By Steve Wolcott

From left to right: Edie Clouse, Craig Turner, Susan Carpenter, Joan Turner, Reba Hicks, Mackenzie Hicks, Judy Brooks, Ashley Ailsworth, Molly Tomlinson, Nancy Flores, Christian Robinson, Matt Donovan, Julia Jeffs, Tom Brooks (organizer) and Eric Snyder.

Each year SEMA Cares volunteers make a difference by donating their love and time to several Pinewood Drag Races build days throughout the United States to support children in need. Working with several of the qualified SEMA Cares charities, including Childhelp and Victory Junction, these volunteers help children build hundreds of pinewood racers that can be purchased by caring SEMA members. Each pinewood will be raced at the SEMA Installation Gala, and will then be shipped to the purchasing SEMA member following the event.  

Recently, several volunteers attended the first build day at Childhelp in Lignum, Virginia. Each took the time to be a part of the pinewood build process, and showed the kids how much they care. Each child had the opportunity to decorate two cars; one they got to keep and the other to be sold to a SEMA member as a part of the Pinewood Drag Races’ “build it for me” category. The best part is always when the children race their cars on a pinewood track set up as part of the build day. 

Purchase your own kid-built pinewood car and help a child in need.

Held in conjunction with the annual SEMA Installation Gala, the SEMA Cares Pinewood Drag Races will take place Friday, July 29, 2016, at 12:00 p.m., at the Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, California. The finals will be held during the cocktail reception shortly before the banquet begins. Proceeds from the races benefit SEMA Cares charities, including Childhelp and Victory Junction. Childhelp assists abused and neglected children by providing counseling and programs in a safe and secure living environment. Victory Junction provides the camp experience for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses, who otherwise would not be able to go to camp.

Sponsoring a SEMA Cares Pinewood car is easy and rewarding. Visit SEMA’s website to purchase your own Pinewood car, participate and help a child in need.

By Steve Wolcott

From left to right: Edie Clouse, Craig Turner, Susan Carpenter, Joan Turner, Reba Hicks, Mackenzie Hicks, Judy Brooks, Ashley Ailsworth, Molly Tomlinson, Nancy Flores, Christian Robinson, Matt Donovan, Julia Jeffs, Tom Brooks (organizer) and Eric Snyder.

Each year SEMA Cares volunteers make a difference by donating their love and time to several Pinewood Drag Races build days throughout the United States to support children in need. Working with several of the qualified SEMA Cares charities, including Childhelp and Victory Junction, these volunteers help children build hundreds of pinewood racers that can be purchased by caring SEMA members. Each pinewood will be raced at the SEMA Installation Gala, and will then be shipped to the purchasing SEMA member following the event.  

Recently, several volunteers attended the first build day at Childhelp in Lignum, Virginia. Each took the time to be a part of the pinewood build process, and showed the kids how much they care. Each child had the opportunity to decorate two cars; one they got to keep and the other to be sold to a SEMA member as a part of the Pinewood Drag Races’ “build it for me” category. The best part is always when the children race their cars on a pinewood track set up as part of the build day. 

Purchase your own kid-built pinewood car and help a child in need.

Held in conjunction with the annual SEMA Installation Gala, the SEMA Cares Pinewood Drag Races will take place Friday, July 29, 2016, at 12:00 p.m., at the Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, California. The finals will be held during the cocktail reception shortly before the banquet begins. Proceeds from the races benefit SEMA Cares charities, including Childhelp and Victory Junction. Childhelp assists abused and neglected children by providing counseling and programs in a safe and secure living environment. Victory Junction provides the camp experience for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses, who otherwise would not be able to go to camp.

Sponsoring a SEMA Cares Pinewood car is easy and rewarding. Visit SEMA’s website to purchase your own Pinewood car, participate and help a child in need.

By Steve Wolcott

From left to right: Edie Clouse, Craig Turner, Susan Carpenter, Joan Turner, Reba Hicks, Mackenzie Hicks, Judy Brooks, Ashley Ailsworth, Molly Tomlinson, Nancy Flores, Christian Robinson, Matt Donovan, Julia Jeffs, Tom Brooks (organizer) and Eric Snyder.

Each year SEMA Cares volunteers make a difference by donating their love and time to several Pinewood Drag Races build days throughout the United States to support children in need. Working with several of the qualified SEMA Cares charities, including Childhelp and Victory Junction, these volunteers help children build hundreds of pinewood racers that can be purchased by caring SEMA members. Each pinewood will be raced at the SEMA Installation Gala, and will then be shipped to the purchasing SEMA member following the event.  

