By SEMA Editors

	A Celebration of Life Memorial for Cindy DeLoach will take place on June 8, 10:00 a.m., in Ontario, California.

Cindy DeLoach, 66, passed away, Wednesday April 9, 2014, following a two-month battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis and pneumonia. She was married to automotive journalist and SEMA ambassador Dick DeLoach. The two were avid car enthusiasts, photographing and covering industry events for publications such as Truckin,’ Mini-Truck News and Lowrider magazines.

She is survived by her husband Dick, son Tate DeLoach, grandson Michael DeLoach Rak, and sisters Cherie Shaffer and Janette Howell-Finley. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Tammy Jean DeLoach.

Friends will be received at A Celebration of Life Memorial, June 8, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. at Draper Mortuary, 811 N Mountain Ave., Ontario, CA 91762; 909-986-1131. Attire is California casual.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made in the name of Cynthia S. DeLoach to the American Lung Association, 55 W. Wacker Dr., Ste. 1150, Chicago, IL 60601, online at www.lung.org or to the charity of the donor’s choice.

By SEMA Editors

	Ralph Panico

On Friday, May 5, Ralph Panico celebrated his 75th birthday with family and friends. Two days later at 6:30 a.m., while sleeping comfortably next to his wife Judy, he succumbed to complications resulting from his long battle with diabetes.

Panico served as Petersen Publishing Co.’s western sales manager until his retirement to live in Montana with his wife. His distinguished career included creating new job opportunities for many salesmen still in the industry today. This included giving applicants unschooled in the world of publishing a chance to make it big. Panico’s knack for people skills ultimately resulted in an all-time sales record of $200 million.

Panico positively impacted thousands of lives and was widely respected by his peers. He began is long sales career as a newspaper salesman and ultimately ended up in the specialty-equipment marketplace.

Panico is survived by his wife Judy, son Dan, daughter-in-law Glenda and grandson Troy. 

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Panico’s favorite charity—the American Diabetes Association.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

NHRA News

CHEVROLET NAMED OFFICIAL TRUCK OF THE NHRA: The NHRA has signed a multiyear agreement with Chevrolet, designating the U.S. vehicle manufacturer as the Official Truck of the NHRA. As the Official Truck of the NHRA, Chevrolet will have a major on-site presence at all NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. Most notably, the all-new Chevrolet Silverados and Suburbans will be used by the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA for emergency response and track preparation.

“Chevrolet is proud to partner with the series as the Official Truck of the NHRA and are honored that our Silverados and Suburbans will be utilized by the NHRA Safety Safari,” said Jim Campbell, vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. “Our involvement in NHRA allows us to showcase the most dependable, longest-lasting trucks in America to our customers and fans and to fans of NHRA Drag Racing.”

For more on the story visit www.NHRA.com.

BROWN LOOKING TO CONTINUE HOT STREAK IN ATLANTA: Athletes often talk about being in the zone, a feeling where nothing can go wrong. It’s a feeling Top Fuel standout Antron Brown can relate to at the moment, and the 2012 world champion is taking full advantage of a hot streak that has impressed everyone in the motorsports world. Brown has won two straight races in the ultra-competitive Top Fuel ranks and has advanced to the finals in four of the past five events. It makes him the points leader and hottest driver in the class.

“It feels good that we’re in stride right now,” Brown said. “Going into the race, you go with confidence when your car’s running good and how the team is operating. One thing I really love about our team is that it doesn’t matter what we did before our first qualifying run. It matters how we end up in qualifying. It matters how much we grew with each run. We’ll have problems at every race, but we’ll grow from it. We get our car into a zone that it’s ready to race on Sunday.”

For more on this story visit www.NHRA.com.

MELLO YELLO SERIES RETURNS TO ATLANTA DRAGWAY: After a one-year absence, the Pro Stock Motorcycle riders of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series return to Atlanta Dragway for the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. It marks the third of 16 events for the class and for Pro Stock Motorcycle riders, including standout Scotty Pollacheck, returning to Atlanta is definitely a good thing.

“I’m excited anywhere we go to race and it’s exciting to get back to Atlanta,” Pollacheck said. “It’s a pretty historical track, it’s a big market and it’s always a good place to race. Starting with this race the events for our class start running a lot closer together and we get into the swing of things. That’s always nice.”

For more on the story visit www.NHRA.com.

He Said, She Said

"I look at all these girls, and I’m very proud of them. I’m very happy the NHRA gives us an opportunity to do this. My uncle raced in the Sportsman class on a motorcycle in Baton Rouge, and that’s how I was introduced to racing a motorcycle on the track. I was 18 when I saw that, and I wanted to know how I could do it for a profession. I fell in love with the sport and with the category. I’m a huge Erica Enders fan, and I’m so proud of what she’s doing. But I don’t look at the girls and say, ‘Oh wow, look at what they’re doing,’ because I expect it from them. I look at them as racers, and I think each female that’s out there probably feels the same way."

—Angelle Sampey, who has three Pro Stock Motorcycle world championships and 41 career NHRA victories on women in the NHRA nearing 100 wins by female competitors.

Inside the Numbers

7: Number of wins John Force has at Atlanta Dragway, which leads the Funny Car category and all the categories at the historic venue. His last win at the track came in 2005 when he defeated his teammate Robert Hight in the finals for his second win of the season. A John Force Racing Funny Car has been in the finals for 13 consecutive finals rounds, a stretch dating back to 2013.

“We have been on a tear, and our other cars (Courtney Force in Funny Car and Brittany Force in Top Fuel) are coming around,” Force said. “I feel as a whole team we have come together, and the brain trust will keep us alive and winning. We have been to every final going back to Indy last year, which is 13 finals in a row. Winning is where the focus is, and we won’t forget safety.”

