NHRA News

SIX NHRA ROOKIE DRIVERS ELGIBLE CANDIDATES FOR 2014 AUTO CLUB ROAD TO THE FUTURE AWARD: Six NHRA rookie drivers representing three NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series classes—Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle—are the eligible candidates for the 2014 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, it was announced by officials from the NHRA and the Automobile Club of Southern California. The award, which recognizes the top rookie competitor in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and offers a $20,000 prize and traditional trophy to the winner, will be presented during the NHRA’s annual championship awards ceremony on Monday, November 17, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. More than 150 of the nation’s leading auto-racing journalists will select the winner through a voting system based on the following criteria: number of events participated, performance on and off the racetrack, participation in NHRA promotions and relationships with fans, sponsors and media.

NHRA FANFEST, VEGAS-STYLE KICKS OFF OCTOBER 30: The stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will help kick off the Toyota NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas with the NHRA Fanfest, Vegas-style, October 30, on the 3rd Street Stage at the Fremont Street Experience. The Fanfest begins at 5:00 p.m. with music, games and ticket giveaways. A driver autograph session featuring top drivers from the NHRA will take place beginning at 5:30 p.m. Among the drivers already committed to attend are Erica Enders-Stevens, Shawn Langdon, Shane Gray, Jonathan Gray, Richie Crampton, Leah Pritchett, Del Worsham, JR Todd, Khalid alBalooshi, Rodger Brogdon, Larry Morgan, V Gaines, Jeff Diehl, Jenna Haddock, Terry Haddock, Chad Head, Hector Arana Jr., Hector Arana, Adam Arana, Scott Pollacheck, Matt Smith, Angie Smith and Freddie Camarena.

COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP HEADS TO BRIGHT LIGHTS OF LAS VEGAS: The stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series roll into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, October 30–November 2, for the penultimate race of the 2014 Countdown to the Championship at the 14th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals. The best in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will once again battle for victory at one of the world’s most state-of-the-art dragstrips. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event that will once again be televised nationally on ESPN2. The action on the Vegas strip is matched only by the fire and fury of two 10,000-hp machines launching side-by-side down The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at more than 300 mph. The event is a critical stop for the teams in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series as they have two races left to prove they have what it takes to be a Mello Yello Series world champion.

He Said, She Said

“The ‘Free Mammograms for the Fans’ program was a great success last year. We received such an overwhelming response that there was no question that we would of course bring it back this year. I’m very proud of this program. We really weren’t sure what to expect when we launched it last year. Nothing like this had ever really been done before, and we were blown away by the response. Early detection is key. We’re giving women a chance to get screened without having to take time out of their work day, or make an appointment with their doctor, and it’s absolutely free—this is the perfect opportunity to have this important test performed.”

—Funny Car racer Alexis DeJoria on the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural “Free Mammograms for the Fans” program presented by Alexis DeJoria Racing, and the expanded partnership with the Nevada Health Centers (NVHC), to offer free mammograms to female race fans attending the NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway later this month. A new element has been added to the program—Pink Passes—which are essentially “rain-check vouchers” to accommodate overflow participants and will allow race fans to take advantage of the free screening program, but at a later date.

Inside the Numbers

4: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Pro Stock) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) lead all Mello Yello Series categories with four victories at the NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Each driver enters the race this season with different goals. Schumacher is trying to secure a record eighth Top Fuel world championship title; Capps is seeking to improve his points position in the Funny Car standings; and Anderson is trying to end a 60-race winless streak that dates back to Englishtown 2012.

Did You Know

CALIFORNIA HOT ROD REUNION TO ROAR INTO BAKERSFIELD: California hot-rod culture will be on display during the upcoming 23rd annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California, October 17–19, at Auto Club Famoso Raceway. Entrants into the event have been camping in line outside the gates since as early as August. Cool cars, hot nostalgia quarter-mile nitro drag racing and a celebration of the history of drag racing will take place during the three-day event. The event has become a can’t-miss tradition in the area and one of the finest events in Kern County during the year.

View the complete 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

By Michael Hart



	Roundtable discussion attendees will have the opportunity to meet key wholesalers and importers even before the 2014 SEMA Show begins.

One out of every four 2014 SEMA Show buyers are from one of 130 countries, with the fastest-growing customization markets in the world being Russia, China and the Middle East.

“If companies want to grow their businesses and export their products, they should be there,” said Linda Spencer, SEMA’s senior director of international and government affairs.

Spencer is organizing three international roundtable discussions, Monday, November 3, when manufacturers and distributors get the chance to sit down and talk with buyers from Russia, China and the Middle East. Participants will get together and, as Spencer says, “talk about anything that’s on their minds.” It’s the best chance to interact with buyers from those hot markets during the SEMA Show.

The first session starts at 11:00 a.m., and will focus on opportunities in the Middle East for SEMA-member manufacturers. Lunch will be at 12:00 p.m. and then a second session with buyers from Russia will be held at 1:00 p.m. A third session at 3:00 p.m. will focus on the Chinese customization market.

