By Della Domingo

Blues-inspired rock-pop artist ZZ Ward will entertain Showgoers throughout the week of the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

SEMA Show attendees will be treated to live music by blues-inspired rock-pop artist ZZ Ward. Performing at numerous SEMA Show activities, including the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet and SEMA Ignited (the official after-party that is open to the public), the Los Angeles-based vocal powerhouse will entertain Showgoers throughout the week of the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Ward made headlines earlier this year when NBC kicked off the second half of its NASCAR season coverage with her singing Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”

The schedule kicks off Monday, October 29, at the Exhibitor Appreciation Reception, featuring the Media Exclusive Vehicle Reveal. The fedora-rocking guitarist will continue during the week in SEMA Central, where industry icons, celebrities and influencers are interviewed on stage. Before her final SEMA appearance at SEMA Ignited, Ward will perform at the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet, Thursday, November 1.

Considered by many to be the industry’s premier awards ceremony where the Person of the Year is announced, the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet is open to all SEMA Showgoers, and includes dinner.

Exhibitors qualify to obtain a limited number of free tickets to the banquet. All Showgoers are also able to purchase banquet tickets online. 

The 2018 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, October 30–November 2, in Las Vegas. The annual trade show brings manufacturers of automotive parts and accessories together with industry buyers from all over the world.

By Della Domingo

Blues-inspired rock-pop artist ZZ Ward will entertain Showgoers throughout the week of the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

SEMA Show attendees will be treated to live music by blues-inspired rock-pop artist ZZ Ward. Performing at numerous SEMA Show activities, including the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet and SEMA Ignited (the official after-party that is open to the public), the Los Angeles-based vocal powerhouse will entertain Showgoers throughout the week of the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Ward made headlines earlier this year when NBC kicked off the second half of its NASCAR season coverage with her singing Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”

The schedule kicks off Monday, October 29, at the Exhibitor Appreciation Reception, featuring the Media Exclusive Vehicle Reveal. The fedora-rocking guitarist will continue during the week in SEMA Central, where industry icons, celebrities and influencers are interviewed on stage. Before her final SEMA appearance at SEMA Ignited, Ward will perform at the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet, Thursday, November 1.

Considered by many to be the industry’s premier awards ceremony where the Person of the Year is announced, the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet is open to all SEMA Showgoers, and includes dinner.

Exhibitors qualify to obtain a limited number of free tickets to the banquet. All Showgoers are also able to purchase banquet tickets online. 

The 2018 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, October 30–November 2, in Las Vegas. The annual trade show brings manufacturers of automotive parts and accessories together with industry buyers from all over the world.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

The world’s fastest street cars descended on Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, last weekend for the 17th Annual Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals.

Race Wrap—17th Annual Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals

The second to last stop on the 2018 NMCA tour—the 17th Annual Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals featuring the Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series—could make or break it for some racers chasing the championship. The world’s fastest street cars descended on Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, last weekend for another drag-racing event.

VP Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro Mod: Jason Hamstra claimed victory over number-two qualifier Don Walsh Jr., who hurt the drivetrain in his Corvette in the semi-finals bad enough that he wasn’t able to make the call to the start the next time out.

Mickey Thompson Radial Wars: James Lawrence and Enzo Pecchini both advanced to the last match-up of the weekend, where Lawrence had the starting-line advantage with his DragZine.com-backed, ProCharged Corvette, and never trailed to take the win with a 3.986 at 188.31 mph blast. Pecchini stopped the clocks in 4.128 at 180.48 mph.

Vortech Superchargers Street Outlaw: Nick Bacalis in his ’96 Mustang drilled Daniel Pharris in his turbocharged ’95 Mustang on the tree and refused to give up the lead.

Holley EFI Factory Super Car: Mark Pawuk reached the finals in his ’15 Dodge Challenger, where he was paired with Leonard Libersher for a Dodge vs. Chevy duel. A 0.001-second foul start for Libersher turned on the red light for his ’15 COPO Camaro and let Pawuk cruise to victory on his 8.152 at 169.23 mph jaunt through the traps.

