTORY IN DENVER: Defending Funny Car world champion Robert Hight and former three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andrew Hines were able to hold off the competition in their classes to pick up the win Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang past team owner John Force in the final round to pick up his fourth win of the season and move even closer to Force and that first-place spot in the point standings.

“It’s nice to get back on the winning side here in Denver,” said Hight. “My crew chief Jimmy Prock has never had a problem making horsepower, but with the racetrack being so good last year with the cooling system and everything, we just didn’t have enough horsepower, and that bothered Jimmy. He came in here with a game plan—new parts and different things—and he definitely found the horsepower that he needed.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, former world champion Hines was able to hold off runner-up Karen Stoffer to pick up his third win of the season in his second consecutive final round appearance.

“I grew up three hours south of here in Trinidad, Colorado, so it’s good to win here on the mountain,” said Hines. “This place is my home. We didn’t have the best motorcycle this weekend, just like we didn’t have the best motorcycle (when we advanced to the final) at Sonoma, but we were able to get the job done. That says a lot about our team.”

For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS, BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, August 12–15: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to northern Minnesota for the final race of the Countdown to 10 regular season. Defending event winners include Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL, O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS, September 1–6: The famed Labor Day event at historical O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is the first of six races in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, September 16–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in North Carolina and second stop of the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle). 

HE SAID, SHE SAID

JUST HAPPY TO CLINCH: Top Fuel pilot Shawn Langdon on clinching his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs with his first round appearance at the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:

“Our main goal at the start of the year was to make the field for the Countdown and we clinched our spot today, so that’s good. Although it’s hard to be super excited after a first-round loss; it was just a good race that we lost by a few feet.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

10: That’s the number of spots that remain for the Countdown to 1 playoffs (two in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car, two in Pro Stock and five in Pro Stock Motorcycle) in all four classes as the series heads to Brainerd International Raceway for the final race of the regular season, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

DID YOU KNOW…

That Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon and Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards clinched the No. 1 seeds in the point standings heading into the Countdown to 1 playoffs?

The clinch secures both drivers a 20-point bonus once the playoffs begin in Indianapolis.

 

NEWS NUGGETS

KALITTA, JOHNSON GRAB FIRST WINS OF THE SEASON IN DENVER: It was a day of firsts as Top Fuel pilot Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson both raced to their first victories in more than a year Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. For Kalitta, the win over runner-up Brandon Bernstein was his first since February 2009, when he won the season-opening Winternationals.

“When I saw the win light come on down there, it was real special, a great relief,” said Kalitta. “They do a great job here, and each year, the facility gets better and better, and I’m just glad to finally get a win here. I’ve been close a lot of times and, fortunately, we got it done today.”

Though Bernstein was unable to collect his first win of the season, he did clinch his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. In Pro Stock, Johnson picked up his first win of the season and third win at his title sponsor’s event, a track that he has all but dominated in the past few years, when he drove past competitor Jeg Coughlin in the final round.

“We wouldn’t mind having all 23 races here,” said Johnson. “We really have an awesome setup for here. The engine guys, the car guys and everyone else did their job, and I can’t say enough about them. We just made a perfect run every run.”

From here, drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will have one more opportunity to clinch a spot in the Top 10 point standings and advance to the Countdown to 1 playoffs as the series heads to Northern Minnesota August 12–15 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

HIGHT, HINES RACE TO VICTORY IN DENVER: Defending Funny Car world champion Robert Hight and former three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andrew Hines were able to hold off the competition in their classes to pick up the win Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang past team owner John Force in the final round to pick up his fourth win of the season and move even closer to Force and that first-place spot in the point standings.

“It’s nice to get back on the winning side here in Denver,” said Hight. “My crew chief Jimmy Prock has never had a problem making horsepower, but with the racetrack being so good last year with the cooling system and everything, we just didn’t have enough horsepower, and that bothered Jimmy. He came in here with a game plan—new parts and different things—and he definitely found the horsepower that he needed.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, former world champion Hines was able to hold off runner-up Karen Stoffer to pick up his third win of the season in his second consecutive final round appearance.

“I grew up three hours south of here in Trinidad, Colorado, so it’s good to win here on the mountain,” said Hines. “This place is my home. We didn’t have the best motorcycle this weekend, just like we didn’t have the best motorcycle (when we advanced to the final) at Sonoma, but we were able to get the job done. That says a lot about our team.”

For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS, BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, August 12–15: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to northern Minnesota for the final race of the Countdown to 10 regular season. Defending event winners include Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL, O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS, September 1–6: The famed Labor Day event at historical O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is the first of six races in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, September 16–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in North Carolina and second stop of the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle). 

