By Della Domingo

	Through the SEMA Show New Products Showcase, buyers can preview more than 2,000 of the industry's hottest and newest products all in one area.

The SEMA Show is primarily about doing business, but it’s also fun and offers opportunities not found anywhere else, such as:

• New Products: Nearly 2,000 never-before-seen products have already been entered in this year’s SEMA New Products Showcase. About 60% of 2012 attendees said they planned to buy something that was newly introduced at the Show. Exhibitors can continue to enter the Showcase by visiting www.semashow.com/new-products.

• Special Appearances: Dozens of heroes, celebrities and one-of-a-kind cars will make appearances at the 2013 SEMA Show. To name a few, master builders Troy Trepanier and Chip Foose, West Coast Customs' Ryan Friedlinghaus, NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Danica Patrick, Vin Diesel’s ’69 Dodge Challenger from The Fast and the Furious and the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Audi R18 LMP1. A full list and schedule is available.

• Special Events: A big part of the SEMA Show are the special events, where industry professionals are able to spend personal, face-to-face time with one another. Gatherings such as the Exhibitor Appreciation Party and SEMA Industry Awards Banquet offer unique opportunities to network. New for this year is Cars & Coffee—SEMA Edition, featuring West Coast Customs, where all SEMA Show attendees can start each day networking over cool cars and fresh coffee. For a full schedule, visit www.semashow.com/special-events.

• Education: Finally, the industry’s most successful and knowledgeable experts will share their wisdom at the SEMA Education Institute’s (SEI) SEMA Show Education Days. Free and pay-to-attend courses provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn first-hand what trends will affect business. Highlights include seminars on how to leverage the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC)—the definitive, industry-owned and -operated centralized data repository that helps drive sales. To see available sessions, visit www.semashow.com/education.

By Della Domingo

	Through the SEMA Show New Products Showcase, buyers can preview more than 2,000 of the industry's hottest and newest products all in one area.

The SEMA Show is primarily about doing business, but it’s also fun and offers opportunities not found anywhere else, such as:

• New Products: Nearly 2,000 never-before-seen products have already been entered in this year’s SEMA New Products Showcase. About 60% of 2012 attendees said they planned to buy something that was newly introduced at the Show. Exhibitors can continue to enter the Showcase by visiting www.semashow.com/new-products.

• Special Appearances: Dozens of heroes, celebrities and one-of-a-kind cars will make appearances at the 2013 SEMA Show. To name a few, master builders Troy Trepanier and Chip Foose, West Coast Customs' Ryan Friedlinghaus, NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Danica Patrick, Vin Diesel’s ’69 Dodge Challenger from The Fast and the Furious and the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Audi R18 LMP1. A full list and schedule is available.

• Special Events: A big part of the SEMA Show are the special events, where industry professionals are able to spend personal, face-to-face time with one another. Gatherings such as the Exhibitor Appreciation Party and SEMA Industry Awards Banquet offer unique opportunities to network. New for this year is Cars & Coffee—SEMA Edition, featuring West Coast Customs, where all SEMA Show attendees can start each day networking over cool cars and fresh coffee. For a full schedule, visit www.semashow.com/special-events.

• Education: Finally, the industry’s most successful and knowledgeable experts will share their wisdom at the SEMA Education Institute’s (SEI) SEMA Show Education Days. Free and pay-to-attend courses provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn first-hand what trends will affect business. Highlights include seminars on how to leverage the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC)—the definitive, industry-owned and -operated centralized data repository that helps drive sales. To see available sessions, visit www.semashow.com/education.

By Della Domingo

	Through the SEMA Show New Products Showcase, buyers can preview more than 2,000 of the industry's hottest and newest products all in one area.

The SEMA Show is primarily about doing business, but it’s also fun and offers opportunities not found anywhere else, such as:

• New Products: Nearly 2,000 never-before-seen products have already been entered in this year’s SEMA New Products Showcase. About 60% of 2012 attendees said they planned to buy something that was newly introduced at the Show. Exhibitors can continue to enter the Showcase by visiting www.semashow.com/new-products.

• Special Appearances: Dozens of heroes, celebrities and one-of-a-kind cars will make appearances at the 2013 SEMA Show. To name a few, master builders Troy Trepanier and Chip Foose, West Coast Customs' Ryan Friedlinghaus, NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Danica Patrick, Vin Diesel’s ’69 Dodge Challenger from The Fast and the Furious and the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Audi R18 LMP1. A full list and schedule is available.

