By SEMA Editors

Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Interested in sharing expertise, real-world strategies and knowledge with others? We're seeking your best education session ideas geared to automotive professionals and delivered in innovative ways. Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

The deadline for speaker submissions is March 4, 2016. Apply now!

The annual trade show, which features new products and innovations that enhance a vehicle’s styling and performance, is where more than 140,000 industry professionals gather each year to do business. In addition to connecting buyers and sellers, an important element of the SEMA Show is the education program that takes place during the Show.

Here are a few topics of interest to SEMA Show attendees.

• Build Your Business Through Personal Branding
• Help With Yelp
• Scaling Business Growth
• Hiring in the Social Era
• Best Practices for Retaining Employees
• Vehicle Building and Fabrication
• Generational Workforces
• Customer-Facing Technology
• Will Crowd-Funding Go Mainstream?
• The Next Big Thing: Pinterest
• Mobile Technology for a Mobile Workforce

Apply now!

Questions? Please contact Zane Clark, director of education, at 909-978-6743 or ZaneC@sema.org.

By SEMA Editors

Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Interested in sharing expertise, real-world strategies and knowledge with others? We're seeking your best education session ideas geared to automotive professionals and delivered in innovative ways. Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

The deadline for speaker submissions is March 4, 2016. Apply now!

The annual trade show, which features new products and innovations that enhance a vehicle’s styling and performance, is where more than 140,000 industry professionals gather each year to do business. In addition to connecting buyers and sellers, an important element of the SEMA Show is the education program that takes place during the Show.

Here are a few topics of interest to SEMA Show attendees.

• Build Your Business Through Personal Branding
• Help With Yelp
• Scaling Business Growth
• Hiring in the Social Era
• Best Practices for Retaining Employees
• Vehicle Building and Fabrication
• Generational Workforces
• Customer-Facing Technology
• Will Crowd-Funding Go Mainstream?
• The Next Big Thing: Pinterest
• Mobile Technology for a Mobile Workforce

Apply now!

Questions? Please contact Zane Clark, director of education, at 909-978-6743 or ZaneC@sema.org.

By Ashley Ailsworth

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will now allow rear license plates to be mounted at an angle of up to 30 degrees beyond vertical rather than the current 15 degree limit. The change is intended to provide additional manufacturer design flexibility and match current European regulations.

The issue is covered under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 (lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment).

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By Ashley Ailsworth

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will now allow rear license plates to be mounted at an angle of up to 30 degrees beyond vertical rather than the current 15 degree limit. The change is intended to provide additional manufacturer design flexibility and match current European regulations.

The issue is covered under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 (lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment).

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

Bechtloff opened Hank The Crank Inc. in 1971, backed by a reputation for ingenuity and quality.

By SEMA Editors

Henry George Bechtloff went by Hank, which due to his chosen line of work, became known as “Hank The Crank.” Bechtloff, who had recently turned 76, passed away Sunday, January 3, 2016.

Bechtloff grew up in Southern California. It was near the 1950s, and the new craze was all about hot rods and race cars. Bechtloff was inspired by the scene and his interest in racing and speed ignited his passion. He first raced on the streets, and then at such places as the Lions Drag Strip in Long Beach, California, and Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California, and home of the March Meet.

Bechtloff and one of his friends had a shop in the bay of a local gas station where the two worked tuning engines. In 1957, Bechtloff went to work for the CrankShaft Company near downtown Los Angeles. The Petersen Publishing building was a 25-minute drive down the road. The magazine's writers were at the shop almost every month going over the latest things Bechtloff was doing, like taking the new V8 265 Chevrolet engine and bore and stroking it to 327 cu./in. long before Chevrolet had a 327.

An editor at Petersen, Terry Cook, wrote a magazine article called “Hank The Crank Betters Ford’s Ideas,” featuring a picture of Hank inside a light bulb. After that, in 1971, Bechtloff opened his own company, which was appropriately named Hank The Crank Inc. Bechtloff was on his way. 

By SEMA Editors

MAVTV and the new LucasOilRacing.TV will broadcast the 30th running of the world-famous Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire.

Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Broadcast on MAVTV, LucasOilRacing.TV

MAVTV and the new LucasOilRacing.TV will broadcast the 30th running of the world-famous Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire. Through the channel and app, viewers can watch the three-hour finals Saturday night, January 16, starting at 8:30 p.m. (ET) from the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With the number of entries already topping 335, including 24 U.S. states, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the world's largest indoor race is on course to set driver and team records.

Lucas Oil Racing TV launched through its website www.LucasOilRacing.TV on January 1. The Chili Bowl broadcast will be available live to racing fans worldwide and roll out on devices as app development completes. Currently, apps are in development for AmazonFireTV, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, Android TV, Android Tablets, Apple iPads and Roku.

Facelift Planned for Kentucky Speedway

Earlier this week, Kentucky Speedway officials announced that the facility is undertaking a comprehensive renovation of its racing surface, which is highlighted by increased banking in turns one and two, and further includes drainage improvements, additional SAFER barrier and repaving of the entire 1.5-mile tri-oval.

Work has begun and will be completed in time for this year’s NASCAR triple-header weekend in July.

Mickey Thompson Renews Sponsorship of Yamalube Team for 2016

Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha Team.

Mickey Thompson has renewed its sponsorship of the champion Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha team for 2016, beginning with the team’s first AMA Supercross event scheduled January 9. This exceptional team of professional athletes is well known in both Supercross and Motocross. For the second year in a row, 21-year old Jeremy Martin recently won the 250 class Pro Motocross Championship title, alongside his teammate, 18-year old Cooper Webb who won the West Coast Supercross Championship title. An ecstatic 18-year-old Aaron Plessinger earned the prestigious 250 class Rookie of the Year title in both Supercross and Motocross.

This year’s team welcomes newcomers Alex Martin and Mitchell Harrison. The AMA Supercross season begins this Saturday (January 9) at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium.  

By SEMA Editors

CARS Inc. will celebrate its 40 years in business at both of the company’s Open House events in 2016.

CARS Inc. Celebrates 40 Years in Business

The arrival of 2016 heralds several anniversaries important to classic Chevy enthusiasts. It marks the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Chevrolet, the 50th anniversary of several great 1966 Chevy models, and the 40th anniversary of CARS Inc. selling quality restoration parts, interiors, pieces and accessories for classic Chevy cars and trucks.

A celebration of the company’s 40 years in business will be held at both CARS Inc.'s Open House events this year. The Open House at the company’s Rochester, Michigan, headquarters and manufacturing facility will be June 4, from 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. The event at the California store August 7, from 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. For additional information, visit www.CARSinc.com.

USPS to Release 2016 Stamps Featuring Classic American Trucks

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has introduced four Forever stamps featuring iconic truck models. The specific release dates for the stamps will be announced at a later date. The stamps will feature the following:

• The strong, sturdy, 1938 International Harvester D-2 had a distinct barrel-shaped grille and its elegant styling mirrored the look of luxury automobiles of the era.
• The 1953 Chevrolet featured large windshields and provided drivers with excellent visibility, a distinctive curvy grille that bulged in the middle and a six-cylinder engine.
• The 1948 Ford F-1 included features like the roomy “Million Dollar Cab,” a sharp, horizontal five-bar grille and a six-cylinder engine.
• The 1965 Ford F-100 had a new grille that featured 18 small, rectangular openings. It also featured what Ford dubbed “Twin-I-Beam” independent front suspension.

1938 International Harvester D-2

'53 Chevrolet

'48 Ford F-1

'65 Ford F-100

Illustrator Chris Lyons created the artwork under the direction of Antonio Alcalá.

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.