By Ashley Reyes

As part of the third annual SEMA Professional Restylers Organization (PRO) Cup Challenge, the PRO Booth #50185 at the 2022 SEMA Show will include seven new-model cars and trucks featuring restyling packages that are marketable, easy-to-replicate and profitable. The seven vehicles are competing to showcase and encourage new-vehicle buyers and dealers to incorporate simple, everyday accessories into their sales.

Through the SEMA PRO Cup Challenge, accessory manufacturers see how their products can be packaged with other products, restylers get ideas to take back to their local markets and SEMA Showgoers witness how new vehicles can be transformed and can even vote for a build to win a “Fan Favorite Award.” 

The SEMA PRO Cup Challenge is the only competition of its kind at the SEMA Show that pits restyler against restyler to create a package for a new-model car or truck. Through the competition, accessory manufacturers see how their products can be packaged with other products, restylers get ideas to take back to their local markets and SEMA Showgoers witness how new vehicles can be transformed and can even vote for a build to win a “Fan Favorite Award.” 

This year’s vehicles will include mixture of internal-combustion engines and electric. In addition to the Fan Favorite Award, a panel of judges will select an overall winner to be named SEMA PRO Cup Challenge champion.

“The variety of vehicles in this year’s PRO Cup Challenge will surely show restyling shops how they can use traditional restyling products as well as some new products and services to build packages,” said PRO Chair Josh Poulson. “There will be a good mixture of truck accessories, film products, interior products, 12-volt products and no doubt some show-stopping new products to create these exciting builds.”

SEMA Showgoers can witness the competition in action and see the vehicle builds up close by visiting PRO Booth #50185 during SEMA Show week. The SEMA PRO Cup Challenge Winner and Fan Favorite Award Winner will be announced during the SEMA Show PRO Booth Happy Hour, November 2, at 4:00 p.m.  

Learn more at www.sema.org/pro-cup-challenge.

NMRA, NMCA Release 2023 Event Schedules

ProMedia has released the 2023 schedules for the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals series and the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals series. The Holley NMRA Ford Nationals series will celebrate its 25th year in 2023, with several special features and celebrations planned to mark the occasion. The NMCA slate, meanwhile, features one new track and five familiar venues. For more information, visit nmradigital.com and nmcadigital.com.

2023 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals Schedule
March 2–5: 29th Annual NMRA Spring Break Shootout
Orlando Speed World, Orlando, FL

April 13–16: 15th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals
Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC

May 4–7: 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Madison, IL

June 8–11: 23rd Annual NMRA Ford Performance Nationals
Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH

July 20–23: 3rd Annual NMRA/NMCA Power Festival
US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, MI

Sept. 28–Oct. 1: 24th Annual NMRA World Finals + Holley Ford Fest
Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, KY

2023 Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals Schedule
March 16–19: 21st Annual NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem
Orlando Speed World, Orlando, FL

April 13–16: 15th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals
Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC

May 4–7: 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Madison, IL

July 20–23: 3rd Annual NMRA/NMCA Power Festival
US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, MI

August 24–27: 22nd Annual NMCA All-American Nationals
Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH

September 21–24: 22nd Annual NMCA World Street Finals
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis, IN

Extreme E Launches Initiative for New Mechanical, Engineering Talent

Extreme E—the all-electric SUV racing series that aims to raise awareness about environmental issues—has launched a new “Racing for All” initiative to create opportunities for new mechanical and engineering talent to join the series.

Extreme E teams are limited to five mechanics or engineers each, but the Racing for All initiative provides an additional position for a sixth member to gain hands-on experience. This position is open to those with less than one year’s professional motorsports experience to learn what it takes to be part of a professional race team. This will help provide the first step on the career ladder in a competitive industry.

Women, people of a minority ethnicity and people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds are encouraged to apply if interested in this opportunity. The program aims to remove the “barriers of opportunity and bias throughout the motorsports talent pipeline from primary school age to those already in the industry.” These barriers have been identified in The Hamilton Commission’s report—Accelerating Change: Improving Representation of Black People in UK Motorsport—and programs such as FIA’s Girls on Track. For more information and to apply, visit extreme-e.com/en/racing-for-all.

Giants RB Antonio Williams Joins NHRA’s Foley Lewis Racing

Foley Lewis Racing (FLR)—the NHRA Top Fuel drag racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, and headed by Doug Foley and Tim Lewis—has announced Antonio Williams as its news director of business development. Williams is the current running back for the New York Giants. The Foley Lewis Racing team will race next at the 38th annual Pep Boys Nationals, September 15–18, at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pennsylvania. For more information, visit foleylewisracing.com.