• Special Events: A big part of the SEMA Show are the special events, where industry professionals are able to spend personal, face-to-face time with one another. Gatherings such as the Exhibitor Appreciation Party and SEMA Industry Awards Banquet offer unique opportunities to network. New for this year is Cars & Coffee—SEMA Edition, featuring West Coast Customs, where all SEMA Show attendees can start each day networking over cool cars and fresh coffee. For a full schedule, visit www.semashow.com/special-events.

• Education: Finally, the industry’s most successful and knowledgeable experts will share their wisdom at the SEMA Education Institute’s (SEI) SEMA Show Education Days. Free and pay-to-attend courses provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn first-hand what trends will affect business. Highlights include seminars on how to leverage the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC)—the definitive, industry-owned and -operated centralized data repository that helps drive sales. To see available sessions, visit www.semashow.com/education.

By Della Domingo

	Through the SEMA Show New Products Showcase, buyers can preview more than 2,000 of the industry's hottest and newest products all in one area.

The SEMA Show is primarily about doing business, but it’s also fun and offers opportunities not found anywhere else, such as:

• New Products: Nearly 2,000 never-before-seen products have already been entered in this year’s SEMA New Products Showcase. About 60% of 2012 attendees said they planned to buy something that was newly introduced at the Show. Exhibitors can continue to enter the Showcase by visiting www.semashow.com/new-products.

• Special Appearances: Dozens of heroes, celebrities and one-of-a-kind cars will make appearances at the 2013 SEMA Show. To name a few, master builders Troy Trepanier and Chip Foose, West Coast Customs' Ryan Friedlinghaus, NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Danica Patrick, Vin Diesel’s ’69 Dodge Challenger from The Fast and the Furious and the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Audi R18 LMP1. A full list and schedule is available.

• Special Events: A big part of the SEMA Show are the special events, where industry professionals are able to spend personal, face-to-face time with one another. Gatherings such as the Exhibitor Appreciation Party and SEMA Industry Awards Banquet offer unique opportunities to network. New for this year is Cars & Coffee—SEMA Edition, featuring West Coast Customs, where all SEMA Show attendees can start each day networking over cool cars and fresh coffee. For a full schedule, visit www.semashow.com/special-events.

• Education: Finally, the industry’s most successful and knowledgeable experts will share their wisdom at the SEMA Education Institute’s (SEI) SEMA Show Education Days. Free and pay-to-attend courses provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn first-hand what trends will affect business. Highlights include seminars on how to leverage the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC)—the definitive, industry-owned and -operated centralized data repository that helps drive sales. To see available sessions, visit www.semashow.com/education.

By Jon Wyly

	Located in meeting room #20579 in Central Hall, the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is ready to demonstrate how "Great Data Sells More Parts!" Visit the welcome desk and arrange a meeting with the SDC team.

By Jon Wyly

	Located in meeting room #20579 in Central Hall, the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is ready to demonstrate how "Great Data Sells More Parts!" Visit the welcome desk and arrange a meeting with the SDC team.

By Jon Wyly

	Located in meeting room #20579 in Central Hall, the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is ready to demonstrate how "Great Data Sells More Parts!" Visit the welcome desk and arrange a meeting with the SDC team.

	Brian Van Koevering was named the new powersports market manager for Design Engineering Inc.

By SEMA Editors

Brian Van Koevering Named DEI Powersports Market Manager
Design Engineering Inc. (DEI) hired Brian Van Koevering as its new powersports market manager. The addition of Koevering is based on DEI's reported growth since its inception in 2008, necessitating a dedicated market manager. Van Koevering has close to 15 years of powersports marketing and brand-management experience in past positions. Van Koevering began his position in September and is responsible for driving revenue growth for the entire powersports market segment which includes: motorcycle, personal watercraft, ATV/UTV/off-road, snowmobile and marine. He reports to Tom Miller, vice president of sales and marketing.

THI Announces Acquisition of Applied Products
Tectum Holdings Inc. (THI), manufacturer of tonneau covers, bedliners and related truck accessories, announced the acquisition of Applied Products Inc., dba Retrax. Through THI's brands—Extang, TruXedo, BedRug, UnderCover, Advantage and Retrax brands—the company is a leader in the U.S. light-duty truck accessory aftermarket. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Retrax is a leading manufacturer of retractable, low-profile truck bed covers that feature polycarbonate or aluminum covers, which retract on ball-bearing rollers into a storage canister and can be locked in any position. Scott Fuller, who will continue in his role as general manager of Retrax, commented that, “The entire Retrax team is excited to join forces with THI. We have always admired THI and its reputation in the marketplace for quality and innovation. The opportunity to partner with THI will accelerate our growth and new-product development initiatives as well as expand our distribution network. We are honored to be a part of THI’s family of industry leading brands and believe it is a perfect fit for Retrax and its employees.”