Recently, several volunteers attended the first build day at Childhelp in Lignum, Virginia. Each took the time to be a part of the pinewood build process, and showed the kids how much they care. Each child had the opportunity to decorate two cars; one they got to keep and the other to be sold to a SEMA member as a part of the Pinewood Drag Races’ “build it for me” category. The best part is always when the children race their cars on a pinewood track set up as part of the build day. 

Purchase your own kid-built pinewood car and help a child in need.

Held in conjunction with the annual SEMA Installation Gala, the SEMA Cares Pinewood Drag Races will take place Friday, July 29, 2016, at 12:00 p.m., at the Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, California. The finals will be held during the cocktail reception shortly before the banquet begins. Proceeds from the races benefit SEMA Cares charities, including Childhelp and Victory Junction. Childhelp assists abused and neglected children by providing counseling and programs in a safe and secure living environment. Victory Junction provides the camp experience for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses, who otherwise would not be able to go to camp.

Sponsoring a SEMA Cares Pinewood car is easy and rewarding. Visit SEMA’s website to purchase your own Pinewood car, participate and help a child in need.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Chris Wagner

Daystar Welcomes Chris Wagner as New Aftermarket Sales Manager

Daystar Products International has announced the addition of Chris Wagner to the Daystar sales team. With more than 15 years of experience in the automotive and light-truck aftermarket industry, Wagner joins the company as sales manager for Daystar’s aftermarket division.

The AAM Group Announces On the Map Dealer Locator Program

The AAM Group has announced On the Map—a portal service that gets local retailers and installers of automotive aftermarket accessories listed on the online dealer locators and internal databases of the manufacturers they sell. On the Map—free to AAM program participants—is designed to connect shoppers, jobbers and manufacturers in a way that meets the needs of all three. On the Map helps to direct consumers to their local source for aftermarket products and installation services, generating additional foot traffic and sales for community retailers and installers. Retailers affiliated with one of AAM’s marketing programs simply visit www.theaamgroup.com/on-the-map and indicate the brands they actively sell or install. AAM then submits the results to its vendor partners, and within 4–6 weeks, those retailers can expect to be listed on the dealer locators of the manufacturers they selected.

Thermal R&D Exhaust premiers on Velocity Performance TV on Saturday, May 28, at 9:30 p.m. (EST).

Thermal R&D Exhaust to Premier on Velocity TV This Saturday

Thermal R&D Exhaust premiers on Velocity Performance TV on Saturday, May 28, at 9:30 p.m. (EST). The segment will also air on Friday, May 27, at 9:30 a.m. EST and 4:00 p.m. EST on MAVTV. The show will showcase Thermal R&D Exhaust’s Fifth Generation Camaro Exhaust, as well as Thermal R&D Exhaust’s 2015+ Mustang GT Exhaust.

WELD Honored With City Proclamation to Celebrate Growth at Kansas City Headquarters

WELD has received a proclamation signed by Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sylvester “Sly” James during a ribbon cutting and open house May 19 at its Kansas City headquarters. The proclamation was presented by Scott Wagner, Kansas City mayor pro-tem and 1st District-at-Large councilman, on behalf of Mayor James and the City Council. The document congratulated WELD on the expansion of its manufacturing facility and declared “May 19, 2016, as a day to honor WELD throughout the City of Kansas City, Missouri.” Tony Miller, Jackson County 3rd District-at-Large legislator, also provided remarks on behalf of Jackson County. Other local dignitaries who attended included Theresa Galvin, Jackson County 6th District legislator and 2016 vice chairwoman; Quinton Lucas, Kansas City 3rd District-at-Large councilman; Jermaine Reed, Kansas City 3rd District councilman; Teresa Loar, Kansas City 2nd District-at-Large councilwoman; and David Pruente, director of membership, Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. WELD brand ambassador and NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force of John Force Racing delivered remarks before the ribbon cutting. Also in attendance were WELD ambassadors Clay Millican, NHRA Top Fuel driver; Erica Enders-Stevens, NHRA Pro Stock driver; Robert Hight, NHRA Funny Car driver; World of Outlaws star Brian Brown; and Formula Drift driver Justin Pawlak. On display were a number of vehicles featuring the company’s wheels from its brands, including WELD Racing, WELD Street & Strip, CCW Forged Performance, REKON Off Road and HiPer Technology by WELD.

Terry Heffelfinger

Terry Heffelfinger to Retire From Brake Parts Inc.

Brake Parts Inc. announced that Terry Heffelfinger, vice president of engineering, product development, quality and R&D will retire from the company, effective June 30, 2016.

