SEMA-supported legislation to provide an exemption to automotive hobbyists from the restrictions on salvage yards was signed into law by Vermont  Governor Jim Douglas. The new law increases the regulation of salvage yards and automobile graveyards in the state, but includes a provision stipulating that hobbyists are not to be confused with the owners of automobile graveyards.

The law defines an “automobile hobbyist” as a person not primarily engaged in the sale of vehicles and parts or dismantling junk vehicles. Further, the definition of “automobile graveyard” does not include an area used by an automobile hobbyist for storage and restoration purposes, provided their activities comply with federal, state and municipal law. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA-supported legislation to provide an exemption to automotive hobbyists from the restrictions on salvage yards was signed into law by Vermont  Governor Jim Douglas. The new law increases the regulation of salvage yards and automobile graveyards in the state, but includes a provision stipulating that hobbyists are not to be confused with the owners of automobile graveyards.

The law defines an “automobile hobbyist” as a person not primarily engaged in the sale of vehicles and parts or dismantling junk vehicles. Further, the definition of “automobile graveyard” does not include an area used by an automobile hobbyist for storage and restoration purposes, provided their activities comply with federal, state and municipal law. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA-supported legislation to provide an exemption to automotive hobbyists from the restrictions on salvage yards was signed into law by Vermont  Governor Jim Douglas. The new law increases the regulation of salvage yards and automobile graveyards in the state, but includes a provision stipulating that hobbyists are not to be confused with the owners of automobile graveyards.

The law defines an “automobile hobbyist” as a person not primarily engaged in the sale of vehicles and parts or dismantling junk vehicles. Further, the definition of “automobile graveyard” does not include an area used by an automobile hobbyist for storage and restoration purposes, provided their activities comply with federal, state and municipal law. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

AMBUSCHED: Kyle Busch capitalized on a rare Jimmie Johnson mistake to win Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway after Johnson was busted for speeding on pit road.

FAST HELIO: Through two days of practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, defending race winner Helio Castroneves has posted the fastest lap at 227.046 miles per hour. Monday’s practice session was rained out.

BIG BONUS: Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman O. Bruton Smith said last week that he would like to offer a $20 million bonus to any driver who can win the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.

REPAVE: Officials at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, have begun a $200,000 repaving project in the aftermath of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, where a spectator was killed by debris from Antron Brown’s Top Fuel entry and two Pro Stock entries crashed.

WELCOME BACK: Max Dumesny, a 50-year-old native of Australia and the 1985 winner of the Race of the States, has entered the Knoxville Nationals and Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge alongside his son, Mitch Dumesny.

KING OF MONACO: Mark Webber started from the pole and dominated the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix Sunday to earn his second-straight Formula One victory, which moved him into a tie atop the point standings alongside teammate Sebastian Vettel.

MEDICAL ISSUES: Brian Vickers was forced to skip the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Dover International Speedway because of blood clots near his lungs and in his legs. Casey Mears drove the car in place of Vickers.

GROVE SHOCKER: Fred Rahmer came from the 24th starting spot to win Friday’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at Williams Grove Speedway after avoiding a first-lap crash that saw five cars flip on the backstretch at the Pennsylvania facility.

SPONSORED: Graham Rahal will receive sponsorship from Quick Trim, a company associated with celebrity Kim Kardashian, during the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

HE’S BACK: Danny Sullivan, the 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner, has entered the May 23 SCCA Mazda MX-5 Cup event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. Subscribe to National Speed Sport News for a special industry rate.

AMBUSCHED: Kyle Busch capitalized on a rare Jimmie Johnson mistake to win Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway after Johnson was busted for speeding on pit road.

FAST HELIO: Through two days of practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, defending race winner Helio Castroneves has posted the fastest lap at 227.046 miles per hour. Monday’s practice session was rained out.

BIG BONUS: Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman O. Bruton Smith said last week that he would like to offer a $20 million bonus to any driver who can win the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.