ARP Nitrous Pro Street: Jordan Ensslin scored an easy win in the finals, running his ’02 Pontiac Trans Am down the 1320 unopposed, due to Jennifer Brooke Rice’s mechanical issue, which took her out of the running.

Fuel Systems Technology NA 10.5: David Theisen in his ’69 Firebird met Leonard Long in the finals, where he ran 7.933 at 174.91 mph over Long’s 7.985 at 172.76 mph response.

Edelbrock Xtreme Street: Jesse Coulter in his turbocharged ’91 Camaro earned his spot in the finals, where he ran against Tim Knieriem, who had qualified second with his ’95 Mustang. Knieriem was the first off the line, but Coulter drove around him to take the win with a 4.749 at 149.46 mph payday.

Coan Engineering Stock/Super Stock Combo: Jeffrey Frees took on Charlie Walc in the final round, and Frees chopped down the tree to his advantage. His holeshot, combined with his 10.015 at 124.64 mph pass on his 9.97 dial-in helped him find success against Walc.

ATI Performance Products Nostalgia Super Stock: Kevin Gass met Doug Poskevich in the final, where Gass’s ’66 Chevelle turned on the win light in its lane.

Detroit True Trac Nostalgia Muscle Car: Andy Warren in his ’71 Caprice secured the win over Chad Brewer in the finals.

MagnaFuel Open Comp: Kurt Anderson and Greg Bagnell met in the finals, where Bagnell broke out with his ’85 Mustang, but Anderson and his ’69 Camaro ran 9.784 at 135.16 mph on his 9.78 dial-in to secure the win.

Mickey Thompson Heavy Street: Terry Reeves in his ’18 Mustang faced Simon Haddad and his ’16 Challenger in the finals. Reeves had the hole shot, but Haddad was able to drive around him and take the win with a 10.400 at 136.06 mph pass against Reeves’s 11.899 at 124.90 mph effort.

Baskin Truck Sales F.A.S.T.: Terry Pennington in his ’69 Corvette got the win over Bill Atwood in the finals.

Diversified Products Marketing Vintage Cobra Jet: Steven Hall took on Rod Hetzel in the finals, where a -0.009-second foul start for Hetzel meant game over, while Hall stopped the traps in 9.768 seconds at 126.23 mph to make his win official.

Diversified Products Marketing Modern Cobra Jet: In the finals, Mike Pustelny and Rod Hetzel were the last two men standing, where Pustelny went on to earn the win in his ’14 Cobra Jet with a 9.831 at 136.25 mph.

Vintage vs. Modern Cobra Jet: Hall in his ’68 and Pustelny in his ’14 both left the line hard, but Pustelny went 9.863 at 135.88 mph on his 9.81 dial-in over Hall’s 9.754 at 136.46 mph trip on a 9.74 dial.

Gear Vendors True Street: Randy Thomas and his ’10 Mustang averaged an 8.777-second elapsed time across their three runs. Codey Woodby won the 9-second group with a 9.406-second average and Jeff Yepper won the 10-second group with his 10.059-second average. Topping the 11-second group was Joe Glockner. Dakota Poston won the 12-second average, Mark Storts won the 13-second bunch and Rob Tackett won the 14-second group.

Dodge/Mopar Hemi Shootout: Brian Fielder and his ’08 Challenger averaged 10.032 seconds to take the overall win. John Keyes was a winner for the 10-second pack, Eric Cunningham and Brian Borawski won the 11- and 12-second groups, respectively, Rich Sprintzl won the 13-second honors, Casey Fitzgerald won for the 14-second runners and Grady Alley won in the 15-second pack.

Bracket 3: Don Fotti who took the win in the finals, going 11.595 at 97.77 mph on his 11.50 dial-in with his ’68 Cobra Jet against Rob Tackett, who ran a low 14-second pass.

The NMCA Drag Racing season, presented by E3 Spark Plugs, wraps up September 21–23, at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis with the 17th Annual NMCA World Street Finals.