“Terry has been an integral part of our company for the past eleven years, leading multi-disciplinary teams that consistently contributed to BPI’s growth and profitability. His hard work and commitment to BPI are greatly appreciated and will be felt for years to come,” said company president and CEO David Overbeeke. “On behalf of all the employees at Brake Parts Inc., I would like to thank Terry for his many contributions to our company and wish him all the best that retirement has to offer.”

Heffelfinger joined BPI in 2005 as director, product engineering, quality and R&D before assuming his current role five years ago. Prior to BPI, he served as chief engineer, and later as director, product engineering and marketing, for Tenneco. Considered an expert in vehicle safety and safety testing, Heffelfinger has developed several patented products.

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.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Mike Whiddett in a Mazda RX-7 defeated Japanese drifter Masashi Yokoi in the finals.

Formula DRIFT Japan Round 2: Ebisu/Formula DRIFT Round 3: Mike Whiddett Wins Big In Japan

G-Shock presents Formula DRIFT Japan headed to the Ebisu Circuit for the second round of the Formula DRIFT Japan Championship and third round of the Formula DRIFT World Championship, where Mike Whiddett took the victory in a Mazda RX-7. The finals saw Whiddett take on famed Japanese drifter Masashi Yokoi. Both drivers went door-to-door on both runs, but it was Whiddett’s lead run that sealed the victory with a perfectly executed backwards entry. Yokoi lost his positioning as Whiddett accelerated to the final clip, which ended with the judges unanimously favoring Whiddett giving him the victory. The 2016 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship will continue to Round 3: Unchartered Territory, June 3–4, at Orlando Speedworld.

Jason Line Leads NHRA Pro Stock Pack

Pro Stock frontrunner Jason Line rode to victory for the fifth time this season at Heartland Park Topeka during the NHRA Kansas Nationals. The May 20–22 races marked the eighth weekend event in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Line has reached the finals in all eight Pro Stock contests in the 2016 series. He crossed the finish line in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro in 6.664 seconds at 207.85 mph to capture his latest trophy. With a total of 942 points, Line leads the field in the Pro Stock class as the series nears the halfway point in the 18-race regular season before the top 10 drivers compete for the championship in six playoff races. Line bested Summit Racing Equipment teammate Greg Anderson by 0.023 in the final round. Anderson holds the No. 2 position on the Pro Stock roster with 816 points. Ranked No. 3 with 614 points is Bo Butner, who reached Sunday’s second final elimination round.

Truck racing returns to the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the season opener of TORC: The Off-Road Championship presented by AMSOIL. Photo credit: TORC Series

Season Opener for TORC: The Off-Road Championship Starts This Weekend

Short-course off-road truck racing brings the best drivers on dirt to The Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway, May 27–28, for the season-opening doubleheader of TORC: The Off-Road Championship presented by AMSOIL. This weekend’s action takes place on a purpose-built track at the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway, which is transformed for TORC Series racing to include a jump that will see trucks fly 130 ft. through the air, a 200-ft. rhythm section and 12-degree banked turns. AMSOIL driver Scott Douglas is back to battle for championship victory in the highlight PRO 4WD category, while stars, including Keegan Kincaid and Brad Lovell, return to the series this season in PRO 2WD. The young drivers of the Atturo Tires PRO Light include Luke Johnson and Kyle Hart.

Jerett Brooks Wins LOORRS Pro Lite Rounds 5 and 6

Jerett Brooks, in his RIGID Industries/General Tire Nissan, earned back-to-back wins in rounds 5 and 6 of the 2016 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORS) at the Utah Motorsports Campus last weekend, keeping him at the top of the LOORRS Pro Lite points battle.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Mike Whiddett in a Mazda RX-7 defeated Japanese drifter Masashi Yokoi in the finals.

Formula DRIFT Japan Round 2: Ebisu/Formula DRIFT Round 3: Mike Whiddett Wins Big In Japan

G-Shock presents Formula DRIFT Japan headed to the Ebisu Circuit for the second round of the Formula DRIFT Japan Championship and third round of the Formula DRIFT World Championship, where Mike Whiddett took the victory in a Mazda RX-7. The finals saw Whiddett take on famed Japanese drifter Masashi Yokoi. Both drivers went door-to-door on both runs, but it was Whiddett’s lead run that sealed the victory with a perfectly executed backwards entry. Yokoi lost his positioning as Whiddett accelerated to the final clip, which ended with the judges unanimously favoring Whiddett giving him the victory. The 2016 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship will continue to Round 3: Unchartered Territory, June 3–4, at Orlando Speedworld.

