Compiled by SEMA Editors

NHRA News

JOHNSON CONTINUES DOMINANCE OF DENVER; TODD, HIGHT AND HINES ALSO WIN: Allen Johnson in his Team Mopar Dodge Dart continued his dominance of Bandimere Speedway when he recordered his sixth win at the track in his eighth consecutive final-round appearance. J.R. Todd (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also took home wins at the event. Johnson defeated his teammate Jeg Coughlin in the finals to win at his sponsor’s event.

"This team just continues to find a way to do it," said Johnson. "We want to win here for Mopar. My guys step up, I step up when I need to. It is just a confidence thing, it’s a want-to thing; it is deep in our gut, and we just keep doing it."

MOPAR EXTENDS TITLE RIGHTS SPONSORSHIP OF DENVER EVENT: MOPAR has agreed to a three-year extension of its title rights sponsorship of the NHRA Mile-High Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway near Denver. Mopar’s title sponsorship of this tradition-rich event began in 1989 and is the longest-running NHRA event sponsorship in history. The event, which presents unique challenges to NHRA teams due to its high altitude and warm summer temperatures, has long been the traditional kick-off of the famed three-race NHRA Western Swing.

"The MOPAR Mile-High NHRA Nationals is the flagship event for our brand, our fans and our customers, and this agreement reinforces our commitment to our ‘home track,’ Bandimere Speedway, and to NHRA drag racing," said Pietro Gorlier, president and CEO of MOPAR, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. "Together, we have made the annual visit to Thunder Mountain an iconic stop on the NHRA schedule."

MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES RETURNS TO SONOMA WINE COUNTRY: The stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will battle in the luscious Wine Country region of Northern California, as they head to the second stop of the Western Swing, for the 15th race of the 2014 season at the 27th annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals. The best in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will all compete for Wally trophies at the world-renowned track located just north of San Francisco. Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event that will once again be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN2. Langdon grew up racing at the track and turned in a brilliant performance a year ago when he knocked off Morgan Lucas in the final round. Those good memories have Langdon excited to return.

"Some tracks you just feel better going to," Langdon said. "But once you’re in the car it doesn’t matter where you’re at. I’m automatically in race mode, so it’s more about the excitement leading up to the event. There’s a lot of excitement for me and, of course, you’ll have lots of friends and family there."

He Said, She Said

"These things are so hard to come by. That’s why I’m so happy to have the opportunity to drive for the Kalitta team. I figured it was the best opportunity I’d have to win again. I’m pretty hard on myself and I felt like there were a few races lately that got away from us. The only thing that was missing here is Conrad [Kalitta, team owner]. He only stays home from one race and it’s this one because the heat and the altitude is hard on him. It was just nice to get a win for these guys so hopefully they feel like they made the right decision by hiring me. I’m kind of a small guy so I’m glad I wasn’t a part of that big pile on the starting line. If I was there, I probably would have just jumped on top. I’m pretty solid now, but I want a cushion. I want to make the Countdown because after that, anything can happen."

—Top Fuel racer J.R. Todd on winning his first Top Fuel race since Dallas in the 2008 season and escaping the ensuing Kalitta Racing mosh pit at the starting line. With the win, he moved to eighth in points with four races remaining to earn points for the Countdown to the Championship.

Inside the Numbers

7: The number of racers that have clinched a berth into the Countdown to the Championship—the six-race playoffs that decides the season-long championships in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta and Antron Brown were the first two racers to secure their positions in the Countdown. Robert Hight in Funny Car and Erica Enders-Stevens in Pro Stock have also punched their tickets into the playoffs. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Andrew Hines, Eddie Krawiec and Hector Arana Jr. were the first three racers in the two-wheel category to gain a spot in the Countdown. There are four races remaining for racers to earn points into the Countdown to the Championship, which will kick off at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, September 12–14.

Did You Know

ENDERS-STEVENS TO SKIP SONOMA, SEATTLE RACES: Pro Stock points leader Erica Enders-Stevens will skip the NHRA national events in Sonoma, California, and Seattle in order to better prepare for the rapidly approaching NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman announced last Sunday at Bandimere Speedway. Enders-Stevens has led the points since March, making her the most prolific racer in the pro classes this season. She has already secured a spot in the Countdown playoffs.

"The guys will have this Camaro ready to win Brainerd and Indy and all six races in the Countdown. I don't believe this will affect our plan of attack at all. It's a team decision and obviously every decision Richard (Freeman) has made this year has worked out perfectly, so we'll go home and prepare for Brainerd."

View the complete 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Darren McNamara took his first victory of the season in Round 5: Throwdown last weekend.

