SEMA-supported legislation that would amend state law governing antique motor vehicles to expand their permissible use was approved by the West Virginia state Legislature and signed into law by Governor Joe Manchin.

Under previous law, use of antique vehicles was strictly limited to club activities, exhibits, tours, parades, testing, obtaining repairs and for recreational purposes. This bill increases weekend use to begin on Fridays at 12:00 p.m. and extend through Monday at 12:00 p.m. For details, contact Steve McDonald: stevem@sema.org.

JOINED: Stock-car driver David Stremme has joined Penske Racing as a test driver. Penske fields full time Sprint Cup efforts for Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Sam Hornish Jr.

FINED: NHRA hit team owner Don Schumacher with a record $100,000 fine when sanctioning body officials found unapproved (illegal) nitromethane in the team’s pit area. There was no evidence that the fuel from a supplier other than NHRA’s official fuel provider (VP) was used in competition.

PARTNERSHIP: NHRA has entered into an agreement with IMG to assist the sanctioning body as its exclusive outside sponsorship marketing agent. The project will be led by former NASCAR executive George Pyne, who is now president of IMG Sports and Marketing.

HEARING SET: FIA representatives from 134 countries will meet in Paris on June 3 for an Extraordinary General Assembly to vote on the future of embattled FIA President Max Mosley.

PURCHASED: Clark Racing Holdings completed a deal to purchase Hutcherson-Pagan Auto Race Parts of Charlotte, North Carolina.

POWER RANKINGS: Billy Moyer remained at the top of the National Speed Sport News Power Rankings and earned his 10th dirt-late-model victory of the season, April 15, at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania. The National Speed Sport News Power Rankings are published weekly in the 74-year-old motorsports publication.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. To subscribe to National Speed Sport News, click on the following link for a special industry rate: www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/subscribe.html?pid=NQ%2BVfhkepT4%3D.

MAC IS BACK! McCLENATHAN AND WILKERSON BREAK WINLESS STREAKS IN VEGAS; LINE GETS FIRST WIN OF 2008: Continuing the role of winless streaks being broken in 2008, Top Fuel pilot Cory McClenathan and Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson both found the winner’s circle Sunday at the ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For McClenathan, it had been nearly a year and a half since his last victory, dating back to Richmond in 2006. Wilkerson’s last win came three years earlier, when he beat John Force in Sonoma in 2004. Pro Stock driver Jason Line left Las Vegas with not only his first win in 2008, but also tied with defending world champion Jeg Coughlin for the points lead. Funny Car driver Ashley Force may have finished runner-up for the second straight race but she made history of her own, becoming the first woman in NHRA history to lead the points in Funny Car. To view more storylines from the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, or to get results from all of the POWERade Series drivers, visit www.nhra.com.

NHRA AND IMG JOIN FORCES TO ENHANCE SPONSORSHIP EFFORTS: In a move to enhance sponsorship efforts in NHRA Drag Racing, the premier drag racing sanctioning body has entered into a strategic alliance with global sports and entertainment company IMG to assist as NHRA’s exclusive outside sponsorship marketing agent. IMG will work alongside the current sales team at NHRA in developing and securing non-endemic sponsorship to NHRA. “IMG brings with it more than 50 years of leadership and innovation in the world of sports,” said NHRA Senior Vice President-Sales & Marketing Gary Darcy. “With strong relationships within corporate America and abroad, we believe IMG will be able to help deliver NHRA’s unique attributes to key decision makers in the sports sponsorship arena.”

NASCAR DRIVER HARVICK EXPLORING OPTION WITH VANDERGRIFF: NASCAR racer and team owner Kevin Harvick, along with his wife DeLana, are working with Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff to explore the option of fielding a Top Fuel dragster team in the POWERade Series. The proposed Harvick-Vandergriff Motorsports would field an additional Top Fuel dragster to run alongside Vandergriff’s UPS dragster in the series. Vandergriff and Harvick plan to begin assembling a race team within the next two months in hopes of preparing for a 2009 debut.

