By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The “Restore Bonneville” program will dramatically increase the volume of salt being pumped from the current levels of 0.6 million tons/year or less to as much as 1.5 million tons/year.

Utah lawmakers have appropriated $5 million toward a program to restore the Bonneville Salt Flats. SEMA applauded the Utah legislature as it authorized these monies to fund the creation of a 10-year program to dramatically increase the amount of salt pumped onto Bonneville. The program is contingent upon securing federal funds.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are a unique land formation that bring visitors from around the world to Utah. For racers, the surface is unequaled. The hard salt crust is perfect for both speed and safety. However, the once 13-mile race track at Bonneville is now less than eight miles due to salt erosion.

Bonneville is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and deemed an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. Until 1997, salt removed from Bonneville for potash processing under leases issued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was not replaced. Since that time, the mining company has pumped salt brine onto Bonneville.

The “Restore Bonneville” program will dramatically increase the volume of salt being pumped from the current levels of 0.6 million tons/year or less to as much as 1.5 million tons/year. As a result, the racing venue should gradually expand toward the goal of reaching the original 13-mile racing venue.

Racing community representatives have worked with lawmakers, regulators and Intrepid Potash Inc. to craft the 10-year project. While state funds become available on July 1, the $5 million appropriation is contingent upon the commitment of $45 million in funds from outside sources as well. The bulk of the monies needed over 10 years to complete the project will come from the federal government, with contributions as well from the motorsports community. Attention will now turn to the U.S. Congress and the BLM to appropriate funds and make commitments so that Restore Bonneville becomes a reality.

SEMA and the SEMA Action Network (SAN) thank its members for contacting Utah legislators in recent weeks to ask for their support. The lawmakers heard the message. SEMA/SAN will ask that this same message be transmitted to lawmakers in the U.S. Congress in the near future.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Mike DeChicco and his Dodge faced Kevin Gass and his Chevelle in the final, where DeChicco won with a breakout time of 9.44 on a 9.50 index when Gass turned on the red light.

2019 NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem Race Results

The 17th Annual NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem, was held last weekend at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. The first of six events on this year’s NMCA tour featured side-by-side passes, personal bests and records made by racers set on driving to the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle.

VP Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro Mod: Both driving Corvettes, Tom Blincoe and Jim Widener met in the final, where Blincoe wheeled to the win with a 3.75, while Widener was forced to get out of the throttle.

Mickey Thompson Street Outlaw: James Lawrence in his Mustang Cobra trapped a 4.44 and won a tight race against Shawn Pevlor, who piloted Tony Bischoff’s Mustang and trapped a 4.48.

Holley EFI Factory Super Cars: Bill Skillman secured the win with a 7.82 in his Mustang Cobra Jet over Mark Pawuk, who was 8.01 in his Challenger.

ARP Nitrous Pro Street: Tricia Musi met Mark Hoagland in the final, where Musi motored to the win and the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle with a 4.47 in her Firebird to Hoagland’s 4.59 in his Camaro.

Edelbrock Xtreme Street: The final round featured father and son Troy Pirez Sr. and Troy Pirez Jr. and their Mustangs. Son secured the win over father after a close 4.71 to 4.74 fight.

FST Carburetors NA 10.5: Leonard Long in his Mustang lapped up the win with a 7.89 to John Langer’s 7.97 in his Trans Am.

Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center: Jesse Wilson in his Camaro faced Scott Brown and his Camaro in the final, where Wilson wrapped up another win with a 10.16 to Brown’s 10.28.

Coan Engineering Stock/Super Stock: Ricky Pennington and George Cox made it to the final, where Pennington won with an off-the-throttle 11.62 on a 10.99 dial in his Mustang Cobra Jet, while Cox turned on the red light in his Camaro.

Quick Fuel Technology Nostalgia Super Stock: Mike DeChicco and his Dodge faced Kevin Gass and his Chevelle in the final, where DeChicco won with a breakout time of 9.44 on a 9.50 index when Gass turned on the red light.