For more on this story visit www.NHRA.com.

Did You Know

FIREADE JOINS FORCES WITH GRAY MOTORSPORTS, PRO STOCK DRIVER SHANE GRAY: Gray Motorsports has signed a multi-race agreement with household and boating extinguisher company FireAde 2000 that will include primary sponsorship of the team’s Pro Stock Chevrolet Camaro driven by Shane Gray at two events during the 2014 season of NHRA's Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, including the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. The FireAde colors also will fly on the Gray Motorsports Camaro at the NHRA Kansas Nationals in Topeka.

"This is a real neat deal for us to partner with FireAde, especially right there in Atlanta where their headquarters are based," said Gray, a three-time NHRA national event winner. "They've got a great product that is something we should all have in our pit areas and on our tow vehicles out there at the races, and keeping it on the rig and at the shop just gives us peace of mind."

For more on this story visit www.NHRA.com.

View the complete 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

NHRA News

CHEVROLET NAMED OFFICIAL TRUCK OF THE NHRA: The NHRA has signed a multiyear agreement with Chevrolet, designating the U.S. vehicle manufacturer as the Official Truck of the NHRA. As the Official Truck of the NHRA, Chevrolet will have a major on-site presence at all NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. Most notably, the all-new Chevrolet Silverados and Suburbans will be used by the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA for emergency response and track preparation.

“Chevrolet is proud to partner with the series as the Official Truck of the NHRA and are honored that our Silverados and Suburbans will be utilized by the NHRA Safety Safari,” said Jim Campbell, vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. “Our involvement in NHRA allows us to showcase the most dependable, longest-lasting trucks in America to our customers and fans and to fans of NHRA Drag Racing.”

For more on the story visit www.NHRA.com.

BROWN LOOKING TO CONTINUE HOT STREAK IN ATLANTA: Athletes often talk about being in the zone, a feeling where nothing can go wrong. It’s a feeling Top Fuel standout Antron Brown can relate to at the moment, and the 2012 world champion is taking full advantage of a hot streak that has impressed everyone in the motorsports world. Brown has won two straight races in the ultra-competitive Top Fuel ranks and has advanced to the finals in four of the past five events. It makes him the points leader and hottest driver in the class.

“It feels good that we’re in stride right now,” Brown said. “Going into the race, you go with confidence when your car’s running good and how the team is operating. One thing I really love about our team is that it doesn’t matter what we did before our first qualifying run. It matters how we end up in qualifying. It matters how much we grew with each run. We’ll have problems at every race, but we’ll grow from it. We get our car into a zone that it’s ready to race on Sunday.”

For more on this story visit www.NHRA.com.

MELLO YELLO SERIES RETURNS TO ATLANTA DRAGWAY: After a one-year absence, the Pro Stock Motorcycle riders of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series return to Atlanta Dragway for the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. It marks the third of 16 events for the class and for Pro Stock Motorcycle riders, including standout Scotty Pollacheck, returning to Atlanta is definitely a good thing.

“I’m excited anywhere we go to race and it’s exciting to get back to Atlanta,” Pollacheck said. “It’s a pretty historical track, it’s a big market and it’s always a good place to race. Starting with this race the events for our class start running a lot closer together and we get into the swing of things. That’s always nice.”

For more on the story visit www.NHRA.com.

He Said, She Said

"I look at all these girls, and I’m very proud of them. I’m very happy the NHRA gives us an opportunity to do this. My uncle raced in the Sportsman class on a motorcycle in Baton Rouge, and that’s how I was introduced to racing a motorcycle on the track. I was 18 when I saw that, and I wanted to know how I could do it for a profession. I fell in love with the sport and with the category. I’m a huge Erica Enders fan, and I’m so proud of what she’s doing. But I don’t look at the girls and say, ‘Oh wow, look at what they’re doing,’ because I expect it from them. I look at them as racers, and I think each female that’s out there probably feels the same way."

—Angelle Sampey, who has three Pro Stock Motorcycle world championships and 41 career NHRA victories on women in the NHRA nearing 100 wins by female competitors.

Inside the Numbers

7: Number of wins John Force has at Atlanta Dragway, which leads the Funny Car category and all the categories at the historic venue. His last win at the track came in 2005 when he defeated his teammate Robert Hight in the finals for his second win of the season. A John Force Racing Funny Car has been in the finals for 13 consecutive finals rounds, a stretch dating back to 2013.

“We have been on a tear, and our other cars (Courtney Force in Funny Car and Brittany Force in Top Fuel) are coming around,” Force said. “I feel as a whole team we have come together, and the brain trust will keep us alive and winning. We have been to every final going back to Indy last year, which is 13 finals in a row. Winning is where the focus is, and we won’t forget safety.”

For more on this story visit www.NHRA.com.

Did You Know

FIREADE JOINS FORCES WITH GRAY MOTORSPORTS, PRO STOCK DRIVER SHANE GRAY: Gray Motorsports has signed a multi-race agreement with household and boating extinguisher company FireAde 2000 that will include primary sponsorship of the team’s Pro Stock Chevrolet Camaro driven by Shane Gray at two events during the 2014 season of NHRA's Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, including the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. The FireAde colors also will fly on the Gray Motorsports Camaro at the NHRA Kansas Nationals in Topeka.

"This is a real neat deal for us to partner with FireAde, especially right there in Atlanta where their headquarters are based," said Gray, a three-time NHRA national event winner. "They've got a great product that is something we should all have in our pit areas and on our tow vehicles out there at the races, and keeping it on the rig and at the shop just gives us peace of mind."

For more on this story visit www.NHRA.com.

View the complete 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.