Jason Line Leads NHRA Pro Stock Pack

Pro Stock frontrunner Jason Line rode to victory for the fifth time this season at Heartland Park Topeka during the NHRA Kansas Nationals. The May 20–22 races marked the eighth weekend event in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Line has reached the finals in all eight Pro Stock contests in the 2016 series. He crossed the finish line in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro in 6.664 seconds at 207.85 mph to capture his latest trophy. With a total of 942 points, Line leads the field in the Pro Stock class as the series nears the halfway point in the 18-race regular season before the top 10 drivers compete for the championship in six playoff races. Line bested Summit Racing Equipment teammate Greg Anderson by 0.023 in the final round. Anderson holds the No. 2 position on the Pro Stock roster with 816 points. Ranked No. 3 with 614 points is Bo Butner, who reached Sunday’s second final elimination round.

Truck racing returns to the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the season opener of TORC: The Off-Road Championship presented by AMSOIL. Photo credit: TORC Series

Season Opener for TORC: The Off-Road Championship Starts This Weekend

Short-course off-road truck racing brings the best drivers on dirt to The Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway, May 27–28, for the season-opening doubleheader of TORC: The Off-Road Championship presented by AMSOIL. This weekend’s action takes place on a purpose-built track at the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway, which is transformed for TORC Series racing to include a jump that will see trucks fly 130 ft. through the air, a 200-ft. rhythm section and 12-degree banked turns. AMSOIL driver Scott Douglas is back to battle for championship victory in the highlight PRO 4WD category, while stars, including Keegan Kincaid and Brad Lovell, return to the series this season in PRO 2WD. The young drivers of the Atturo Tires PRO Light include Luke Johnson and Kyle Hart.

Jerett Brooks Wins LOORRS Pro Lite Rounds 5 and 6

Jerett Brooks, in his RIGID Industries/General Tire Nissan, earned back-to-back wins in rounds 5 and 6 of the 2016 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORS) at the Utah Motorsports Campus last weekend, keeping him at the top of the LOORRS Pro Lite points battle.

Poor-quality or incomplete data will send web customers away in a matter of seconds, wasting your effort and money when the deal can’t be closed.

Millions and millions of dollars are spent every day to drive traffic to websites where, without the benefit of a live salesperson, the parts presentation itself becomes the “silent salesman.” Poor-quality or incomplete data will send customers away in a matter of seconds, with all that effort and money wasted when the deal can’t be closed.

So where to start? Testing your data against these three C’s will help ensure that you have the critical elements covered:

Current: Are you showing all of your current year applications?
Complete: Are all of the important data elements in your data set populated?
Content: Do you have quality content that properly represents your products?

These can be pretty big questions, but the good news is that there is quality help available to clear away the fog, and very affordable systems to make your data management as painless as possible.

Poor-quality or incomplete data will send web customers away in a matter of seconds, wasting your effort and money when the deal can’t be closed.

Millions and millions of dollars are spent every day to drive traffic to websites where, without the benefit of a live salesperson, the parts presentation itself becomes the “silent salesman.” Poor-quality or incomplete data will send customers away in a matter of seconds, with all that effort and money wasted when the deal can’t be closed.

So where to start? Testing your data against these three C’s will help ensure that you have the critical elements covered:

Current: Are you showing all of your current year applications?
Complete: Are all of the important data elements in your data set populated?
Content: Do you have quality content that properly represents your products?

These can be pretty big questions, but the good news is that there is quality help available to clear away the fog, and very affordable systems to make your data management as painless as possible.

Poor-quality or incomplete data will send web customers away in a matter of seconds, wasting your effort and money when the deal can’t be closed.

Millions and millions of dollars are spent every day to drive traffic to websites where, without the benefit of a live salesperson, the parts presentation itself becomes the “silent salesman.” Poor-quality or incomplete data will send customers away in a matter of seconds, with all that effort and money wasted when the deal can’t be closed.

So where to start? Testing your data against these three C’s will help ensure that you have the critical elements covered:

Current: Are you showing all of your current year applications?
Complete: Are all of the important data elements in your data set populated?
Content: Do you have quality content that properly represents your products?

These can be pretty big questions, but the good news is that there is quality help available to clear away the fog, and very affordable systems to make your data management as painless as possible.

By SEMA Editors

Honda wants to communicate and amplify the strengths of the Civic Coupe as both the most stylish and fun-to-drive C-segment coupe available for the next generation of vehicle buyers through innovative, exciting and youthful project vehicle builds to culminate in a display at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

2016 Honda Civic Coupe Project Vehicle Program

Proposal Submission Deadline: June 17, 2016
Award Recipient Notification Date: July 8, 2016
Vehicle Delivery: Late July–Mid August 2016

About Civic Coupe:

The creation of this new 10th-generation Civic represents one of the most comprehensive and ambitious new-model developments ever undertaken by Honda, requiring an unprecedented commitment of R&D resources and Honda engineering prowess.