REPAVE: Officials at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, have begun a $200,000 repaving project in the aftermath of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, where a spectator was killed by debris from Antron Brown’s Top Fuel entry and two Pro Stock entries crashed.

WELCOME BACK: Max Dumesny, a 50-year-old native of Australia and the 1985 winner of the Race of the States, has entered the Knoxville Nationals and Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge alongside his son, Mitch Dumesny.

KING OF MONACO: Mark Webber started from the pole and dominated the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix Sunday to earn his second-straight Formula One victory, which moved him into a tie atop the point standings alongside teammate Sebastian Vettel.

MEDICAL ISSUES: Brian Vickers was forced to skip the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Dover International Speedway because of blood clots near his lungs and in his legs. Casey Mears drove the car in place of Vickers.

GROVE SHOCKER: Fred Rahmer came from the 24th starting spot to win Friday’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at Williams Grove Speedway after avoiding a first-lap crash that saw five cars flip on the backstretch at the Pennsylvania facility.

SPONSORED: Graham Rahal will receive sponsorship from Quick Trim, a company associated with celebrity Kim Kardashian, during the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

HE’S BACK: Danny Sullivan, the 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner, has entered the May 23 SCCA Mazda MX-5 Cup event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. Subscribe to National Speed Sport News for a special industry rate.

AMBUSCHED: Kyle Busch capitalized on a rare Jimmie Johnson mistake to win Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway after Johnson was busted for speeding on pit road.

FAST HELIO: Through two days of practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, defending race winner Helio Castroneves has posted the fastest lap at 227.046 miles per hour. Monday’s practice session was rained out.

BIG BONUS: Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman O. Bruton Smith said last week that he would like to offer a $20 million bonus to any driver who can win the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.

REPAVE: Officials at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, have begun a $200,000 repaving project in the aftermath of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, where a spectator was killed by debris from Antron Brown’s Top Fuel entry and two Pro Stock entries crashed.

WELCOME BACK: Max Dumesny, a 50-year-old native of Australia and the 1985 winner of the Race of the States, has entered the Knoxville Nationals and Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge alongside his son, Mitch Dumesny.

KING OF MONACO: Mark Webber started from the pole and dominated the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix Sunday to earn his second-straight Formula One victory, which moved him into a tie atop the point standings alongside teammate Sebastian Vettel.

MEDICAL ISSUES: Brian Vickers was forced to skip the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Dover International Speedway because of blood clots near his lungs and in his legs. Casey Mears drove the car in place of Vickers.

GROVE SHOCKER: Fred Rahmer came from the 24th starting spot to win Friday’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at Williams Grove Speedway after avoiding a first-lap crash that saw five cars flip on the backstretch at the Pennsylvania facility.

SPONSORED: Graham Rahal will receive sponsorship from Quick Trim, a company associated with celebrity Kim Kardashian, during the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

HE’S BACK: Danny Sullivan, the 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner, has entered the May 23 SCCA Mazda MX-5 Cup event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. Subscribe to National Speed Sport News for a special industry rate.

AMBUSCHED: Kyle Busch capitalized on a rare Jimmie Johnson mistake to win Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway after Johnson was busted for speeding on pit road.

FAST HELIO: Through two days of practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, defending race winner Helio Castroneves has posted the fastest lap at 227.046 miles per hour. Monday’s practice session was rained out.

BIG BONUS: Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman O. Bruton Smith said last week that he would like to offer a $20 million bonus to any driver who can win the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.

REPAVE: Officials at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, have begun a $200,000 repaving project in the aftermath of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, where a spectator was killed by debris from Antron Brown’s Top Fuel entry and two Pro Stock entries crashed.

WELCOME BACK: Max Dumesny, a 50-year-old native of Australia and the 1985 winner of the Race of the States, has entered the Knoxville Nationals and Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge alongside his son, Mitch Dumesny.

KING OF MONACO: Mark Webber started from the pole and dominated the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix Sunday to earn his second-straight Formula One victory, which moved him into a tie atop the point standings alongside teammate Sebastian Vettel.