“Because we have the lunch between the first and second sessions, many people will come and just spend all day getting to know about these markets,” Spencer said.

She said these three markets have been targeted by SEMA because of their potential for manufacturers. First, Spencer said, “There is a passion in these countries for customization.”

Second, they each have large populations that make sense in terms of economies of scale and, finally, large portions of those populations have substantial disposable income.

As an example, she said, “China has a huge population and growing number who can afford customization.”

Off-roading, in particular, is a fast-growing leisure activity there.

Even better, Russia has an average per-capita income that is twice that of China’s and in the more than one dozen countries that make up the Middle East, “They love everything from off-roading to street performance,” Spencer said.

For more information, or to register for the international roundtable discussions, visit the SEMA Show website.

By Michael Hart



	Roundtable discussion attendees will have the opportunity to meet key wholesalers and importers even before the 2014 SEMA Show begins.

One out of every four 2014 SEMA Show buyers are from one of 130 countries, with the fastest-growing customization markets in the world being Russia, China and the Middle East.

“If companies want to grow their businesses and export their products, they should be there,” said Linda Spencer, SEMA’s senior director of international and government affairs.

Spencer is organizing three international roundtable discussions, Monday, November 3, when manufacturers and distributors get the chance to sit down and talk with buyers from Russia, China and the Middle East. Participants will get together and, as Spencer says, “talk about anything that’s on their minds.” It’s the best chance to interact with buyers from those hot markets during the SEMA Show.

The first session starts at 11:00 a.m., and will focus on opportunities in the Middle East for SEMA-member manufacturers. Lunch will be at 12:00 p.m. and then a second session with buyers from Russia will be held at 1:00 p.m. A third session at 3:00 p.m. will focus on the Chinese customization market.

“Because we have the lunch between the first and second sessions, many people will come and just spend all day getting to know about these markets,” Spencer said.

She said these three markets have been targeted by SEMA because of their potential for manufacturers. First, Spencer said, “There is a passion in these countries for customization.”

Second, they each have large populations that make sense in terms of economies of scale and, finally, large portions of those populations have substantial disposable income.

As an example, she said, “China has a huge population and growing number who can afford customization.”

Off-roading, in particular, is a fast-growing leisure activity there.

Even better, Russia has an average per-capita income that is twice that of China’s and in the more than one dozen countries that make up the Middle East, “They love everything from off-roading to street performance,” Spencer said.

For more information, or to register for the international roundtable discussions, visit the SEMA Show website.

By SEMA Editors

	The OPTIMA Street Car Alley at the 2014 SEMA Show will showcase the invited competitors of the 2014 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational. Photo courtesy of Optima Batteries.

Immediately following the 2014 SEMA Show on Saturday–Sunday, November 8–9, OPTIMA Batteries will host its seventh-annual OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) for the first time ever at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS). OPTIMA invites SEMA members to exhibit on the OUSCI midway at the LVMS free of charge. The OUSCI represents the culmination of a 10-part national qualifying series combined with the best builder cars from the SEMA Show. The event is being filmed as the grand finale of the national TV series on MAV TV, “OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car,” which will air late November.

OUSCI exhibitors will gain additional exposure directly among highly engaged automotive enthusiasts who come out to watch the best of the best SEMA Show builders put their cars through their paces on the track. In addition, exhibitors will be part of an event that embraces and promotes the largest gathering of influential brand ambassadors in the automotive aftermarket. Exhibitors also will be positioned amongst OUSCI sponsors, including BFGoodrich Tires, Ridetech, Detroit Speed and Engineering, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Lingenfelter Engineering, K&N Filters, Red Line Oil, SnapOn Tools and Jet Hot Coatings.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Wally Olczak at wally@fm3marketing.com or 815-347-9661 by November 3. Exhibitors are required to have their displays set up in the designated outdoor midway area at the LVMS on Saturday, November 8, by 8:30 a.m., and are required to be in attendance through the completion of the event on Sunday, November 9.

By SEMA Editors

	The OPTIMA Street Car Alley at the 2014 SEMA Show will showcase the invited competitors of the 2014 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational. Photo courtesy of Optima Batteries.

Immediately following the 2014 SEMA Show on Saturday–Sunday, November 8–9, OPTIMA Batteries will host its seventh-annual OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) for the first time ever at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS). OPTIMA invites SEMA members to exhibit on the OUSCI midway at the LVMS free of charge. The OUSCI represents the culmination of a 10-part national qualifying series combined with the best builder cars from the SEMA Show. The event is being filmed as the grand finale of the national TV series on MAV TV, “OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car,” which will air late November.