Drivers of the Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series joined drivers of the NMCA, this time for the 17th Annual Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals, August 23–26, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series Drivers Stand Out at Summit Motorsports Park

For the second race in a row, drivers of the Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series joined drivers of the NMCA, this time for the 17th Annual Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals featuring the 50th Anniversary Ford Performance Cobra Jet Reunion, presented by TascaParts.com, August 23–26, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center: Haley Rounsavall in her Camaro met Jesse Wilson in his Camaro, where Wilson wheeled to the win with a 10.29, while Rounsavall ran to the runner-up with a 10.57.

LME Street King: Taylor Lumsden landed his second win of the season with a 10.05 on a 10.00 index in his Firehawk, and Kurt Anderson was the runner-up with a 9.82 on a 9.75 index in his Camaro.

ProForm Rumble: Tom Calabrese and David Rickey made it to the final for a battle of the Camaros. Rickey ran to the holeshot win with an 11.55 on an 11.50 index, and Calabrese was the runner-up with a 12.01 on a 12.00 index.

Chevrolet Street Car Challenge: Stephen Chechak was the overall winner with an 9.41 average. George Messer was the runner-up with a 10.23 average, and Kevin Rowand rolled out the 11-second win. Bob Sanders secured the 12-second win and Bill Schoenberger picked up the 13-second win. Kurt Hindel scored the 14-second win.

Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series champions will emerge at the next (and final) race on this year’s tour—the Holley Fest, September 7–9, at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky.

Brian Deegan finished first in the Pro 2 class during last Saturday’s race.

Team M/T Sees the Podium Three Times at LOORRS Weekend in Utah

Team M/T visited the podium three times during the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) competition last Friday and Saturday at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah. Brian Deegan finished first in the Pro 2 class during last Saturday’s race. Darren Hardesty Jr. finished second in the Pro Buggy class on both Friday and Saturday, preserving his Pro Buggy class points lead heading in to the final three LOORRS rounds of the 2018 season. Additionally, Deegan had the fastest lap time Friday. Three rounds remain in the 2018 LOORRS season, with the next race weekend scheduled for September 21–22 at Glen Helen Raceway. Originally slated to be the opening weekend of the 2018 season, the Rockstar Energy Golden State Off Road Nationals at Glen Helen was delayed due to heavy rain at the track in March. Currently, Hardesty Jr. is in second place overall in the Pro Buggy class.

Subaru driver David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew took a win at the 2018 Ojibwe Forests Rally, earning their third straight victory and fourth total of the 2018 American Rally Association (ARA) season.

David Higgins Dominates the Ojibwe Forests Rally for Fourth Win of 2018

Subaru driver David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew took a win at the 2018 Ojibwe Forests Rally, earning their third straight victory and fourth total of the 2018 American Rally Association (ARA) season. Higgins led from the start of the rally in his Subaru WRX STI and then managed his lead to take victory on the technical Minnesota dirt roads. Higgins’ teammate and rival Travis Pastrana, with co-driver Robbie Durant, made a rare mistake on the opening stage and was forced to miss the first day of action before re-joining the rally the next day. The expected close battle between Higgins and Pastrana never came to fruition as Pastrana was caught out on the slippery opening stage and clipped a concealed cement block. Although he would power through the remainder of the stage, suspension damage to the #199 Subaru would force Pastrana and Durant to retire from the day’s remaining stages. Higgins would press on, taking the lead and managing it for the remainder of the event, while Pastrana re-joined on the second day and secured overall fastest times on most of the Day 2 stages. The next ARA round for Subaru Rally Team USA is the Idaho Rally, September 14–15, in Boise, Idaho.

For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) eNewsletter.

Celina Ingargiola, a member of SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN) committee, sits down to explain what YEN is and some of the things it does for the industry.

Celina Ingargiola, a member of SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN) committee, sits down to explain what YEN is and some of the things it does for the industry.

Celina Ingargiola, a member of SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN) committee, sits down to explain what YEN is and some of the things it does for the industry.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Brian Reese (left), Race Winning Brands CEO; Richard Maskin (center), Dart Machinery’s founder; Bob Romanelli (right), Race Winning Brands chairman of the board.