Formula DRIFT Announces Contract Extensions for Venues; McNamara Takes Victory in Round 5: Throwdown
Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro has extended contracts with Road Atlanta and Evergreen Speedway through the 2016 season. The Streets of Long Beach venue partnership will continue in 2015. In an effort to plan for the future of the Series with established long-running relationships with venues, Formula DRIFT has committed to the following tracks for the 2015–2016 season, Road Atlanta, Evergreen Speedway and the Streets of Long Beach for 2015. More venues are expected to sign contracts soon.

Formula DRIFT returned to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, last weekend for Round 5: Throwdown, where Darren McNamara in the Falken Tire Nissan S14 took his first victory of the season. Rounding out the podium in second place was Dean Kearney in the Oracle Lighting SRT Viper. In third place was current point leader Chris Forsberg in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z for his fifth consecutive podium of the season. The 2014 Formula DRIFT Championship season continues to Round 6: Showdown at Texas Motor Speedway, September 12–13.

Ford has supported drivers in Formula DRIFT since 2005, when the sport triggered a successful Ford Racing Performance Parts engine development program for a supercharged 4.6L V8 crate engine. Ford is giving fans the opportunity to enter to win an EcoBoost-powered Fiesta ST. Anyone can enter the contest online while watching the hot action each weekend at www.formuladrift.com.

	Don Garlits will be honored by the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as a member of the 2014 class of inductees.

Don Garlits to Be Inducted Into British Drag Racing Hall of Fame
In mid-November, Don Garlits will be honored by the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as a member of the 2014 class of inductees. Garlits will be joined by his daughters Donna and GayLyn, and the grandchildren (Sarah, Rodney and Anna) at the Gala Awards Dinner at the famed Savill Court Hotel at Windsor Great Park, near Windsor, Surrey, and west of London, November 22.

The occasion marks the 50th Anniversary of the first “British International Drag Racing Festival” (often referred to as the “DragFests”) organized by the late Sydney Allard—the British industrialist/automaker who built the first dragster in Britain. Garlits and the “Swamp Rat 6B” participated in that first series of races held at several Royal Air Force airfields across Britain in September and October 1964. He raced his friend and rival Tommy (“TV Tommy”) Ivo in the series of match races and won the “People’s Challenge Trophy” for the best aggregate performance, with a string of low-eight-second passes at 190+ mph.

Garlits' participation in that first series of events encouraged other established U.S. drag racers to follow behind him, and helped launch the sport all over Europe. He returned to Britain to race in 1976 and 1977, driving the “Swamp Rat 21” at the now-famed Santa Pod Raceway—Britain’s first, special-built drag strip. He set the British track record at 232+ mph in 1977.

In addition to Garlits' contributions to the growth of drag racing in Great Britain, he is also being honored for his overall performance record, and his significant contributions to the sport’s technological and safety advances. The selection committee noted Garlits’ passion for protecting the history of the sport through The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida, his own International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and his continued passion for pushing on the performance envelope with the electric-powered Swamp Rat 37, which he is seeking to break the 200 mph barrier in 2014—the 50th anniversary of his record-breaking 201-mph pass in August 1964 with Swamp Rat 6-B.

	Tanner Foust finished first in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in New York last weekend.

Tanner Foust First to Checkered Flag at Volkswagen Rallycross New York
The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team is coming home with a first-place trophy. Tanner Foust and Scott Speed were two of the fastest cars on the track throughout the fourth round of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in New York, battling their way to a 1–2 finish. However, Speed’s second-place finish was later penalized due to an unapproved adjustment done under the first red flag of the race. Under the championship’s supplemental regulations, he was penalized from that point forward, resulting in a ninth-place finish.

The Olsbergs MSE Ford duo of Patrik Sandell and Joni Wiman are in the top five heading into the Charlotte round next weekend. Red Bull driver Wiman scored a fourth-place result in Long Island last Sunday.

The next round of the Red Bull Rallycross Championship will be held at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, July 25–26. NBC will air the race live on Sunday, July 26, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT).

RSR Racing Announces Jack Hawksworth to Team With Chris Cumming at the Brickyard Grand Prix
RSR Racing has announced the addition of Star Mazda Champion and Indycar Series driver Jack Hawksworth to the driver lineup in the #08 car for the IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship Brickyard Grand Prix. Coming from a successful sixth-place finish in a wild Indycar event on the streets of Toronto, Hawksworth will have his first sportscar racing experience on the 2.43-mile road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 24, at 10:45 a.m. when the series takes to the track for the opening practice session. Hawksworth will be paired with Chris Cumming, who normally drives with Alex Tagliani. Round 6 of the IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship takes place Friday evening, July 25.

Bully Dog's Dog Days of Summer 2014 Results

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Darren McNamara took his first victory of the season in Round 5: Throwdown last weekend.