OUSCI exhibitors will gain additional exposure directly among highly engaged automotive enthusiasts who come out to watch the best of the best SEMA Show builders put their cars through their paces on the track. In addition, exhibitors will be part of an event that embraces and promotes the largest gathering of influential brand ambassadors in the automotive aftermarket. Exhibitors also will be positioned amongst OUSCI sponsors, including BFGoodrich Tires, Ridetech, Detroit Speed and Engineering, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Lingenfelter Engineering, K&N Filters, Red Line Oil, SnapOn Tools and Jet Hot Coatings.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Wally Olczak at wally@fm3marketing.com or 815-347-9661 by November 3. Exhibitors are required to have their displays set up in the designated outdoor midway area at the LVMS on Saturday, November 8, by 8:30 a.m., and are required to be in attendance through the completion of the event on Sunday, November 9.

By SEMA Editors

	John Force	Tony Schumacher
	Antron Brown	Gary Scelzi

The NHRA Breakfast at the 2014 SEMA Show will celebrate 50 years of the NHRA Finals, Wednesday, November 5, from 7:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m., at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, formerly the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino (LVH), Ballrooms A&B. The NHRA will bring together some of the most popular drivers in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series who will discuss many of the iconic moments through 50 years of the Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

Featured drivers include John Force, Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown and Gary Scelzi. Force is an eight-time NHRA Finals winner in Funny Car—the most for a driver in any pro category. Perhaps his greatest triumph at the event came in 2010, when he rallied to overcome a 38-point deficit and steal the championship away in the season’s closing moments from rival Matt Hagan by winning the race in spectacular fashion.

Schumacher has won the race four times in Top Fuel at the controls of his U.S. Army dragster. He famously won the 2006 world championship title in the race’s final moments and set a national E.T. record in the final round. It is referred to as “The Run” by drag-racing historians, and is one of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport. The next season, Schumacher entered the Finals with a points deficit and worked his magic one more time, denying Hot Rod Fuller a place in history as a world champ when Fuller lost early and Schumacher went on to win the race and the championship.

Brown has won the NHRA Finals in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle, and in 2012, he clinched his historic first Top Fuel world championship title at the event when Schumacher failed to deliver another one of his miracle comebacks.

Another driver who achieved success in multiple categories at the Finals, Scelzi won the race in Top Fuel and has clinched world championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car at the season-ending event. Scelzi put a bow on his 2000 world championship title in Top Fuel by winning the Finals that season and then secured his 2005 Funny Car crown in memorable fashion at the famed race by holding off Force and Ron Capps during eliminations on the season’s final day.

The annual NHRA Breakfast—open to all registered SEMA Show attendees—is part of the 2014 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 4–7, 2014. A continental breakfast will be served.

The panel will be moderated by longtime NHRA announcer Bob Frey. Following the NHRA Breakfast, all of the special panel guests will be at the NHRA Booth (#22329) signing autographs from 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

This event is open to all registered SEMA Show attendees at no cost; however, tickets are required. To order your event ticket or register for the Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com/register and click “Add Event Tickets.”

By SEMA Editors

	John Force	Tony Schumacher
	Antron Brown	Gary Scelzi

The NHRA Breakfast at the 2014 SEMA Show will celebrate 50 years of the NHRA Finals, Wednesday, November 5, from 7:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m., at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, formerly the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino (LVH), Ballrooms A&B. The NHRA will bring together some of the most popular drivers in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series who will discuss many of the iconic moments through 50 years of the Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

Featured drivers include John Force, Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown and Gary Scelzi. Force is an eight-time NHRA Finals winner in Funny Car—the most for a driver in any pro category. Perhaps his greatest triumph at the event came in 2010, when he rallied to overcome a 38-point deficit and steal the championship away in the season’s closing moments from rival Matt Hagan by winning the race in spectacular fashion.

Schumacher has won the race four times in Top Fuel at the controls of his U.S. Army dragster. He famously won the 2006 world championship title in the race’s final moments and set a national E.T. record in the final round. It is referred to as “The Run” by drag-racing historians, and is one of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport. The next season, Schumacher entered the Finals with a points deficit and worked his magic one more time, denying Hot Rod Fuller a place in history as a world champ when Fuller lost early and Schumacher went on to win the race and the championship.

Brown has won the NHRA Finals in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle, and in 2012, he clinched his historic first Top Fuel world championship title at the event when Schumacher failed to deliver another one of his miracle comebacks.

Another driver who achieved success in multiple categories at the Finals, Scelzi won the race in Top Fuel and has clinched world championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car at the season-ending event. Scelzi put a bow on his 2000 world championship title in Top Fuel by winning the Finals that season and then secured his 2005 Funny Car crown in memorable fashion at the famed race by holding off Force and Ron Capps during eliminations on the season’s final day.

The annual NHRA Breakfast—open to all registered SEMA Show attendees—is part of the 2014 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 4–7, 2014. A continental breakfast will be served.

The panel will be moderated by longtime NHRA announcer Bob Frey. Following the NHRA Breakfast, all of the special panel guests will be at the NHRA Booth (#22329) signing autographs from 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

This event is open to all registered SEMA Show attendees at no cost; however, tickets are required. To order your event ticket or register for the Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com/register and click “Add Event Tickets.”