Race Winning Brands Acquires Dart

Race Winning Brands Inc. (RWB) has announced the acquisition of Dart Machinery Ltd. Dart’s founder, Richard Maskin, will continue to play a leading role within the organization as a partner and chairman of research and development. Maskin founded Dart Machinery in his two-car Oak Park, Michigan, garage in 1981. The 2015 Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee has earned multiple NHRA Pro Stock world championships as an engine builder. In addition to retaining the current Dart management team, including Vice President Dave Tratechaud, former Dart General Manager Ted Keating returns to the organization in a new role as president. 

Brian Hatano Joins Team Edelbrock

The newest member to join the Edelbrock Performance team is Brian Hatano, who takes on the newly created role of digital content creator in the company’s marketing department. Hatano comes from the motorcycle industry, where he was digital editor for Motorcyclist magazine, and social media specialist for all 11 of the Bonnier Motorcycle Group’s brands. In his new role with Edelbrock, Hatano will be responsible for producing specialized content about the company’s line of high-performance products and keeping its website blog active with stories about featured vehicles, custom installations and engine build-ups in the Edelbrock Garage. Hatano previously worked as editor of several automotive publications, including Car Craft, Petersen’s Drag Racing and Sport Compact Car. His work as a fabricator and custom painter first put his name in print with editors from Hot Rod, Custom Rodder and Popular Hot Rodding. Some of Hatano’s high-profile builds include cars from The Fast and the Furious and 2Fast 2Furious, Vin Diesel’s GTO in XXX, Sylvester Stallone’s ’50 Merc in the movie Cobra, the hazmat van in ET, the life-size Lightning McQueen, Sally Carrera and Tow Mater for the Pixar movie Cars and the official Mystery Machine seen on the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour, to name a few.

Marko Ibrahim

Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation Appoints New Board Trustee 

Lynn Parker, president of the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF), has announced the appointment of Marko Ibrahim to its Board of Trustees. Ibrahim is the vice president of store operations at Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO), and has served as an executive for many large retail chains during the past 18 years.

BG Products Inc. broke ground for what will be a 145,000-sq.-ft. facility near its existing distribution center.

BG Products Inc. Breaks Ground on New Distribution Facility

BG Products Inc. broke ground for what will be a 145,000-sq.-ft. facility near its existing distribution center. The structure will house its warehousing and distribution operations while a portion of production operations transition to the existing distribution facility. In response to product demand in the marketplace, the added space is designed to increase efficiency. Last week’s groundbreaking follows the current construction of a new 34,000-sq.-ft. BG Technology and Training Center at BG corporate headquarters in Wichita, Kansas.

Turn 14 Distribution Announces Expansion Into New Distribution Center

Turn 14 Distribution has announced the opening of a third strategically located distribution center. Operational as of August 24, this 272,000-sq.-ft. facility is located at 931 W. Bardin Rd., Arlington, Texas. All of the logistics and technology that the East and West Coast facilities utilize are also implemented in the Arlington distribution center to simplify and streamline Turn 14 Distribution’s entire operation.

E3 is a sponsor of a ’40 Dodge truck custom-built by Cool Hand Customs, which will make its debut at the 2018 SEMA Show.

E3 Spark Plugs Sponsors ’40 Dodge Truck Restoration by Cool Hand Customs

E3 is a sponsor of a ’40 Dodge truck custom-built by Cool Hand Customs of Middleton, Wisconsin. The truck will be the centerpiece attraction at E3’s booth for the 2018 SEMA Show, booth #71000, and will be entered into SEMA’s Battle of the Builders. The modified Dodge truck built by Amy and EJ Fitzgerald, owners of Cool Hand Customs, will feature three E3 high-performance ignition products (E3 billet distributor, race spark plugs and race wires), and will be equipped with a 440 big-block and a ’70s-style torsion bar Dodge Challenger suspension. The truck’s paint scheme will be an exterior satin white with green and black accents with the frame painted silver and the short-block painted in E3’s green logo color. The ’40 440 truck will make its first public appearance at the 2018 SEMA Show. Additional sponsors include: Federal-Mogul, FelPro, Trick Flow, Eagle Specialties, COMP Cams, Mr. Gasket, Proform, Edelbrock, Carter, Holley Performance, Powermaster, Summit Racing, Steele Rubber, KBS Coatings, XSPower, Thermo-Tec, Be Cool Radiator, Driven Performance, Eaton Performance, Grote Industries, AMSOIL, DCM Classics, Painless Performance, Classic Performance, PRP Seats, Wheel Vintiques, QA1 and Flowmaster.