Nick Chin Named American Force Marketing Director

Marketing professional Nick Chin was named marketing director for American Force Wheels Inc.

American Force Wheels Inc. named marketing professional Nick Chin as marketing director. "Nick's marketing expertise coupled with his long history of success makes him an excellent addition to our team," said American Force President Ray Shadravan. "His skills encompass both design and marketing, which is the optimal combination to help secure our position as an industry leader." Previously, Chin worked at Arospeed, Shadravan's former company and the predecessor to American Force. There he was also marketing and art director, responsible for graphic and package design, branding, trade show planning, website design, product photography and media relations. In 2003, Chin launched his own appearance chemical company, Shining Monkey, which formulates and sells premium car-care products, including washes, polishes, waxes, glazes and protectants.

Bilstein Shock Absorbers Sponsors La Carrera Panamericana Race 2013
Bilstein Shock Absorbers announced its sponsorship of the La Carrera Panamericana Race 2013. The race, which starts in Veracruz, Mexico, on October 25, and ends in Zacatecas on October 31, will include nightly media events and coverage on their Bilstein media outlets. The La Carrera Panamericana dates back to the ’50s, when Bilstein was developing the first monotube gas pressure shock for Mercedes-Benz. It is a true test of driving and tuning skills through a combination of extreme humidity and heat, freezing cold and elevation changes on a road that goes from sea level to 3,000 meters in a 72-hour period.

CCL Design Acquires Rights to Nano-Fusion
CCL Design recently announced that it acquired the worldwide rights to the Nano-Fusion paint-protection film. The product line and related intellectual property were acquired by CCL from Avery Dennison as part of the Office & Consumer Products and Designed & Engineered Solutions transaction that was completed in July.

	Heather Tausch has joined Enerpulse Inc. as marketing director.

Heather Tausch Named Enerpulse Inc. Marketing Director
Heather Tausch has joined Enerpulse Inc. as marketing director. Tausch brings more than 10 years of experience in marketing and sales to her new position at Enerpulse. Most recently Tausch worked for Sun Healthcare Group where she managed all Internet marketing efforts and assisted in print and public relations activities for the national health care company. In 2010 she helped launch the Albuquerque LivingSocial website.   

Bryan Steinbock Named 2013 Dream Maker of the Year

WyoTech instructor Bryan Steinbock earned the 2013 Dream Maker of the Year award, which honors instructors who go above and beyond to deliver ideal education in the classroom, as well as through community events and training to help students achieve career goals.

Bryan Steinbock, an instructor at WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming, has earned the 2013 Dream Maker of the Year award. Presented by WyoTech’s parent company, Corinthian Colleges Inc., the Dream Maker of the Year award recognizes instructors who go above and beyond to deliver the best education in the classroom, get students involved on campus and in the community, and help students get the training they need to achieve career goals. After a successful career as a welder where his work required a high level of skill and precision for projects such as NASA’s Hubble telescope, Steinbock chose a teaching career because he wanted to influence the success of others. While Steinbock’s technical skills and the mastery of his craft are superior, it’s his ability to inspire students who previously were struggling that sets him apart. His motivational attitude teaches his students to strive for success and pursue excellence. He spends extra hours outside of the classroom working with students and continues his support after graduation, volunteering his expertise to former students who are working or competing in motorsports.

First Stamping Press Running at New GM Facility in Arlington, Texas
The first of three stamping presses is up and running at the newest General Motors (GM) stamping facility in Arlington, Texas. The $200 million contiguous stamping plant adds 180 jobs to GM’s Arlington manufacturing complex and is one of 10 contiguous stamping operations globally that started production in the last five years. The first Arlington-stamped product was a ’14 Cadillac Escalade. The new stamping facility will produce large metal parts, such as doors, hoods and side panels, for the next generation of fullsize SUVs. The Arlington plant is the lone source for Chevrolet Tahoes, Suburbans, GMC Yukons and Cadillac Escalades sold globally. As part of the stamping plant opening ceremony, GM, the GM Foundation and UAW leaders announced $75,000 in contributions to local charities.

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.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

NEWS NUGGETS

LUCAS TO STEP AWAY FROM DRIVING IN 2014; CRAMPTON WILL FILL LUCAS OIL DRAGSTER SEAT: Morgan Lucas, who has nine career Top Fuel wins, will step out of the cockpit in the 2014 season to concentrate on his family-owned Lucas Oil Products company. Taking over driving duties will be Richie Crampton, who hails from Adelaide, South Australia, and recently earned his Top Fuel license during a test session at Lucas Oil Raceway. Lucas will race in select events in 2014 but won't campaign the full season.