MEDICAL ISSUES: Brian Vickers was forced to skip the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Dover International Speedway because of blood clots near his lungs and in his legs. Casey Mears drove the car in place of Vickers.

GROVE SHOCKER: Fred Rahmer came from the 24th starting spot to win Friday’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at Williams Grove Speedway after avoiding a first-lap crash that saw five cars flip on the backstretch at the Pennsylvania facility.

SPONSORED: Graham Rahal will receive sponsorship from Quick Trim, a company associated with celebrity Kim Kardashian, during the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

HE’S BACK: Danny Sullivan, the 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner, has entered the May 23 SCCA Mazda MX-5 Cup event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. Subscribe to National Speed Sport News for a special industry rate.

The SEMA Financial Benchmarking Report is used by companies to benchmark key sales performance indicators against industry averages. There are actually three reports, representing manufacturers, WDs and retailers. The most recent editions available to the industry are the January and February 2010 reports.

In these you will find data on sales projections, quick ratio, inventory turns, sales per employee, research and development, factory overhead, selling and administrative expense and more. Participants of the Financial Benchmarking Program receive the reports immediately. After a month or so they are made available to the industry for a fee of $99.99 for non-members, $50 for SEMA members.

Manufacturers, distributors and retailers are asked about the current month’s sales compared to the same month in the previous year. In February 2010, a higher percentage of respondents from each group indicated that their sales were up from February 2009 than the number of respondents who saw the same in January 2010.

The top markets that manufacturers reported selling to in February were trucks/SUVs at 55% followed by off-road at 37.9%. The truck/SUV market was also ranked number one by distributors at 56%, followed by general automotive repair at 47%. And retailers reported the truck/SUV segment to also be the most popular, indicating that 51% of products are sold for these vehicles.

Download copies of the January and February Financial Benchmarking reports here.

The SEMA Financial Benchmarking Report is used by companies to benchmark key sales performance indicators against industry averages. There are actually three reports, representing manufacturers, WDs and retailers. The most recent editions available to the industry are the January and February 2010 reports.

In these you will find data on sales projections, quick ratio, inventory turns, sales per employee, research and development, factory overhead, selling and administrative expense and more. Participants of the Financial Benchmarking Program receive the reports immediately. After a month or so they are made available to the industry for a fee of $99.99 for non-members, $50 for SEMA members.

Manufacturers, distributors and retailers are asked about the current month’s sales compared to the same month in the previous year. In February 2010, a higher percentage of respondents from each group indicated that their sales were up from February 2009 than the number of respondents who saw the same in January 2010.

The top markets that manufacturers reported selling to in February were trucks/SUVs at 55% followed by off-road at 37.9%. The truck/SUV market was also ranked number one by distributors at 56%, followed by general automotive repair at 47%. And retailers reported the truck/SUV segment to also be the most popular, indicating that 51% of products are sold for these vehicles.

Download copies of the January and February Financial Benchmarking reports here.

The SEMA Financial Benchmarking Report is used by companies to benchmark key sales performance indicators against industry averages. There are actually three reports, representing manufacturers, WDs and retailers. The most recent editions available to the industry are the January and February 2010 reports.

In these you will find data on sales projections, quick ratio, inventory turns, sales per employee, research and development, factory overhead, selling and administrative expense and more. Participants of the Financial Benchmarking Program receive the reports immediately. After a month or so they are made available to the industry for a fee of $99.99 for non-members, $50 for SEMA members.

Manufacturers, distributors and retailers are asked about the current month’s sales compared to the same month in the previous year. In February 2010, a higher percentage of respondents from each group indicated that their sales were up from February 2009 than the number of respondents who saw the same in January 2010.

The top markets that manufacturers reported selling to in February were trucks/SUVs at 55% followed by off-road at 37.9%. The truck/SUV market was also ranked number one by distributors at 56%, followed by general automotive repair at 47%. And retailers reported the truck/SUV segment to also be the most popular, indicating that 51% of products are sold for these vehicles.

Download copies of the January and February Financial Benchmarking reports here.