Detroit Truetrac Nostalgia Muscle Car: Chad Brewer and reigning class champion Andy Warren met in the final, where Brewer earned the win with a 10.26 on a 10.25 index in his Nova, while Warren dipped under his 10.00 index with a 9.97 in his Caprice.

MagnaFuel Open Comp: Mike Roup in his Ranchero met Cameron Bowles in his Maverick in the finals, where Bowles picked up the win with a 9.02 on a 9.03, while Roup was 11.16 on an 11.22.

Gear Vendors True Street: Yandro Ulloa was the overall winner with an 8.61 average in a Mustang Cobra. Jason Rollins ran to the nine-second win in a Nova, Jeff Smith ran to the 10-second win in a Mustang and Sam Warmer ran to the 11-second win in a Mustang. Mike Baker earned the 12-second win in a Mustang, Wyatt Morse earned the 13-second win in a Ventura, AJ Mullen earned the 14-second win in a Mustang and Brittney Morris earned the 15-second win in a Charger.

Dodge//Mopar HEMI Shootout: Bill Lee Jr. was the overall winner with a 10.16 average in Steve Best’s Dodge Demon. Gage Burch was the 11-second winner in a Challenger Red Eye, Diana Smith was the 12-second winner in a Challenger and Waiel Bayyat was the 13-second winner in a Charger. Scott Perry pushed to the 14-second win in a Charger and Gary Pritchett pushed to the 15-second win in a Challenger. The eight quickest drivers in the Dodge//Mopar HEMI Shootout came together for the heads-up Arrington Performance HEMI Quick 8 presented by Red Line Oil, and when the dust settled, Bill Lee Jr. made it back-to-back wins with a 10.26 in Steve Best’s Dodge Demon, while Gage Burch turned on the red light in his Challenger Red Eye.

Chevrolet Performance Street Car Challenge: Jeff Brady was the overall winner with a 10.12 average in a Camaro. Rendall Yoder picked up the 12-second win in a Corvette, Jerry Morse picked up the 13-second win in a Corvette and Ray Eugenio picked up the 14-second win in a Corvette.

Fastest Street Car: Paul Doorn defeated Allison Erlenbush in Bracket 1, while Trey Bunner defeated Troy Pirez Sr. in Bracket 2, and A.J. Mullen was victorious over Gage Burch in Bracket 3. On Sunday, Austin Logan won over Cory LeClair in Bracket 1, Gage Burch was the victor over Kyle Fawcett in Bracket 2 and Karley Holbrook ousted JC Cole in Bracket 3.

NMCA drivers will join forces with NMRA drivers for the next stop on the series’ tour, the 11th Annual Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals, April 4–7 at Atlanta Dragway.

International Motorsports Hall of Fame members Donnie (center) and Bobby Allison (right), presented the Allison Family Corporate Award to Donny Braga (left), Permatex senior marketing manager.

Allison Family Honors Permatex with 2019 Living Legends of Auto Racing Award

Permatex was honored by the Living Legends of Auto Racing for the company’s contribution to auto racing. The company received the Allison Family Corporate Award during the Living Legends of Auto Racing 27th Annual Awards Banquet last month. Permatex was recognized for its long and colorful history in auto racing and its many contributions to motorsports. The award was presented during Speed Week prior to the 2019 Daytona 500. Permatex also participated in the 2019 Daytona 500 as a corporate sponsor of StarCom Racing and driver Landon Cassill. The 2019 award was presented by International Motorsports Hall of Fame members Bobby and Donnie Allison to Donny Braga, Permatex senior marketing manager.

Horsepower Wars 2019 Pony Wars to Be Headlined by Arrington Performance, Vengeance Racing

Power Automedia’s Pony Wars musclecar rivalry show is back for another season in 2019 under the Horsepower Wars banner, and builds will be handled by performance shops, including Vengeance Racing, Arrington Performance and Power Automedia’s in-house shop. Horsepower Wars/Pony Wars pits legendary automotive makes against one another in a no-holds-barred battle for supremacy. Testing takes place on the dyno, dragstrip, autocross and a braking challenge. For 2019, Pony Wars will feature a ’19 Chevrolet Camaro SS, new Dodge Challenger Scat Pack and a ’19 Ford Mustang GT. Each entry will be purpose-built for the competition and the builds will all be managed by leading performance entities. Taking point on the ’19 Chevrolet Camaro SS entry will be Vengeance Racing. Handling the ’19 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack project will be Arrington Performance. Finally, the FordNXT magazine team will build the ’19 Ford Mustang GT in-house and prepare it for Pony Wars. The third entry in the bunch will be a collaboration of some of the industry’s leading minds and innovators, with consultants including Fred Cook at Evolution, Matt Kesatie, Steeda and others.

Mitch Guthrie Jr. won the 2019 Mint 400 UTV Pro Turbo race just one month after his King of the Hammers victory.

4 Wheel Parts Continues Hot Streak With Victories at Mint 400

4 Wheel Parts (4WP) came away victorious in the Mint 400. Mitch Guthrie Jr. won the 2019 Mint 400 UTV Pro Turbo race just one month after his King of the Hammers victory. 4WP’s newest driver, 16-year old Seth Quintero, took the 2019 Mint 400 UTV Pro title to become the youngest winner in the event’s history. The Mint 400 UTV Pro Turbo race proved to be the most tightly contested of the day as Guthrie, Austin Weiland and Dustin Jones seesawed for the lead throughout much of the race. Guthrie Jr. took command in the second half for good and finished in 06:24:17, more than three minutes ahead of Phil Burton and Weiland. This was Guthrie Jr.’s second Mint 400 win. In the UTV Pro class, Quintero finished in 06:53:29 in a ’18 Polaris RZR XP1000, four minutes clear of second-place finisher Bret Ward and nearly half an hour clear of the rest.

By SEMA Editors

Truck Hero Inc. Hires Bill Bowling as Executive Vice President of Operations

Truck Hero Inc. has announced the appointment of Bill Bowling as executive vice president of operations, reporting to the company’s chief operating officer Kelly Kneifl. In his new role, Bowling will have oversight and responsibility for the Truck Bed Cover brand companies with focus on building high-performing teams, optimizing cost structure and deploying lean concepts. He brings 20 years of experience in the automotive industry leading multi-site organizations and strategic operational initiatives. He has held positions of increasing responsibility, most recently with Tenneco Automotive as the regional director of operations for Tenneco Clean Air North America overseeing seven plants and more than 3,000 employees at peak production. His prior leadership positions include Faurecia Clean Air North American Division’s industrial director, commercial vehicle operations manager with responsibility for the Cummins Emission Solutions and Faurecia Clean Air North American manufacturing partnership, as well as plant manager of the Faurecia Gladstone commercial vehicle manufacturing plant. Bowling also held multiple positions with Bosal International North America.

(L–R): Gael Escribe, CEO, N!; Chris Baer, President and CEO, VIPAR Heavy Duty; Janusz Zielinski, Heavy Duty Business Development, N!

VIPAR Heavy Duty Named N! Automotive International Truck Member of the Year

VIPAR Heavy Duty was named the Truck Member of the Year at the annual NEXUS Automotive International (N!) Business Forum held last week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. VIPAR Heavy Duty was recognized for its high achievement, significant growth and leadership, and was selected from a field of more than 40 N! heavy-duty members and member networks. Chris Baer, president and CEO, VIPAR Heavy Duty, accepted the award at the forum attended by more than 500 global aftermarket leaders and professionals. This was the first year the N! Business Forum featured an event dedicated to the global heavy-duty aftermarket.

