If gas prices hit $4 or above, nearly three-quarters of enthusiasts will cut spending on parts and consider switching to a more fuel-efficient car, according to SEMA research.

Four, it turns out, is the magic number.

That’s the amount, in dollars, that 72% of auto enthusiasts will have to start paying for a gallon of gas before seriously considering the purchase of an alternative-fuel vehicle.

Unfortunately for the industry, it’s also the price threshold where 35% said they would cut spending on specialty parts and equipment, according to findings from a SEMA report using data gathered at the 2009 SEMA Show. In an effort to better analyze the tastes and preferences of today's auto enthusiasts, SEMA, in coordination with Ford, launched the Enthusiast Opinion Leader Research Program at the 2009 SEMA Show.

The program invited 527 enthusiasts, selected through a rigorous application process, to the second day of the Show and tasked them with using social media to broadcast their personal product and trend highlights of the Show. They also participated in SEMA's survey to better discern their buying habits.

Of those who said they would decrease spending on parts and accessories, the majority (15%) figured they would cut by 5% or less. Combined, however, 55% said they would cut by 15% or less. Racing enthusiasts were among the most immune to rising gas prices; 37% of them said they would only cut spending by 5% or less.

SUV/truck owners and off-roaders, on the other hand, said they’d feel higher gas the most. Half said they would reduce spending by 21% or more.

Still, there’s heartening news, as it seems what’s good for national fuel consumption is good for the specialty-equipment industry. An equal amount of enthusiasts (23%) who had already switched to, or added, a fuel-efficient vehicle to their personal fleet said the new addition either had no impact on their parts spending, or allowed them room to spend more.

Finally, bless 'em, the holdouts, those for whom price at the pump is of minor consequence: 15% said they would never own an alternative-fuel vehicle, while 23% never plan to buy even a fuel-efficient vehicle.

ROAD WORK: Will Power overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay in the final minutes of Sunday’s São Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of São Paulo, Brazil, to earn his second IZOD IndyCar Series victory. Track officials worked throughout the night to prepare the front stretch, which was so slick that it was causing cars to spin out while going straight during practice.

BREAK UP: The Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA) and Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, have ended their 63-year relationship. Angell Park will sanction its own midget series this year while the BMARA plans to race regularly at Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Raceway Park.

CRASH ADVERTISING: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage has launched an ad campaign for his upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup event April 18 featuring images from the Edwards/Keselowski incident at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this month, including the keyword—approved—which refers to NASCAR’s punishment (or lack there of) of Edwards for the incident.

NEXT GEN: Ben Kennedy, son of International Speedway Corp. Chairman Lesa France Kennedy, will race full time at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in the late-model division with sponsorship from iRacing.com.

FORD NATION: The Pro All Stars Series has become the latest asphalt-late-model racing organization to finalize a contingency program with Ford Racing, joining the American-Canadian Tour and the Champion Racing Association.

NEW GIG: Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey has been named the managing director of business operations for International Speedway Corp.

GATOR CHOMP: John Medlen, an employee with John Force Racing for 15 years, left the team during the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Florida) Raceway to join Don Schumacher Racing as co-crew chief for Funny Car driver Matt Hagan.

GOLDEN GRAHAM: Graham Rahal will drive the No. 67 Dollar General Sarah Fisher Racing entry during the IZOD IndyCar Series events at St. Petersburg, Florida, March 28 and Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, April 11.

PERFECT DEBUT: Fernando Alonso made his Ferrari debut memorable by winning the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit Sunday.

AGREEMENT: Fans of the IZOD IndyCar Series will again be able to watch the series on DirecTV. An agreement was reached Monday to resolve a six-month dispute between the network and the satellite television provider.

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

ROAD WORK: Will Power overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay in the final minutes of Sunday’s São Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of São Paulo, Brazil, to earn his second IZOD IndyCar Series victory. Track officials worked throughout the night to prepare the front stretch, which was so slick that it was causing cars to spin out while going straight during practice.

BREAK UP: The Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA) and Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, have ended their 63-year relationship. Angell Park will sanction its own midget series this year while the BMARA plans to race regularly at Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Raceway Park.

CRASH ADVERTISING: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage has launched an ad campaign for his upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup event April 18 featuring images from the Edwards/Keselowski incident at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this month, including the keyword—approved—which refers to NASCAR’s punishment (or lack there of) of Edwards for the incident.

NEXT GEN: Ben Kennedy, son of International Speedway Corp. Chairman Lesa France Kennedy, will race full time at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in the late-model division with sponsorship from iRacing.com.

FORD NATION: The Pro All Stars Series has become the latest asphalt-late-model racing organization to finalize a contingency program with Ford Racing, joining the American-Canadian Tour and the Champion Racing Association.

NEW GIG: Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey has been named the managing director of business operations for International Speedway Corp.

GATOR CHOMP: John Medlen, an employee with John Force Racing for 15 years, left the team during the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Florida) Raceway to join Don Schumacher Racing as co-crew chief for Funny Car driver Matt Hagan.