HE SAID, SHE SAID

JUST HAPPY TO CLINCH: Top Fuel pilot Shawn Langdon on clinching his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs with his first round appearance at the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:

“Our main goal at the start of the year was to make the field for the Countdown and we clinched our spot today, so that’s good. Although it’s hard to be super excited after a first-round loss; it was just a good race that we lost by a few feet.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

10: That’s the number of spots that remain for the Countdown to 1 playoffs (two in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car, two in Pro Stock and five in Pro Stock Motorcycle) in all four classes as the series heads to Brainerd International Raceway for the final race of the regular season, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

DID YOU KNOW…

That Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon and Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards clinched the No. 1 seeds in the point standings heading into the Countdown to 1 playoffs?

The clinch secures both drivers a 20-point bonus once the playoffs begin in Indianapolis.

 

NEWS NUGGETS

KALITTA, JOHNSON GRAB FIRST WINS OF THE SEASON IN DENVER: It was a day of firsts as Top Fuel pilot Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson both raced to their first victories in more than a year Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. For Kalitta, the win over runner-up Brandon Bernstein was his first since February 2009, when he won the season-opening Winternationals.

“When I saw the win light come on down there, it was real special, a great relief,” said Kalitta. “They do a great job here, and each year, the facility gets better and better, and I’m just glad to finally get a win here. I’ve been close a lot of times and, fortunately, we got it done today.”

Though Bernstein was unable to collect his first win of the season, he did clinch his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. In Pro Stock, Johnson picked up his first win of the season and third win at his title sponsor’s event, a track that he has all but dominated in the past few years, when he drove past competitor Jeg Coughlin in the final round.

“We wouldn’t mind having all 23 races here,” said Johnson. “We really have an awesome setup for here. The engine guys, the car guys and everyone else did their job, and I can’t say enough about them. We just made a perfect run every run.”

From here, drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will have one more opportunity to clinch a spot in the Top 10 point standings and advance to the Countdown to 1 playoffs as the series heads to Northern Minnesota August 12–15 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

HIGHT, HINES RACE TO VICTORY IN DENVER: Defending Funny Car world champion Robert Hight and former three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andrew Hines were able to hold off the competition in their classes to pick up the win Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang past team owner John Force in the final round to pick up his fourth win of the season and move even closer to Force and that first-place spot in the point standings.

“It’s nice to get back on the winning side here in Denver,” said Hight. “My crew chief Jimmy Prock has never had a problem making horsepower, but with the racetrack being so good last year with the cooling system and everything, we just didn’t have enough horsepower, and that bothered Jimmy. He came in here with a game plan—new parts and different things—and he definitely found the horsepower that he needed.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, former world champion Hines was able to hold off runner-up Karen Stoffer to pick up his third win of the season in his second consecutive final round appearance.

“I grew up three hours south of here in Trinidad, Colorado, so it’s good to win here on the mountain,” said Hines. “This place is my home. We didn’t have the best motorcycle this weekend, just like we didn’t have the best motorcycle (when we advanced to the final) at Sonoma, but we were able to get the job done. That says a lot about our team.”

For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS, BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, August 12–15: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to northern Minnesota for the final race of the Countdown to 10 regular season. Defending event winners include Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL, O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS, September 1–6: The famed Labor Day event at historical O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is the first of six races in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, September 16–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in North Carolina and second stop of the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle). 

HE SAID, SHE SAID

JUST HAPPY TO CLINCH: Top Fuel pilot Shawn Langdon on clinching his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs with his first round appearance at the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:

“Our main goal at the start of the year was to make the field for the Countdown and we clinched our spot today, so that’s good. Although it’s hard to be super excited after a first-round loss; it was just a good race that we lost by a few feet.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

10: That’s the number of spots that remain for the Countdown to 1 playoffs (two in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car, two in Pro Stock and five in Pro Stock Motorcycle) in all four classes as the series heads to Brainerd International Raceway for the final race of the regular season, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

DID YOU KNOW…

That Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon and Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards clinched the No. 1 seeds in the point standings heading into the Countdown to 1 playoffs?

The clinch secures both drivers a 20-point bonus once the playoffs begin in Indianapolis.

 

NEWS NUGGETS

KALITTA, JOHNSON GRAB FIRST WINS OF THE SEASON IN DENVER: It was a day of firsts as Top Fuel pilot Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson both raced to their first victories in more than a year Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. For Kalitta, the win over runner-up Brandon Bernstein was his first since February 2009, when he won the season-opening Winternationals.

“When I saw the win light come on down there, it was real special, a great relief,” said Kalitta. “They do a great job here, and each year, the facility gets better and better, and I’m just glad to finally get a win here. I’ve been close a lot of times and, fortunately, we got it done today.”

Though Bernstein was unable to collect his first win of the season, he did clinch his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. In Pro Stock, Johnson picked up his first win of the season and third win at his title sponsor’s event, a track that he has all but dominated in the past few years, when he drove past competitor Jeg Coughlin in the final round.

“We wouldn’t mind having all 23 races here,” said Johnson. “We really have an awesome setup for here. The engine guys, the car guys and everyone else did their job, and I can’t say enough about them. We just made a perfect run every run.”