Malerie Gwin

Skyjacker Names Malerie Gwin Marketing Manager

Malerie Gwin has been named the new marketing manager at Skyjacker Suspensions, and will be responsible for growing the Skyjacker brand in the suspension aftermarket.

Robert Anderson’s ’36 Pontiac was named the 2018 BASF America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod at the 32nd West Coast Nationals, presented by BASF in Pleasanton, California.

“Pindian” Crowned BASF America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod at the Goodguys 32nd West Coast Nationals

Robert Anderson’s ’36 Pontiac was named the 2018 BASF America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod at the 32nd West Coast Nationals, presented by BASF in Pleasanton, California. Built by Legends Hot Rod Shop in Martin, Tennessee, Anderson’s Pontiac, named “Pindian,” was a Great 8 finalist for the Ridler Award at the 2018 Detroit Autorama and made the Top Five for Goodguys Street Rod of the Year last month in Columbus, Ohio. The sedan rides on a custom Roadster Shop chassis with a supercharged LT4 engine and one-off wheels from Evod Industries. The custom interior is highlighted by a globe-shaped instrument cluster built by Dakota Digital.

Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA eNews. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.

This particular mule for the RAM Rebel TRX was caught testing alongside a Challenger HellCat Widebody. It has been confirmed that it was packing a HellCat engine, as it emitted a HellCat whine while the engineer tried to flee from the photographer.

The TRX mule has aftermarket fuel rims, and some sort of framerail support/bracket that extends from the axle area all the way to the rear doors, suggesting the RAM needs extra support to handle all of that power.

RAM debuted the Rebel TRX concept at the State Fair of Texas in 2016, and since then, the TRX has been haunting the dreams of MOPAR fanboys wishing for a Raptor competitor. Sources familiar with the project have confirmed that the TRX will get the full 707 hp, and not the detuned 575 hp seen in the concept.

Expect an official debut sometime in 2020.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

This particular mule for the RAM Rebel TRX was caught testing alongside a Challenger HellCat Widebody. It has been confirmed that it was packing a HellCat engine, as it emitted a HellCat whine while the engineer tried to flee from the photographer.

The TRX mule has aftermarket fuel rims, and some sort of framerail support/bracket that extends from the axle area all the way to the rear doors, suggesting the RAM needs extra support to handle all of that power.

RAM debuted the Rebel TRX concept at the State Fair of Texas in 2016, and since then, the TRX has been haunting the dreams of MOPAR fanboys wishing for a Raptor competitor. Sources familiar with the project have confirmed that the TRX will get the full 707 hp, and not the detuned 575 hp seen in the concept.

Expect an official debut sometime in 2020.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

This particular mule for the RAM Rebel TRX was caught testing alongside a Challenger HellCat Widebody. It has been confirmed that it was packing a HellCat engine, as it emitted a HellCat whine while the engineer tried to flee from the photographer.

The TRX mule has aftermarket fuel rims, and some sort of framerail support/bracket that extends from the axle area all the way to the rear doors, suggesting the RAM needs extra support to handle all of that power.

RAM debuted the Rebel TRX concept at the State Fair of Texas in 2016, and since then, the TRX has been haunting the dreams of MOPAR fanboys wishing for a Raptor competitor. Sources familiar with the project have confirmed that the TRX will get the full 707 hp, and not the detuned 575 hp seen in the concept.

Expect an official debut sometime in 2020.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde