Compiled by SEMA Editors

	ESAB and partner LetzRoll Offroad Racing will be onsite throughout the event to help drivers compete, offering all race teams free repairs, welding and cutting assistance and use of ESAB equipment and filler metals at the ESAB Solutions Tour Truck.

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products to Sponsor 2015 Nitto King of the Hammers

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products will be the official welding sponsor of the 2015 Nitto King of the Hammers (KOH)—a grueling off-road race that combines high-speed desert racing and rock crawling in a 165-mile course set in Johnson Valley, California. A full week of racing will start Sunday, February 1, 2015, with more than 300 teams competing before more than 35,000 fans in person and nearly 500,000 watching online. ESAB and partner LetzRoll Offroad Racing will be onsite throughout the event to help drivers compete, offering all race teams free repairs, welding and cutting assistance and use of ESAB equipment and filler metals at the ESAB Solutions Tour Truck.

The Solutions Tour Truck is ESAB’s mobile showroom, equipped with the latest in welding and cutting equipment, filler metals and accessories. During the weeklong event, the ESAB Solutions Tour Truck will be open to any KOH team requiring welding or cutting support. ESAB will have welding and cutting experts on hand to share their knowledge and expertise with drivers and race teams.

The LetzRoll Offroad Racing team, sponsored by ESAB, is building two new cars in two different Ultra4 Racing classes for the Griffin King of the Hammers race to take place February 6, 2015. For more information on Ultra4 Racing and the KOH event, visit www.ultra4racing.com.

	The Trans Am Series will be brought to a national television audience as part of the long-running CBS Sports Spectacular series.

Trans Am Ready for the Spotlight With CBS Sports Network

The Trans Am Race Co. has announced a multi-year agreement with CBS Sports Network, bringing the Trans Am Series to a national television audience as part of the long-running CBS Sports Spectacular series. Now Trans Am fans from across the country will see the likes of Amy Ruman, Tommy Kendall, Cameron Lawrence, Doug Peterson, Adam Andretti, Ron Keith, Simon Gregg and Wally Dallenbach Jr., battle it out for Trans Am glory in 2015 and beyond. Returning to the Trans Am Series’ television effort will be Rick Benjamin and Carolinas Production Group, who will handle the creation of each hour-long show, continuing a relationship that goes back decades. Benjamin will also serve as play-by-play commentator and will be joined in the booth once more by Michael McDowell, who will provide color commentary. The multi-year agreement includes a minimum of six Trans Am events telecast each year.

The CBS Sports Network television schedule kicks off on Tuesday, March 17 at 8:00 PM (EDT) from the Sebring International Speedway in Sebring, Florida. Additional events will be announced at a later date.

Presenters Named for 2015 International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Induction Banquet

Donna Garlits, general manager and chief financial officer of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, has announced the presenters for the class of 2015 International Drag Racing Hall of Fame (IDRHoF) Induction Banquet. The banquet will take place in Gainesville, Florida, at the Paramount Plaza Hotel & Suites, Thursday, March 12, 2015, immediately preceding the NHRA Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals. Bob Frey, the popular retired NHRA event announcer, will serve as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies. This year’s presenters and inductees include:

Kenda Tires Announce 2015 Series Partnership

TORC: The Off-Road Championship Presented by AMSOIL and Kenda Tires will be official marketing partners in 2015.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Lund International Acquires Bushwacker

Lund International Holding Co., a portfolio company of Highlander Partners L.P., has acquired Bushwacker Inc. and its subsidiaries. Bushwacker, based in Portland, Oregon, is a manufacturer and marketer of branded automotive aftermarket accessories, including fender flares, bedrail and tailgate caps, bumper protection products, and trail armor components for Jeeps. Bushwacker also manufactures and markets hood protection products and window visors under the Stampede brand acquired in 2012, which is based in Camanche, Iowa. Operations will continue to be conducted from the existing facilities and led by Bushwacker's President and CEO Russ Morgan, who will join the Lund International team.  

	Joe Sherk

Joe Sherk to Be Inducted into Kitsap Athletic Roundtable Hall of Fame This Weekend

Veteran motorsports media/public relations professional Joe Sherk, 71, will be recognized at the 27th-annual Kitsap Athletic Roundtable Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Saturday, January 24, 2015, at the Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo, Washington. He will be introduced and presented a media award and hall of fame induction by his friend of more than 40 years, Jim Rockstad.