DRAGWAY @ LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY RISING FROM THE GROUND: Just a few months into construction, the Dragway @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway is beginning to take shape in anticipation of the upcoming NHRA Carolinas Nationals, Sept. 11–14. To view some of the latest photo’s, including shots of the stands, strip and skeleton of the tower, visit www.nhra.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS, ATLANTA DRAGWAY, APRIL 24–27: The NHRA POWERade series heads back down south, as drivers in four categories will compete at the sixth event of the season. Defending event winners include Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS, GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, MAY 2–4: Traveling back to Madison, Illinois, which sits just outside of St. Louis in view of the archway, drivers from the NHRA POWERade Series will look to gain some advantage in the Countdown to the Championship just before the start of the summer months. Defending event champions include Melanie Troxel (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

O’REILLY NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS, BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY, MAY 16–18: The NHRA POWERade Series heads back to the Thunder Valley of Bristol, Tennessee for the eighth running of the event. Defending event winners include Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock).

HE SAID, SHE SAID

A WIN FOR THE ‘LITTLE GUYS’: Tim Wilkerson’s win this Sunday at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals marked the second event in a row that a Funny Car driver broke a winless streak that covered the span of a few years. Wilkerson felt it showed the work NHRA has done to make sure that the professional fields are competitive not just for multiple car teams, but single car teams as well. “This is kind of cool to see the single-car teams right in the deal, don’t you think?” said Wilkerson. “Del (Worsham) won in Houston, and I won here. This is good for the little guys.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

5: The number of points in Funny Car that separate first-place Ashley Force from second-place driver Tim Wilkerson. With her runner-up finish in Las Vegas, Force became the first woman in NHRA history to lead the Funny Car point standings.

DID YOU KNOW…

…that Funny Car world champion Tony Pedregon, along with NHRA drivers Whit Bazemore and Marty Nothstein will join racers and celebrities alike this Saturday, April 19, to compete in the 34th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach? The 10-lap race on a 1.97-mile street circuit through downtown Long Beach will pit professional drivers against famed celebrities to help raise money for local charities.

For more information, visit www.nhra.com.

Rick Passek was hired by Laser Design Inc. to serve as sales manager for the company’s headquarters in Minnesota. He will build and manage Laser Design’s equipment sales, primarily in the United States. Passek has more than 25 years of experience with leading CAD/CAM companies, such as CAMAX Systems, Zycad and the Structural Dynamics Research Foundation (SDRC).

David Freiburger, former editor of Hot Rod magazine, will be featured in various “Car of the Week” editorial columns for www.carjunkietv.com, an online TV network geared toward performance vehicle enthusiasts. “The site currently features five shows,” says Freiburger: ‘Wide Open,’ which is all about our gearhead adventures; ‘Suck Squeeze Bang Blow,’ features nothing but engine tech; ‘Speedwrench,’ a grassroots how-to and parts-testing show; ‘Burnout Mondays,’ a weekly online video burnout competition; and  ‘Junk Box,’ a collection of quick bloopers, fun stuff and tech tips.” Freiburger also says that the site will add daily news, new products columns and other user-oriented features in the near future.

Flitz International promoted Tim Meints to sales manager for the industrial, janitorial, fire and heavy-duty truck markets. Meints, who has served in a retail marketing position for the company for the past eight years, will train and work with more than 400 Flitz sales reps nationwide.

Tim Meints

Precision Fleet Brake hired Suzanne MacGillivray as operations manager to handle the day-to-day company operations, including shipping/receiving, inventory, finance and office management. MacGillivray has experience as a business owner, handled operations and investor relations for start-ups, and has been responsible for full-charge bookkeeping for a wide range of business models.

J.F. Launier’s 1955 Chrysler phantom station wagon “Revolution” was crowned the Goodguys West Coast Custom of the Year at the 26th All American Get-Together in Pleasanton, California. The Goodguys West Coast Custom of the Year award is open to custom cars 1936 through 1964 vintage and is awarded at the Goodguys All American Get-Together each spring in Pleasanton. The award is designed to honor an exceptional custom car of all styles and genres (from traditional to modern). For the big win, Launier took home the winner’s check of $1,000, received a hand cast pewter award, will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Goodguys Gazette and will make an appearance at the season-ending 11th Southwest Nationals, November 14–16 in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, click here. http://www.good-guys.com/news/newsStory.aspx?newsid=955.