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

By Ashley Reyes

As the electric-vehicle (EV) aftermarket evolves and changes, engineers, programmers and product developers must understand how to keep an electric vehicle battery safe and at peak performance levels.

During the webinar “EV Calibration” presented by the SEMA Emerging Trends & Technology Network (ETTN), September 28, at 12:30 p.m. (PDT), participants will learn how a battery’s vehicle control unit (VCU) operates and why it performs the way it does. Attendees will hear from Kirk Miller, an expert in the performance aftermarket who focuses on the tuner, EV and motorsports market segments. As vice president of sales and marketing for AEM Electronics/AEM EV, Miller will break down the basics for working on EVs.

This will be a detailed session covering information that is communicated to and from the battery management system (BMS), and what the VCU does with regard to reacting to performance demands and/or de-rating due to changes in temperature, current and voltage that are outside of what is determined to be ideal. Miller will answer participants’ questions live.

Register today. 

By Ashley Reyes

The wheel and tire aftermarket represents a diverse network of professionals from complementary backgrounds. Whether it be media or warehouse distributor, manufacturers or service providers, retailers, marketing gurus or manufacturing representatives, each discipline works together to establish a strong foundation that benefits the industry as a whole.  

To help its members build quality business relationships, expand their professional network, and learn how they can work with other wheel and tire companies, the SEMA Wheel & Tire Council (WTC) will host a virtual networking event on September 28 at 4:00 p.m. (PDT).  

Attendees will be introduced to other WTC members and meet members from complementary areas of expertise. Members within common disciplines will network among themselves, giving participants the greatest value. They will be able to discuss what their companies do, share pivotal moments in their careers, talk about current projects, career advice and more. If you work in the wheel and tire industry, start creating quality connections by registering today.

  By SEMA Editors

SEMA Show exhibitors and attendees preparing for the 2022 SEMA Show can lock in the guaranteed lowest hotel rate now by booking in the SEMA Show Block.

Making hotel reservations in the Block provides you with the most affordable and convenient options for a wide range of hotels located on and off the Strip.

Several Las Vegas hotels are offering free parking to those who book in the SEMA Show block.

All of the hotels available through the SEMA Show Block come with a low-price guarantee. To help ensure that your price remains the lowest, SEMA will price-match lower advertised rates, even after your reservations are set. Whether you're looking for your favorite place to stay, or for a hotel within close proximity to the Show, you can book with confidence knowing you will get the rooms you need at the the most affordable price available.

The SEMA Show also provides shuttle service to and from the Show for the hotels listed that are not within walking distance to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

There are more than 45 hotels available in the block. For more information on the hotels listed below, including rating, price per night and distance from the Las Vegas Convention Center, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

Driving to the Show? See the list below for hotels offering free parking and book through the SEMA Show Block to secure your stay.

• Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – $269 per night
• Downtown Grand Las Vegas – $125.50 per night
• Encore – $265 per night
• Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel & Casino – $138 per night
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club Flamingo – $282 per night
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club Paradise – $281 per night
• OYO Hotel and Casino Las Vegas – $130 per night
• Palace Station – $115 per night
• SAHARA – $225 per night
• The Strat – $139 per night
• Tropicana – $105 per night
• Westin – $223 per night
• Wynn – $265 per night

Book your hotel now!

To reserve your booth for the 2022 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com/buyabooth.

By SEMA Editors

Dates and locations have been scheduled for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows, measuring sessions and activities.

Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.

Latest Jobs Added to SEMA Career Center

Inside Sales Representative
Enthusiast Auto Holdings

The inside sales representative will be responsible for driving rapid sales and margin growth for ECS Tuning and Turner Motorsport through answering calls, emails, live chat and social-media channels, while providing customers with best-in-class service and support. This rapid growth will be achieved by closing new sales leads over the phone, live chat, email, social media/forums and retaining existing customers through service. Candidates must be a car enthusiast.

Manufacturing Process Engineer
Cognito Motorsports

Cognito Motorsports is hiring a manufacturing process engineer responsible for improving the processes, documentation and efficiencies applied at each stage of the product production cycle, from building-to-packaging-to-shipping. This position will work with cross-functional teams, including engineering, manufacturing, assembly/packaging, marketing and contract manufacturers to establish and refine production processes and workflows. Additional responsibilities include concurrently developing, reviewing and improving detailed bills of operations for new and existing products with a focus on manufacturing and assembly efficiency, quality control, repeatability and timely completion.