Sherk, who is currently battling the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, has been writing for more than 32 years about NHRA drag racing. He started writing for the local Bremerton Sun newspaper while in high school. He covered the Seattle Mariners for many years in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which also included motorsports events throughout the Puget Sound area.

Sherk's NHRA experience began in 1981 after an 18-year sports-writing career. Since then, Sherk has developed working relationships with sports writers and broadcasters in cities throughout the NHRA tour. In 1989, he started Sherk Sports PR, which focused on drag racing. Corporate clients that year were Castrol Motor Oil and General Motors’ AC-Delco brand. His firm has since represented some of the biggest names in drag racing, including team owner Don Prudhomme and drivers Larry Dixon and Ron Capps, among many others.

Precision Turbo and Engine Hires Roger Conley as Vice President of Global Operations

Roger Conley has spent many years working as the vice president of marketing and sales and business development manager at Racepak Data Systems/MSD. Working in conjunction with the Precision Turbo and Engine (PTE) team, Conley will oversee many core functions while also focusing on upholding PTE's values, visions and objectives. Core values include investing in employee personal development to encourage them to strive for a better tomorrow, creating industry leaders with a focus on worldwide performance, providing timely and effective responses to customer inquiries, and offering unconditional support beginning with the start of a sales relationship rather than at the end.

2015 Tire Review Top Shop Awards Opens

The entry period for the 2015 Tire Review Top Shop Awards is open and will run through June 5. Now in its ninth year, the Top Shop Awards program seeks to honor the “best of the best” independent tire dealers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Entry forms and information are now available at the Top Shop Awards website.

The Tire Review Top Shop Awards spotlight independent tire dealers—retail, commercial or wholesale—that promote exemplary customer service and retention, training and education, merchandising and promotion, professional standards and conduct, innovation, appearance, business management, community involvement, business growth, achievement and innovation. All of the winners and finalists are profiled on the Tire Review website and in a special Top Shop section of Tire Review’s magazine.

Dealers can nominate their own businesses, or others can nominate tire dealer businesses. Those making the nomination must provide basic information about the dealership being nominated and write a short (300-word maximum) essay explaining why that dealership should be considered.

XS Power Names Brady Basner Sales and Marketing Manager

XS Power has named Brady Basner as its sales and marketing manager. He has several years’ experience in the automotive electrical field and previously worked as sales manager at Powermaster Performance in West Chicago, Illinois. He holds degrees from Michigan State University and University of Tennessee. His focus will be to increase overall sales by targeting manufacturing partners, wholesalers and retailers that can both efficiently move product to a customer base and properly market and enhance the XS Power name.

2015 Tenneco Expert Plus Customer Loyalty Program Delivers Tools to Build Ride Control, Emissions-Control Sales

The Tenneco Expert Plus customer loyalty program, now in its 17th year, includes more incentives and marketing tools than ever, designed to help automotive service businesses increase their share of the undercar service market, according to the company. Available now, the 2015 Expert Plus kit gives members a new Monroe OESpectrum counter stool, a “Preferred Consumer” rebate book, a full year of consumer and trade promotions, enhanced eLearning opportunities and much more.

Giving service professionals exclusive access to coupons that extend a promotional offer outside of the standard program periods, the Expert Plus “Preferred Consumer” rebate book features a combination of 10 special coupons for Monroe ride control and Walker emissions control products. Expert Plus membership includes participation in Tenneco’s sales-building consumer promotions and exclusive trade reward offers. Each member shop also has access to a larger range of ride control, emissions control and brakes technical eLearning opportunities.

The complete merchandising kit is available only to members of the Expert Plus program. To enroll, please contact your Tenneco parts provider or visit www.Expert-Plus.com. The enrollment fee for the annual program is $99 (US and Canada).

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.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will conduct a public survey on the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) rule. The equipment is intended to warn drivers of significant underinflation of tires installed on light-duty vehicles. The safety standard was phased-in between 2005 and 2007. A 2011 study found that the equipment was 55.6% effective in preventing severe underinflation. 

However, the study also demonstrated that the equipment was less effective in older vehicles. The NHTSA intends to focus attention on the operational status of the TPMS in the vehicle fleet, consumer knowledge, attitudes and awareness of these systems, and the causes and costs of TPMS malfunctions. 

For additional information contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will conduct a public survey on the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) rule. The equipment is intended to warn drivers of significant underinflation of tires installed on light-duty vehicles. The safety standard was phased-in between 2005 and 2007. A 2011 study found that the equipment was 55.6% effective in preventing severe underinflation. 