From here, drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will have one more opportunity to clinch a spot in the Top 10 point standings and advance to the Countdown to 1 playoffs as the series heads to Northern Minnesota August 12–15 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

HIGHT, HINES RACE TO VICTORY IN DENVER: Defending Funny Car world champion Robert Hight and former three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andrew Hines were able to hold off the competition in their classes to pick up the win Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang past team owner John Force in the final round to pick up his fourth win of the season and move even closer to Force and that first-place spot in the point standings.

“It’s nice to get back on the winning side here in Denver,” said Hight. “My crew chief Jimmy Prock has never had a problem making horsepower, but with the racetrack being so good last year with the cooling system and everything, we just didn’t have enough horsepower, and that bothered Jimmy. He came in here with a game plan—new parts and different things—and he definitely found the horsepower that he needed.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, former world champion Hines was able to hold off runner-up Karen Stoffer to pick up his third win of the season in his second consecutive final round appearance.

“I grew up three hours south of here in Trinidad, Colorado, so it’s good to win here on the mountain,” said Hines. “This place is my home. We didn’t have the best motorcycle this weekend, just like we didn’t have the best motorcycle (when we advanced to the final) at Sonoma, but we were able to get the job done. That says a lot about our team.”

For results from the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS, BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, August 12–15: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to northern Minnesota for the final race of the Countdown to 10 regular season. Defending event winners include Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL, O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS, September 1–6: The famed Labor Day event at historical O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is the first of six races in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, September 16–19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in North Carolina and second stop of the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle). 

HE SAID, SHE SAID

JUST HAPPY TO CLINCH: Top Fuel pilot Shawn Langdon on clinching his spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs with his first round appearance at the recently completed Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:

“Our main goal at the start of the year was to make the field for the Countdown and we clinched our spot today, so that’s good. Although it’s hard to be super excited after a first-round loss; it was just a good race that we lost by a few feet.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

10: That’s the number of spots that remain for the Countdown to 1 playoffs (two in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car, two in Pro Stock and five in Pro Stock Motorcycle) in all four classes as the series heads to Brainerd International Raceway for the final race of the regular season, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

DID YOU KNOW…

That Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon and Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards clinched the No. 1 seeds in the point standings heading into the Countdown to 1 playoffs?

The clinch secures both drivers a 20-point bonus once the playoffs begin in Indianapolis.

 

	2010 SEMA Hall of Fame inductee Van Woodell has served three consecutive two-year terms on the SEMA Board.

More than 500 members of the industry joined the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser in Pasadena, California, July 23, to honor 2010 SEMA Hall of Fame inductees Van Woodell, Chuck Schwartz and Richard "Dick" McMullen and to raise money for children's charities Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp. They also came to thank members for their service to the SEMA Board of Directors as well as welcome new members to the Board.

The day's activities kicked-off with the 2010 Business Technology Seminar (BTS), a series of panel discussions and seminars sponsored by SEMA's Street Performance Council (SPC) focused on harnessing the power of the Internet to help specialty-equipment businesses grow.

Topics ranged from the fundamentals of online marketing, improving product data standards for better distribution, using video to promote products and creating a savvy Internet marketing budget.

After the BTS 2010 wound down, a cocktail reception kicked-off the evening's banquet festivities. Emcee Dave McClelland hosted the ceremonies honoring SEMA Hall of Fame inductees and incoming and outgoing Board members. The program also featured thoughts from SEMA Cares Committee Chairman Joel Ayres.

2010 SEMA Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Schwartz reflected on 28 years of serving as producer of the SEMA Show.

Fundraising for Childhelp and Victory Junction didn't stop at the Gala, however. Several donors from the industry and the SEMA Board of Directors answered SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting's challenge to shave his head for a $10,000 pledge to Childhelp and Victory Junction.

Similar to last year when Ayres, his wife Cindy, Show 'N Shine organizer Mike Spagnola and SEMA Vice President of Communications and Events Peter MacGillivray were sheared for charity, Kersting ended up on the business end of hair clippers before the night was through.

SEMA thanks all for their extraordinary volunteer efforts and encourages all who would like to volunteer for next year's event to contact SEMA Special Events Administrator Lisa Moreno at LisaM@sema.org.

 

SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting (left) and Chairman-Elect Paul "Scooter" Brothers (right) welcome first-time SEMA Board Member John Hotchkis of Hotchkis Performance.	SEMA Hall of Famers Van Woodell, Harry Hibler, Louis Senter and Ron Funfar gather at at the Show 'N Shine.
Famous Rhodes from eBay Motors discusses organizing product data to an industry standard during the 2010 Business Technology Seminar.	At the BTS 2010, Tyler Tanaka offered ways for businesses to tap into the marketing potential of social media.
The Show 'N Shine car show drew nearly 120 cars and trucks and 900 spectators.	Chip Foose returned as Grand Marshal of the Show 'N Shine and shared his time—and artistic talents—with a long line of admirers.
The third-annual Pinewood Drag Races highlighted the creativity and ingenuity of industry enthusiasts and passionate kids.	SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting made good on his pledge: The industry came up with $10,000 for Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp and Kersting sat down to the clippers.