Formula DRIFT Announces Contract Extensions for Venues; McNamara Takes Victory in Round 5: Throwdown
Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro has extended contracts with Road Atlanta and Evergreen Speedway through the 2016 season. The Streets of Long Beach venue partnership will continue in 2015. In an effort to plan for the future of the Series with established long-running relationships with venues, Formula DRIFT has committed to the following tracks for the 2015–2016 season, Road Atlanta, Evergreen Speedway and the Streets of Long Beach for 2015. More venues are expected to sign contracts soon.

Formula DRIFT returned to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, last weekend for Round 5: Throwdown, where Darren McNamara in the Falken Tire Nissan S14 took his first victory of the season. Rounding out the podium in second place was Dean Kearney in the Oracle Lighting SRT Viper. In third place was current point leader Chris Forsberg in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z for his fifth consecutive podium of the season. The 2014 Formula DRIFT Championship season continues to Round 6: Showdown at Texas Motor Speedway, September 12–13.

Ford has supported drivers in Formula DRIFT since 2005, when the sport triggered a successful Ford Racing Performance Parts engine development program for a supercharged 4.6L V8 crate engine. Ford is giving fans the opportunity to enter to win an EcoBoost-powered Fiesta ST. Anyone can enter the contest online while watching the hot action each weekend at www.formuladrift.com.

	Don Garlits will be honored by the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as a member of the 2014 class of inductees.

Don Garlits to Be Inducted Into British Drag Racing Hall of Fame
In mid-November, Don Garlits will be honored by the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as a member of the 2014 class of inductees. Garlits will be joined by his daughters Donna and GayLyn, and the grandchildren (Sarah, Rodney and Anna) at the Gala Awards Dinner at the famed Savill Court Hotel at Windsor Great Park, near Windsor, Surrey, and west of London, November 22.

The occasion marks the 50th Anniversary of the first “British International Drag Racing Festival” (often referred to as the “DragFests”) organized by the late Sydney Allard—the British industrialist/automaker who built the first dragster in Britain. Garlits and the “Swamp Rat 6B” participated in that first series of races held at several Royal Air Force airfields across Britain in September and October 1964. He raced his friend and rival Tommy (“TV Tommy”) Ivo in the series of match races and won the “People’s Challenge Trophy” for the best aggregate performance, with a string of low-eight-second passes at 190+ mph.

Garlits' participation in that first series of events encouraged other established U.S. drag racers to follow behind him, and helped launch the sport all over Europe. He returned to Britain to race in 1976 and 1977, driving the “Swamp Rat 21” at the now-famed Santa Pod Raceway—Britain’s first, special-built drag strip. He set the British track record at 232+ mph in 1977.

In addition to Garlits' contributions to the growth of drag racing in Great Britain, he is also being honored for his overall performance record, and his significant contributions to the sport’s technological and safety advances. The selection committee noted Garlits’ passion for protecting the history of the sport through The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida, his own International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and his continued passion for pushing on the performance envelope with the electric-powered Swamp Rat 37, which he is seeking to break the 200 mph barrier in 2014—the 50th anniversary of his record-breaking 201-mph pass in August 1964 with Swamp Rat 6-B.

	Tanner Foust finished first in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in New York last weekend.

Tanner Foust First to Checkered Flag at Volkswagen Rallycross New York
The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team is coming home with a first-place trophy. Tanner Foust and Scott Speed were two of the fastest cars on the track throughout the fourth round of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in New York, battling their way to a 1–2 finish. However, Speed’s second-place finish was later penalized due to an unapproved adjustment done under the first red flag of the race. Under the championship’s supplemental regulations, he was penalized from that point forward, resulting in a ninth-place finish.

The Olsbergs MSE Ford duo of Patrik Sandell and Joni Wiman are in the top five heading into the Charlotte round next weekend. Red Bull driver Wiman scored a fourth-place result in Long Island last Sunday.

The next round of the Red Bull Rallycross Championship will be held at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, July 25–26. NBC will air the race live on Sunday, July 26, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT).

RSR Racing Announces Jack Hawksworth to Team With Chris Cumming at the Brickyard Grand Prix
RSR Racing has announced the addition of Star Mazda Champion and Indycar Series driver Jack Hawksworth to the driver lineup in the #08 car for the IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship Brickyard Grand Prix. Coming from a successful sixth-place finish in a wild Indycar event on the streets of Toronto, Hawksworth will have his first sportscar racing experience on the 2.43-mile road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 24, at 10:45 a.m. when the series takes to the track for the opening practice session. Hawksworth will be paired with Chris Cumming, who normally drives with Alex Tagliani. Round 6 of the IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship takes place Friday evening, July 25.