However, the study also demonstrated that the equipment was less effective in older vehicles. The NHTSA intends to focus attention on the operational status of the TPMS in the vehicle fleet, consumer knowledge, attitudes and awareness of these systems, and the causes and costs of TPMS malfunctions. 

For additional information contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will conduct a public survey on the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) rule. The equipment is intended to warn drivers of significant underinflation of tires installed on light-duty vehicles. The safety standard was phased-in between 2005 and 2007. A 2011 study found that the equipment was 55.6% effective in preventing severe underinflation. 

However, the study also demonstrated that the equipment was less effective in older vehicles. The NHTSA intends to focus attention on the operational status of the TPMS in the vehicle fleet, consumer knowledge, attitudes and awareness of these systems, and the causes and costs of TPMS malfunctions. 

For additional information contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

The SEMA Middle East Business Development Conference offers United States manufacturers the opportunity to meet with pre-vetted buyers from six Middle Eastern countries.

The early-bird registration discount ends January 31, 2015, for SEMA's Middle East Business Development Conference, to be held March 24–28, 2015, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The program offers United States manufacturers the opportunity to meet with prevetted buyers from six Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In 2014, buyers also came from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and India.

Limited slots are available for the fourth-annual conference. Participant fees include an exhibition booth at a local show where you will meet with prevetted buyers, customizing shop tours, hotels, meals, networking events and the chance to measure vehicles not sold in the United States. Qualified participants are eligible for a U.S. Department of Commerce grant to defray the cost of participating.

Wondering what to expect? Check out the 2014 trip report and see who exhibited. View a list of confirmed exhibitors for 2015.

Find program details at sema.org/MiddleEast, or contact Linda Spencer to arrange a one-on-one briefing about the trip's features.

The SEMA Middle East Business Development Conference offers United States manufacturers the opportunity to meet with pre-vetted buyers from six Middle Eastern countries.

The early-bird registration discount ends January 31, 2015, for SEMA's Middle East Business Development Conference, to be held March 24–28, 2015, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The program offers United States manufacturers the opportunity to meet with prevetted buyers from six Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In 2014, buyers also came from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and India.

Limited slots are available for the fourth-annual conference. Participant fees include an exhibition booth at a local show where you will meet with prevetted buyers, customizing shop tours, hotels, meals, networking events and the chance to measure vehicles not sold in the United States. Qualified participants are eligible for a U.S. Department of Commerce grant to defray the cost of participating.

Wondering what to expect? Check out the 2014 trip report and see who exhibited. View a list of confirmed exhibitors for 2015.

Find program details at sema.org/MiddleEast, or contact Linda Spencer to arrange a one-on-one briefing about the trip's features.

The SEMA Middle East Business Development Conference offers United States manufacturers the opportunity to meet with pre-vetted buyers from six Middle Eastern countries.

The early-bird registration discount ends January 31, 2015, for SEMA's Middle East Business Development Conference, to be held March 24–28, 2015, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The program offers United States manufacturers the opportunity to meet with prevetted buyers from six Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In 2014, buyers also came from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and India.

Limited slots are available for the fourth-annual conference. Participant fees include an exhibition booth at a local show where you will meet with prevetted buyers, customizing shop tours, hotels, meals, networking events and the chance to measure vehicles not sold in the United States. Qualified participants are eligible for a U.S. Department of Commerce grant to defray the cost of participating.

Wondering what to expect? Check out the 2014 trip report and see who exhibited. View a list of confirmed exhibitors for 2015.

Find program details at sema.org/MiddleEast, or contact Linda Spencer to arrange a one-on-one briefing about the trip's features.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is proposing to impose new requirements on product manufacturers and various other business entities under Proposition 65—the California law requiring warnings in the presence of certain chemicals. Under Prop 65, a manufacturer, producer, packager, importer or distributor of a product that causes consumers to be exposed to a listed chemical is required to provide a warning to consumers. Currently, a Prop 65 warning must be given prior to the time of anticipated exposure, but under the new rule, the warning must be given prior to sale, imposing new burdens on website and catalog retailers. 

The new rule also lists 12 chemicals that a manufacturer would have to identify by name in their Prop 65 warning: acrylamide, arsenic, benzene, cadmium, carbon monoxide, chlorinated tris, formaldehyde, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury, methylene chloride and phthalates. The OEHHA will hold a public hearing on the proposal March 25, 2015, in Sacramento and is accepting public comment until April 8, 2015. 

For more information, visit the OEHHA website. For details, contact Ashley Ailsworth at ashleya@sema.org.