Stan Chandgie

Yokohama Tire Names Stan Chandgie New Vice President of Consumer Sales

Yokohama Tire has announced new management changes. Former Exide and Michelin executive Stan Chandgie was named vice president of consumer sales. He replaces Larry Kull, who was named vice president of sales and business operations. Chandgie comes to Yokohama from Exide Technologies, where he served as vice president of sales and business transformation. Prior to joining Exide, Chandgie spent 16 years at Michelin North America, where he held a variety of marketing and sales positions both international and domestic. He is credited with the development and successful launch of multiple product and service offers in the commercial and OTR sectors.

Marx Henry

Vintage Air Adds Marx Henry as New Marketing Manager

Vintage Air has announced the hiring of Marx Henry as the company’s new marketing manager responsible for the coordination of trade shows, distributor training and seminars. He has an extensive background in the automotive aftermarket with more than 20 years working for Snap-On Tools and most recently as the product manager for LizardSkin LLC. In addition to his experience in the industry, he is also an avid street-rod enthusiast, and had been involved with several C10 restorations. His current project is a ’53 Chevrolet 3100 truck.

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.

Up until now, the ’20 GMC Sierra HD has only been seen in Crew Cab guise (and spied in double cab). But now, it’s been spied in the new Regular Cab format—the first time this particular body style has been seen on GM’s new HD trucks.

Compared to the outgoing model, the new HD Regular Cab appears to gain a few inches behind door, which might give your average contractor a little more room for tools. Other additions compared to the outgoing model are the side step located under the filler lid, and some reflectors above the wheelwells.

Expect to see these at your local dealer either in the second or third quarter this year.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Up until now, the ’20 GMC Sierra HD has only been seen in Crew Cab guise (and spied in double cab). But now, it’s been spied in the new Regular Cab format—the first time this particular body style has been seen on GM’s new HD trucks.

Compared to the outgoing model, the new HD Regular Cab appears to gain a few inches behind door, which might give your average contractor a little more room for tools. Other additions compared to the outgoing model are the side step located under the filler lid, and some reflectors above the wheelwells.

Expect to see these at your local dealer either in the second or third quarter this year.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Up until now, the ’20 GMC Sierra HD has only been seen in Crew Cab guise (and spied in double cab). But now, it’s been spied in the new Regular Cab format—the first time this particular body style has been seen on GM’s new HD trucks.

Compared to the outgoing model, the new HD Regular Cab appears to gain a few inches behind door, which might give your average contractor a little more room for tools. Other additions compared to the outgoing model are the side step located under the filler lid, and some reflectors above the wheelwells.

Expect to see these at your local dealer either in the second or third quarter this year.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Up until now, the ’20 GMC Sierra HD has only been seen in Crew Cab guise (and spied in double cab). But now, it’s been spied in the new Regular Cab format—the first time this particular body style has been seen on GM’s new HD trucks.

Compared to the outgoing model, the new HD Regular Cab appears to gain a few inches behind door, which might give your average contractor a little more room for tools. Other additions compared to the outgoing model are the side step located under the filler lid, and some reflectors above the wheelwells.

Expect to see these at your local dealer either in the second or third quarter this year.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Up until now, the ’20 GMC Sierra HD has only been seen in Crew Cab guise (and spied in double cab). But now, it’s been spied in the new Regular Cab format—the first time this particular body style has been seen on GM’s new HD trucks.

Compared to the outgoing model, the new HD Regular Cab appears to gain a few inches behind door, which might give your average contractor a little more room for tools. Other additions compared to the outgoing model are the side step located under the filler lid, and some reflectors above the wheelwells.

Expect to see these at your local dealer either in the second or third quarter this year.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Up until now, the ’20 GMC Sierra HD has only been seen in Crew Cab guise (and spied in double cab). But now, it’s been spied in the new Regular Cab format—the first time this particular body style has been seen on GM’s new HD trucks.

Compared to the outgoing model, the new HD Regular Cab appears to gain a few inches behind door, which might give your average contractor a little more room for tools. Other additions compared to the outgoing model are the side step located under the filler lid, and some reflectors above the wheelwells.

Expect to see these at your local dealer either in the second or third quarter this year.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Fred Williams talks about what he has observed from being a judge at last year’s SEMA Battle of the Builders competition.