 
J.F. Launier's 1955 Chrysler station wagon, "Revolution."

Yokohama Tire Corp. hired Thomas Masuguchi as corporate controller. Masuguchi recently worked at a financial institution serving in various capacities, including managing director of financial reporting.

Deuce America Corp., a subsidiary of Streamline Inc., has acquired all of the assets of Rod Bods Inc. Rod Bods President Jim McCain and his wife, Jan, will assist in the transition and manufacturing of the bodies until a transfer is made to new facilities in Denver, Colorado.

Representatives from all of SEMA’s councils will once again hit the greens for the Council Cup, a friendly golf competition among council members to prove who has the better hackers as they swing their way towards the “coveted” SEMA Council Cup Perpetual Trophy. The competition takes place during the annual SEMA Charity Golf Tournament, set for Friday, July 25, at the Strawberry Farms Golf Course, Irvine, California. Whether you’re a pro or a rookie, the event promises to be a good time, and it’s for a good cause—proceeds benefit Child Help and Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Filler for eNews

Dates and locations for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows and activities have been announced. Details are:

Filler for eNews

More than 1,500 companies have already signed up as exhibitors for the 2008 SEMA Show, scheduled November 4–7, 2008, in Las Vegas.

"Every year, the exhibitor turnout for the SEMA Show is amazing," said Gary Vigil, SEMA Trade Shows Director. "We don't expect anything less this year, so exhibitors need to sign up soon to ensure a spot. This is a valuable opportunity that we wouldn’t want anyone to miss."

"Every major player in the industry realizes that you need to be at the SEMA Show - and if you're not - you're missing out!" said Jason Skomp, National Accounts Manager of Hi-Lift Jack Co.

Exhibitors can submit the Exhibit Space Rental Agreement online at www.semashow.com/buyabooth. Space selection will begin the week of May 13, 2008.

For questions about exhibiting, contact ConvExx at 702/450-7662 ext. 120 or SEMA-exhibit@convexx.com.

For more information on the SEMA Show, go to www.SEMAShow.com.

More than 1,500 companies have already signed up as exhibitors for the 2008 SEMA Show.

It's been said that people buy from people they like. SEMA members are encouraged to participate in SEMA's upcoming webinar "How to Sell Like a Pro, Part II" to learn how to effectively communicate value in the language buyers understand and act upon. These techniques will help you develop credibility and build customer loyalty, providing the tools needed to build profitable relationships and enhance your sales career. (Note: This webinar is the second part of a two-part series. To download part one see below).   

Title: How to Sell Like a Pro, Part II

When: Thursday, April 24, 2008, 10:00 a.m. (PST)

Presenter:  Eric Ruckle, Dale Carnegie

What Will Be Covered 

• Ask questions that uncover true opportunities
• Present solutions in ways that make "yes" easy to get
• Close in a way that builds lifelong customers
• Generating a constant stream of referrals

For more information on this and other SEMA webinars, click here.

Dale Carnegie's How to Sell Like a Pro! Part 1

Providing customers with reasons to buy from you is one of the biggest challenges in sales. The pros know the tactics needed to establish credibility and how to deliver on high expectations, while maintaining profitable relationships with customers. "Dale Carnegie's How to Sell Like a Pro! Part 1" will teach you what the pros know and provide you with techniques that can be put to use immediately.

Speaker: Richard Bonar, Dale Carnegie

What You'll Learn 

• Communicate value from the buyer's perspective
• Use the same sales structure the pros use
• Make any prospect want to buy from you
• Establish credibility quickly and easily
• Take control of conversations while keeping prospects engaged

For more information, visit www.sema.org/webinar.

SEMA's Webinar Program
The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show Education Week right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly being added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers. All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone.

All previously conducted SEMA webinars are available to download anytime by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via the telephone and Internet, click here.