GOLDEN GRAHAM: Graham Rahal will drive the No. 67 Dollar General Sarah Fisher Racing entry during the IZOD IndyCar Series events at St. Petersburg, Florida, March 28 and Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, April 11.

PERFECT DEBUT: Fernando Alonso made his Ferrari debut memorable by winning the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit Sunday.

AGREEMENT: Fans of the IZOD IndyCar Series will again be able to watch the series on DirecTV. An agreement was reached Monday to resolve a six-month dispute between the network and the satellite television provider.

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

ROAD WORK: Will Power overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay in the final minutes of Sunday’s São Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of São Paulo, Brazil, to earn his second IZOD IndyCar Series victory. Track officials worked throughout the night to prepare the front stretch, which was so slick that it was causing cars to spin out while going straight during practice.

BREAK UP: The Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA) and Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, have ended their 63-year relationship. Angell Park will sanction its own midget series this year while the BMARA plans to race regularly at Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Raceway Park.

CRASH ADVERTISING: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage has launched an ad campaign for his upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup event April 18 featuring images from the Edwards/Keselowski incident at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this month, including the keyword—approved—which refers to NASCAR’s punishment (or lack there of) of Edwards for the incident.

NEXT GEN: Ben Kennedy, son of International Speedway Corp. Chairman Lesa France Kennedy, will race full time at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in the late-model division with sponsorship from iRacing.com.

FORD NATION: The Pro All Stars Series has become the latest asphalt-late-model racing organization to finalize a contingency program with Ford Racing, joining the American-Canadian Tour and the Champion Racing Association.

NEW GIG: Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey has been named the managing director of business operations for International Speedway Corp.

GATOR CHOMP: John Medlen, an employee with John Force Racing for 15 years, left the team during the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Florida) Raceway to join Don Schumacher Racing as co-crew chief for Funny Car driver Matt Hagan.

GOLDEN GRAHAM: Graham Rahal will drive the No. 67 Dollar General Sarah Fisher Racing entry during the IZOD IndyCar Series events at St. Petersburg, Florida, March 28 and Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, April 11.

PERFECT DEBUT: Fernando Alonso made his Ferrari debut memorable by winning the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit Sunday.

AGREEMENT: Fans of the IZOD IndyCar Series will again be able to watch the series on DirecTV. An agreement was reached Monday to resolve a six-month dispute between the network and the satellite television provider.

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

ROAD WORK: Will Power overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay in the final minutes of Sunday’s São Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of São Paulo, Brazil, to earn his second IZOD IndyCar Series victory. Track officials worked throughout the night to prepare the front stretch, which was so slick that it was causing cars to spin out while going straight during practice.

BREAK UP: The Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA) and Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, have ended their 63-year relationship. Angell Park will sanction its own midget series this year while the BMARA plans to race regularly at Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Raceway Park.

CRASH ADVERTISING: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage has launched an ad campaign for his upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup event April 18 featuring images from the Edwards/Keselowski incident at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this month, including the keyword—approved—which refers to NASCAR’s punishment (or lack there of) of Edwards for the incident.

NEXT GEN: Ben Kennedy, son of International Speedway Corp. Chairman Lesa France Kennedy, will race full time at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in the late-model division with sponsorship from iRacing.com.

FORD NATION: The Pro All Stars Series has become the latest asphalt-late-model racing organization to finalize a contingency program with Ford Racing, joining the American-Canadian Tour and the Champion Racing Association.

NEW GIG: Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey has been named the managing director of business operations for International Speedway Corp.

GATOR CHOMP: John Medlen, an employee with John Force Racing for 15 years, left the team during the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Florida) Raceway to join Don Schumacher Racing as co-crew chief for Funny Car driver Matt Hagan.

GOLDEN GRAHAM: Graham Rahal will drive the No. 67 Dollar General Sarah Fisher Racing entry during the IZOD IndyCar Series events at St. Petersburg, Florida, March 28 and Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, April 11.

PERFECT DEBUT: Fernando Alonso made his Ferrari debut memorable by winning the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit Sunday.

AGREEMENT: Fans of the IZOD IndyCar Series will again be able to watch the series on DirecTV. An agreement was reached Monday to resolve a six-month dispute between the network and the satellite television provider.

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

Scott O'Toole of Motor State Distributing can help business owners learn the ropes of the new PIES data standards template.

The latest PIES Data Standards Training Template (Revision 4) is now available for download from the SEMA Business Technology Committee (BTC).

The Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) is a standard developed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to define the attributes of automotive products, including (but not limited to) brand ID, description, price, dimensions and weights, NAFTA, UPC and HAZMAT. PIES is a living standard and continues to evolve based on the business practices and marketplace needs.

Revision 4 of this training tool debuted during the 2009 SEMA Show Education Days. The SEMA BTC has increased template size and layout for 2010 to include 20 additional data fields (expanded pricing, descriptions, digital assets, etc.) at the request of vendors and the receivers of their product data. Many other additional tools and resources reside within the training template and are just a point-and-click away for template users.