"I have been blessed to make a career out of driving a Top Fuel dragster thanks to amazing partners like GEICO and Lucas Oil," Lucas said. "It's been an honor. But after some serious thought, I feel it's time for me to get out of the driver's seat for a while and get more involved in the family business. My mother and father have worked incredibly hard to build Lucas Oil, and this is the best decision for my family's future."

Crampton began racing at 16, has served as a driving instructor and also has a license in Super Comp and Top Alcohol. "This is certainly a dream come true," Crampton said. "In this day and age, it's not very often you have crew guys getting a chance to move up and drive the car. I'm honored that Morgan and Aaron (Brooks, crew chief) think enough of me to give me this chance. I'm blown away that I'll have GEICO, Lucas Oil and Toyota on my side. As I said, this is something I've been dreaming about since I was a boy, and now it's happening."

For a full story visit NHRA.com.

LINE UNHURT IN CRASH DURING TEST SESSION: Two-time Pro Stock world champion Jason Line was unhurt during a closed test session at Rockingham Dragway Thursday. The car went out of control just past half-track, made contact with the right guard wall and barrel-rolled several times before coming to a stop. Line will be forced to race a different car when the series returns at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas.

"You can either cry about it or you can move on," Line said. "Obvisously we've got some pretty tough folks that work for us, and we're just going to move on. We'll make the best of it, and maybe something good will come of it, it's just a matter whether it does this week or next week or maybe six months from now. I can tell you I learned a lot from that incident, and unfortunately it cost a lot of money to learn that, but again it is what it is, and you have to somehow turn it into a positive thing."

NHRA UNVIELS NEW NHRA.COM: NHRA.com has been relaunched with a brand-new look. The new-look NHRA.com, which averages 4.8 million unique visitors and 41 million page views, features a sleek new design, improved functionality, simplified navigation and better organization of content.

“Our goal in the redesign of NHRA.com is to provide an improved user experience, making the site easier to navigate and putting our fans’ most important elements within easy reach,” said Gary Darcy, NHRA senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Our fans and members have provided excellent feedback on the new design, and we are excited to make the new NHRA.com available for everyone to use and enjoy.”

Among the leading elements of the site redesign, NHRA.com now provides users with a more prominent location to find key information about each event in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Races will be prominently displayed in a scrolling bar near the top of the homepage, with each event highlighted in its own capsule, offering users a one-stop shop for ticket and schedule information, TV times and results, among other options. The three upcoming events will be displayed at the top of the home page, and users can scroll back and forth horizontally to view other events.

For more about this story, visit NHRA.com. 


COMING ATTRACTIONS

NHRA TOYOTA NATIONALS, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, October 24–27: The NHRA Toyota Nationals is the penultimate race of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the championship battles will be tight as the season comes to a close. Bob Vandergriff (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Kraweic (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are defending event champions and will again be top contenders during the weekend. One of the largest autograph sessions of the year will take place at the Freemont Street Experience, October 24, with many of the top stars in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, November 7–10: The 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series comes to a conclusion at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California, November 7–10. Courtney Force will attempt to bookend her season with wins and end her sophmore season. The champions will be crowned during the weekend. Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel), Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) took home wins in 2012 and will attempt to end their seasons on a high note.

HE SAID, SHE SAID

“It's a fickle machine. Some days it responds good to what you are trying to do and we have just come across a setup that I think we are trying not to veer too far from. Some days some of these guys really make it look easy and some days it looks a little bit harder. Really just hats off to my guys there and we are trying real hard. Everybody is focused and that shows how bad we want to do well out there."

-- Doug Kalitta on his Mac Tools dragster, which is currently second in Top Fuel points. Kalitta has raced to one win and three semi-final appearances since the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

6: Number of No. 1 qualifying positions Shawn Langdon has recorded during the course of the 2013 season. This leads the Top Fuel category and is a career high for Langdon in his fifth season in Top Fuel. Langdon attempts to add two more No. 1 qualifying positions at the two season-ending events where he has been top qualifier previously in his career. He recorded his career first No. 1 qualifying position at the Las Vegas 1 event in 2009 and was the top qualifier at the seaon ending event in Pomona last year.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

NEWS NUGGETS

LUCAS TO STEP AWAY FROM DRIVING IN 2014; CRAMPTON WILL FILL LUCAS OIL DRAGSTER SEAT: Morgan Lucas, who has nine career Top Fuel wins, will step out of the cockpit in the 2014 season to concentrate on his family-owned Lucas Oil Products company. Taking over driving duties will be Richie Crampton, who hails from Adelaide, South Australia, and recently earned his Top Fuel license during a test session at Lucas Oil Raceway. Lucas will race in select events in 2014 but won't campaign the full season.