In seeking to realize a “dynamic rejuvenation” of Civic and create a new interpretation “in a league of its own,” as the development team defined its mission, Honda engineers set out early during platform development to benchmark C-segment vehicles—not only products in Civic’s traditional competitive set, but also luxury compact class vehicles.

Their evaluation involved extensive real-world testing, ultimately targeting European luxury vehicles for the new Civic’s ride, handling, steering and NVH, and also its interior quality and refinement.

With many design features introduced on the Civic Sedan, the Civic Coupe takes the sporty styling and dynamic capabilities of the sedan even further for a unique performance coupe experience that is both stylish and fun to drive, but also spacious for its compact exterior and feature packed. The new Civic Coupe is athletic, charismatic and connected.

Power comes from a responsive 2.0L, 4-cylinder engine with i-VTEC valvetrain, producing a peak 158hp and 138 lb.-ft. of torque, or a sporty 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, producing 174hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine is mated to a sporty and fuel-efficient continuously variable transmission (CVT) or a 6-speed manual transmission (2.0L LX only for 2016 models).

Civic remains the single most popular retail car with millennials today, and has been the top-selling compact sedan in its segment for the past several years. Year to date, American Honda has already seen nearly 30% sales growth for the ’16 Civic, even with Coupe arriving on the market in late March.

Project Vehicle Program Goals:

Honda wants to communicate and amplify the strengths of the Civic Coupe as both the most stylish and fun-to-drive C-segment coupe available for the next generation of vehicle buyers through innovative, exciting and youthful project vehicle builds to culminate in a display at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Approved projects will honor Honda logo usage restrictions. Themes that support some or all of the stock ’16 Civic Coupe’s strengths are encouraged, with uniqueness, style and ambition earning extra consideration.

Offer and Benefits:

• Giveaway of a ’16 Honda Civic LX 6MT or Touring CVT model (please specify in proposal) to create and promote accessories and/or vendor capabilities. Value of giveaway vehicle will be less than $28,000.
• Display of the modified Civic Coupe in the official Honda display at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
• Potential display of the modified Civic Coupe at major auto shows around the country and Honda promotional events.
• Potential media coverage of the modified Civic Coupe and therefore the vendor name from the SEMA Show and through other media outreach.
• Inclusion in the SEMA Show press release from Honda with accompanying vehicle images disseminated to media and posted on Honda’s media website.

Requirements:
Proposal:

Please submit your detailed project proposal to davis_adams@ahm.honda.com before June 17, 2016. Include details in the categories listed below:

• Vehicle Theme: Describe very clearly your overall build theme, target audience, etc.
• Proposed vehicle modifications.
• New products potentially being developed for the Civic Coupe through the project.
• Promotional, media and social media outreach plan prior to and beyond the SEMA Show (i.e. tour of events, specific magazine feature articles, online promotion, etc.)
• Examples of previous project vehicles and promotional activities by the applicant.
• Plans to integrate Honda Genuine Accessories for the Civic Coupe, which will be available at no charge to vehicle recipients.
• Detailed renderings of the proposed vehicle in .jpg format.

Customizer:

Aftermarket companies requesting vehicles should have these capabilities:

• Financially and technically capable of building a one-off show car without financial or parts support from American Honda Motor Co. Inc.
• Willing to partner with other non-competing aftermarket companies or enthusiast publications to enhance the vehicle project.
• History of active promotion of vehicle projects with an established marketing plan.

Project vehicle recipients must:

• Commit to make the vehicle available to Honda or its dealers, if requested, for additional shows and exhibits for a minimum of two years from the initial delivery date.
• Commit to feature the vehicle with the Honda and model logos intact and visible.
• Commit to provide regular reports to Honda Public Relations regarding media coverage and event activity for the project vehicle for a minimum of two years from the initial delivery date.
• Commit to have the completed vehicle available for photography in Torrance, California, by Monday, October 24, 2016.
• Pay applicable federal and state gift taxes on the value of the giveaway vehicle. Value of vehicle will not exceed $28,000.

To obtain digital images of the vehicle for your rendering, please send a request to: davis_adams@ahm.honda.com.

Please note that these images or renderings based upon them may not be used for any outside promotion.

Full details and viewable photos of the ’16 Honda Civic Coupe are available at www.hondanews.com.