SEMA, working with Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing, has developed this step-by-step product information training template to meet the needs of most companies in the industry. If you have questions about using the template, the content that needs to be input or why this type of product information is important, contact Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing at 269/463-4113 or Staci Bostock at SEMA at 909/396-0289, ext. 104.

SEMA and the members of the BTC are dedicated to helping all companies work smarter using technology!

Scott O'Toole of Motor State Distributing can help business owners learn the ropes of the new PIES data standards template.

The latest PIES Data Standards Training Template (Revision 4) is now available for download from the SEMA Business Technology Committee (BTC).

The Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) is a standard developed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to define the attributes of automotive products, including (but not limited to) brand ID, description, price, dimensions and weights, NAFTA, UPC and HAZMAT. PIES is a living standard and continues to evolve based on the business practices and marketplace needs.

Revision 4 of this training tool debuted during the 2009 SEMA Show Education Days. The SEMA BTC has increased template size and layout for 2010 to include 20 additional data fields (expanded pricing, descriptions, digital assets, etc.) at the request of vendors and the receivers of their product data. Many other additional tools and resources reside within the training template and are just a point-and-click away for template users.

SEMA, working with Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing, has developed this step-by-step product information training template to meet the needs of most companies in the industry. If you have questions about using the template, the content that needs to be input or why this type of product information is important, contact Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing at 269/463-4113 or Staci Bostock at SEMA at 909/396-0289, ext. 104.

SEMA and the members of the BTC are dedicated to helping all companies work smarter using technology!

Scott O'Toole of Motor State Distributing can help business owners learn the ropes of the new PIES data standards template.

The latest PIES Data Standards Training Template (Revision 4) is now available for download from the SEMA Business Technology Committee (BTC).

The Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) is a standard developed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to define the attributes of automotive products, including (but not limited to) brand ID, description, price, dimensions and weights, NAFTA, UPC and HAZMAT. PIES is a living standard and continues to evolve based on the business practices and marketplace needs.

Revision 4 of this training tool debuted during the 2009 SEMA Show Education Days. The SEMA BTC has increased template size and layout for 2010 to include 20 additional data fields (expanded pricing, descriptions, digital assets, etc.) at the request of vendors and the receivers of their product data. Many other additional tools and resources reside within the training template and are just a point-and-click away for template users.

SEMA, working with Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing, has developed this step-by-step product information training template to meet the needs of most companies in the industry. If you have questions about using the template, the content that needs to be input or why this type of product information is important, contact Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing at 269/463-4113 or Staci Bostock at SEMA at 909/396-0289, ext. 104.

SEMA and the members of the BTC are dedicated to helping all companies work smarter using technology!

Scott O'Toole of Motor State Distributing can help business owners learn the ropes of the new PIES data standards template.

The latest PIES Data Standards Training Template (Revision 4) is now available for download from the SEMA Business Technology Committee (BTC).

The Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) is a standard developed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to define the attributes of automotive products, including (but not limited to) brand ID, description, price, dimensions and weights, NAFTA, UPC and HAZMAT. PIES is a living standard and continues to evolve based on the business practices and marketplace needs.

Revision 4 of this training tool debuted during the 2009 SEMA Show Education Days. The SEMA BTC has increased template size and layout for 2010 to include 20 additional data fields (expanded pricing, descriptions, digital assets, etc.) at the request of vendors and the receivers of their product data. Many other additional tools and resources reside within the training template and are just a point-and-click away for template users.

SEMA, working with Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing, has developed this step-by-step product information training template to meet the needs of most companies in the industry. If you have questions about using the template, the content that needs to be input or why this type of product information is important, contact Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing at 269/463-4113 or Staci Bostock at SEMA at 909/396-0289, ext. 104.

SEMA and the members of the BTC are dedicated to helping all companies work smarter using technology!

Scott O'Toole of Motor State Distributing can help business owners learn the ropes of the new PIES data standards template.

The latest PIES Data Standards Training Template (Revision 4) is now available for download from the SEMA Business Technology Committee (BTC).

The Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) is a standard developed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to define the attributes of automotive products, including (but not limited to) brand ID, description, price, dimensions and weights, NAFTA, UPC and HAZMAT. PIES is a living standard and continues to evolve based on the business practices and marketplace needs.

Revision 4 of this training tool debuted during the 2009 SEMA Show Education Days. The SEMA BTC has increased template size and layout for 2010 to include 20 additional data fields (expanded pricing, descriptions, digital assets, etc.) at the request of vendors and the receivers of their product data. Many other additional tools and resources reside within the training template and are just a point-and-click away for template users.

SEMA, working with Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing, has developed this step-by-step product information training template to meet the needs of most companies in the industry. If you have questions about using the template, the content that needs to be input or why this type of product information is important, contact Scott O’Toole at Motor State Distributing at 269/463-4113 or Staci Bostock at SEMA at 909/396-0289, ext. 104.

SEMA and the members of the BTC are dedicated to helping all companies work smarter using technology!