Powertrain Calibration Technician
Edelbrock Group

Edelbrock Group is hiring a powertrain calibration technician to support customers by supplying the proper calibrations for their vehicles, troubleshoot customer issues with supercharger installation, install test instrumentation on research and development vehicles and run power curves and emissions traces on chassis dynos. Candidates should have a EFI tuning school certificate and a minimum of five years of experience calibrating powertrains.

  Exhibitors of the 2022 SEMA Show are invited to expand their reach, product exposure and Show-floor presence by offering products to builders through the Products for Project-Vehicle Builders list. The list connects manufacturers with builders looking to create or complete a vehicle project.

The list, which will be updated in SEMA News, features product offers and contact information provided by confirmed SEMA Show exhibitors. Builders interested in obtaining a product use the information to contact exhibitors directly. With each project vehicle required to be supported by a current 2022 SEMA Show exhibitor, all product-placement decisions, negotiations and agreements are the responsibility of the exhibiting manufacturer and the builder.

The list is open to exhibitors of the 2022 SEMA Show only. To be included in the list, complete the form.

Exhibitors: Each submission will appear on a first-come, first-served basis. As participation increases, all submissions will also be archived on www.SEMAShow.com.

Note: For verification purposes, the Project-Vehicle Builders form must be used to participate in the program; email submissions will not be included in the list. Participation in the list does not guarantee product or vehicle placement at the 2022 SEMA Show.

View the Products for Project-Vehicle Builders list.

  Registration for the 2022 SEMA Show, the premier gathering for the automotive specialty-equipment industry, is now open at www.semashow.com/register.

Taking place November 1–4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the 2022 SEMA Show will build upon the positive momentum following last year’s event, which successfully connected the $47.8 billion industry in person in what was the largest automotive trade show in North America since the pandemic shut everything down in 2020.

“The SEMA Show is where industry professionals go to grow existing relationships, create new ones and push their businesses forward,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. “Exhibitors are eager to showcase their products and services to the tens of thousands of qualified professionals in attendance.”

Anticipation for this year's SEMA Show ramped up in recent weeks as exhibitors selected their booth locations during Priority Space Selection, a weeks-long process that took place May 2–18.

“Enthusiasm for the 2022 Show continues to exceed last year’s, with more than 1 million sq. ft. of exhibitor space already committed for the 2022 SEMA Show and confirmed spaces running 25% above last year,” said Warren Kosikov, SEMA vice president of sales.

Attendees at the 2022 SEMA Show will learn about the latest products, trends and technology in the industry from manufacturers exhibiting throughout the entire Las Vegas Convention Center, including the surrounding parking lots. Educational seminars led by industry experts and networking events that bring market niches together will also be available during the four-day trade event.

“Our industry continues to thrive despite current challenges in the marketplace, and last year’s event proved that the value of conducting business and networking face-to-face can never be replaced,” said Gattuso. “Our mission is to help continue that momentum by providing an unparalleled experience that builds meaningful business relationships.”

Registration for the 2022 SEMA Show is offered in three categories—attendee, exhibitor and media—and everyone must qualify to attend. Attendees are encouraged to register early at www.semashow.com/register so they can secure their credentials and receive updates on breaking news from the 2022 SEMA Show.

Attendees are encouraged to check the floorplan to see where the companies they need to interact with will be located at the 2022 SEMA Show.

For more information about qualifying documents and the 2022 SEMA Show, log on to www.semashow.com.

By Ashley Reyes

SEMA members are invited to join Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events, for a Facebook and Instagram live chat about the 2022 SEMA Show on Wednesday, September 14, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT).  

Taking place on the SEMA Future Leaders Network (FLN) Facebook page and FLN Instagram (@fln_sema), the live discussion will help members get the most out of their experience at the week-long, trade-only event taking place November 1–4 in Las Vegas. Gattuso will share updates on the current status of this year’s Show, what to expect in November and tips to make navigating the Las Vegas Convention Center easier and more efficient.

There is no other event in the automotive industry where you can discover emerging trends, see thousands of new products, speak directly to experts from the manufacturing companies and build business knowledge through more than 70 free, professional, skill-enhancing education sessions. Get your questions ready and tune in. 

Live Chat location:  

• FLN Facebook page
• FLN Instagram live (@fln_sema)