"I have been blessed to make a career out of driving a Top Fuel dragster thanks to amazing partners like GEICO and Lucas Oil," Lucas said. "It's been an honor. But after some serious thought, I feel it's time for me to get out of the driver's seat for a while and get more involved in the family business. My mother and father have worked incredibly hard to build Lucas Oil, and this is the best decision for my family's future."

Crampton began racing at 16, has served as a driving instructor and also has a license in Super Comp and Top Alcohol. "This is certainly a dream come true," Crampton said. "In this day and age, it's not very often you have crew guys getting a chance to move up and drive the car. I'm honored that Morgan and Aaron (Brooks, crew chief) think enough of me to give me this chance. I'm blown away that I'll have GEICO, Lucas Oil and Toyota on my side. As I said, this is something I've been dreaming about since I was a boy, and now it's happening."

For a full story visit NHRA.com.

LINE UNHURT IN CRASH DURING TEST SESSION: Two-time Pro Stock world champion Jason Line was unhurt during a closed test session at Rockingham Dragway Thursday. The car went out of control just past half-track, made contact with the right guard wall and barrel-rolled several times before coming to a stop. Line will be forced to race a different car when the series returns at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas.

"You can either cry about it or you can move on," Line said. "Obvisously we've got some pretty tough folks that work for us, and we're just going to move on. We'll make the best of it, and maybe something good will come of it, it's just a matter whether it does this week or next week or maybe six months from now. I can tell you I learned a lot from that incident, and unfortunately it cost a lot of money to learn that, but again it is what it is, and you have to somehow turn it into a positive thing."

NHRA UNVIELS NEW NHRA.COM: NHRA.com has been relaunched with a brand-new look. The new-look NHRA.com, which averages 4.8 million unique visitors and 41 million page views, features a sleek new design, improved functionality, simplified navigation and better organization of content.

“Our goal in the redesign of NHRA.com is to provide an improved user experience, making the site easier to navigate and putting our fans’ most important elements within easy reach,” said Gary Darcy, NHRA senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Our fans and members have provided excellent feedback on the new design, and we are excited to make the new NHRA.com available for everyone to use and enjoy.”

Among the leading elements of the site redesign, NHRA.com now provides users with a more prominent location to find key information about each event in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Races will be prominently displayed in a scrolling bar near the top of the homepage, with each event highlighted in its own capsule, offering users a one-stop shop for ticket and schedule information, TV times and results, among other options. The three upcoming events will be displayed at the top of the home page, and users can scroll back and forth horizontally to view other events.

For more about this story, visit NHRA.com. 


COMING ATTRACTIONS

NHRA TOYOTA NATIONALS, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, October 24–27: The NHRA Toyota Nationals is the penultimate race of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the championship battles will be tight as the season comes to a close. Bob Vandergriff (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Kraweic (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are defending event champions and will again be top contenders during the weekend. One of the largest autograph sessions of the year will take place at the Freemont Street Experience, October 24, with many of the top stars in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, November 7–10: The 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series comes to a conclusion at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California, November 7–10. Courtney Force will attempt to bookend her season with wins and end her sophmore season. The champions will be crowned during the weekend. Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel), Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) took home wins in 2012 and will attempt to end their seasons on a high note.

HE SAID, SHE SAID

“It's a fickle machine. Some days it responds good to what you are trying to do and we have just come across a setup that I think we are trying not to veer too far from. Some days some of these guys really make it look easy and some days it looks a little bit harder. Really just hats off to my guys there and we are trying real hard. Everybody is focused and that shows how bad we want to do well out there."

-- Doug Kalitta on his Mac Tools dragster, which is currently second in Top Fuel points. Kalitta has raced to one win and three semi-final appearances since the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

6: Number of No. 1 qualifying positions Shawn Langdon has recorded during the course of the 2013 season. This leads the Top Fuel category and is a career high for Langdon in his fifth season in Top Fuel. Langdon attempts to add two more No. 1 qualifying positions at the two season-ending events where he has been top qualifier previously in his career. He recorded his career first No. 1 qualifying position at the Las Vegas 1 event in 2009 and was the top qualifier at the seaon ending event in Pomona last year.