Bully Dog's Dog Days of Summer 2014 Results

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• It is important to have a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release short and sweet. Introduce the product or announcement without the added fluff. Readers will want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• You should always include a photo when you can. Many editors will only use releases that have photos, so make sure that when you do submit a photo it is a high-res, 300 dpi image.
• Be sure to include your booth number and contact information.

• It is important to have a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release short and sweet. Introduce the product or announcement without the added fluff. Readers will want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• You should always include a photo when you can. Many editors will only use releases that have photos, so make sure that when you do submit a photo it is a high-res, 300 dpi image.
• Be sure to include your booth number and contact information.

The shooters at KGP Photography just got their first look at the facelifted Chrysler 300, reportedly due to make its official debut at November's Los Angeles Auto Show.

The new 300 shows signs of overhauled headlight units and what promises to be a bold new grille. The grille texture can be seen through the camouflage, and it appears to be a thorough departure from Chrysler's current corporate grille that still populates the majority of its model range. The grille's new pattern is enhanced with Chrysler's winged logo, which now appears to be floating in the upper regions of the grille opening. A new bumper with new lower air intakes and new fog lamps round out the changes to the 300's front fascia.

Out back, revised taillights are clearly in play, along with a new rear bumper design with new, integrated exhaust tips doing away with the twin round tips found on the current model.

The attractive new wheels have a black-out character to them, as does the grille. While this could be an effort to serve as some sort of camouflage, the effect looks quite production-ready, so this may be something like the trim that will be applied to the updated Chrysler 300S.

A revised interior is also part of the new 300's makeover. The area containing the center stack's readout looks similar to the current model, but the new 300's center-stack button array is taken from the recently unveiled ’15 Dodge Charger.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography just got their first look at the facelifted Chrysler 300, reportedly due to make its official debut at November's Los Angeles Auto Show.

The new 300 shows signs of overhauled headlight units and what promises to be a bold new grille. The grille texture can be seen through the camouflage, and it appears to be a thorough departure from Chrysler's current corporate grille that still populates the majority of its model range. The grille's new pattern is enhanced with Chrysler's winged logo, which now appears to be floating in the upper regions of the grille opening. A new bumper with new lower air intakes and new fog lamps round out the changes to the 300's front fascia.

Out back, revised taillights are clearly in play, along with a new rear bumper design with new, integrated exhaust tips doing away with the twin round tips found on the current model.

The attractive new wheels have a black-out character to them, as does the grille. While this could be an effort to serve as some sort of camouflage, the effect looks quite production-ready, so this may be something like the trim that will be applied to the updated Chrysler 300S.

A revised interior is also part of the new 300's makeover. The area containing the center stack's readout looks similar to the current model, but the new 300's center-stack button array is taken from the recently unveiled ’15 Dodge Charger.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography just got their first look at the facelifted Chrysler 300, reportedly due to make its official debut at November's Los Angeles Auto Show.

The new 300 shows signs of overhauled headlight units and what promises to be a bold new grille. The grille texture can be seen through the camouflage, and it appears to be a thorough departure from Chrysler's current corporate grille that still populates the majority of its model range. The grille's new pattern is enhanced with Chrysler's winged logo, which now appears to be floating in the upper regions of the grille opening. A new bumper with new lower air intakes and new fog lamps round out the changes to the 300's front fascia.

Out back, revised taillights are clearly in play, along with a new rear bumper design with new, integrated exhaust tips doing away with the twin round tips found on the current model.

The attractive new wheels have a black-out character to them, as does the grille. While this could be an effort to serve as some sort of camouflage, the effect looks quite production-ready, so this may be something like the trim that will be applied to the updated Chrysler 300S.

A revised interior is also part of the new 300's makeover. The area containing the center stack's readout looks similar to the current model, but the new 300's center-stack button array is taken from the recently unveiled ’15 Dodge Charger.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

By SEMA Editors

	Exhibiting companies with special pricing, promotions, two-for-one offers, Show demonstrations and other incentives or specials are encouraged to let SEMA know.

SEMA Show exhibitors are invited to generate more opportunities and awareness for their company and products by announcing SEMA Show incentives in SEMA eNews.

Exhibiting companies with special pricing, promotions, two-for-one offers, Show demonstrations and other incentives or specials are encouraged to let SEMA know. The information will be included each week in SEMA eNews from now until the opening of the 2014 SEMA Show.

To be included, send information to editors@sema.org.

Even though the majority of buyer orders take place in the weeks following the Show, a growing trend is for more business deals to be conducted on site. SEMA research reveals that 45% of buyers in 2013 placed an order at the show, up from 40% in 2012.

SEMA research also indicates that buyers are increasingly eager to take advantage of deals at the Show. Even though only 38% of exhibitors offered a Show discount, 76% of buyers report taking advantage of SEMA Show specials or discounts during the Show.

For more information on the 2014 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com.