The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is governed by a Board of Directors who volunteer their time to provide leadership and guidance to the organization. Board members are nominated and elected by the association’s membership at large. They represent the organization’s key membership categories: manufacturers, distributors/retailers, manufacturers’ reps and services. Directors serve a three-year term, while the chairman serves for two years immediately after completing a two-year term as chairman-elect. The current Board was inaugurated at the SEMA Awards Gala held on July 29, 2022.
The Board underwent a few personnel changes for 2022–2023. The Board welcomed new members Norris Marshall, founder and CEO of BluePrint Engines, and Rich Butler, CEO and Co-Chairman of R&R Marketing Consultants, who were elected to serve a three-year term. In addition, current Board members Kathryn Reinhardt and Melanie White, president of Hellwig Products, were re-elected to a second term. Stepping down after the conclusion of their terms of office were Chris Douglas, CCO of Edelbrock Group, and Les Rudd, President of Bob Cook Sales, who now serves as treasurer.
Besides having the ability to vote in the Board election, SEMA-member companies can play a constructive role in the selection process from the very beginning. For instance, member companies are free to nominate industry colleagues who they think are worthy of recognition. To learn more about the process, visit www.sema.org/board-of-directors.
“The SEMA Board of Directors represent many different aspects of our industry and come together to set the association’s priorities, and to discuss issues, initiatives and programs,” said SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola. “They give SEMA staff great feedback on issues affecting our industry and have a wealth of knowledge and background to guide and direct the association and its future.”
2022–2023 Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board
James Lawrence
CEO, Power Automedia
Chairman-Elect
Kyle Fickler
Director of Sales and New Business Development, Driven Racing Oil
Immediate Past Chairman/Secretary
Tim Martin
CEO, Aftermarket Advisors LLC
Treasurer
Bunyan L. (Les) Rudd, CPMR
President, Bob Cook Sales
Rich Butler (not pictured)
EO and Co-Chairman, R&R Marketing Consultants
SPEEDTubeTV is actively seeking new content creators and talent to feature in new programming. Whether you’re a prolific producer, a bespoke builder, a raucous racer or discerning designer, SPEEDTubeTV wants you for upcoming shows, and they are open to meeting with prospects at this year’s Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, December 8–10.
Think you got what it takes to be the next SPEEDTubeTV star? Stop by booth #7192 at PRI, sponsored by INSPEX, and ask for Brian Bossone or Ray Iddings, executive producer and head of content. They want to talk with you.
The booth will feature autograph signings with drag race royalty:
Six-Time Top Fuel World Champ Clay Millican (December 8, 3:00 p.m.)
Three-time NHRA Top Fuel Champ Larry Dixon (December 9, 11:00 a.m.)
Three-Time NHRA Top Fuel Champ Antron Brown (December 9, 3:30 p.m.)
All programming on SPEEDTubeTV’s YouTube channel is free of charge. New episodes of their popular automotive programming are added every Tuesday and Thursday and new shows are added and updated on a consistent basis. For more information, visit www.SPEEDTubetv.com.
ORACLE Lighting Gains Four Awards During 2022 SEMA Show
ORACLE Lighting walked away from the 2022 SEMA Show with four more awards to add to its showcase.
“ORACLE Lighting is proud to have been awarded the SDC Data Excellence Award, Runner-Up for Best New Off-Road/4-Wheel-Drive Product 2023 for the Integrated Bronco Windshield Roof LED Light Bar, a Global Media Award for the Jeep JL/JT Skid Plate with Integrated LED emitters and a Global Media Award for the Jeep JK Flush Mount LED taillights,” said Justin Hartenstein, Oracle Lighting director of development.
MidwayPlus Announces Platform Integration Deal With Major Worldwide Freight Carrier
MidwayPlus has announced the completion of a successful partnership with a major global freight carrier. Providing a comprehensive single log-in B2B platform, the new partnership includes impressive pre-negotiated rates. These rates include shipping solutions for manufacturers, logistics and customs brokerage solutions to meet growing client demand for better shipping rates. The new freight program is poised to save clients thousands of dollars annually, by allowing companies to capitalize on pre-negotiated rates and passing those rates onto their buyers for shipping with in the 48 continental United States.
Mike Rice Named NHRA Senior Director of Competition; Matt DeYoung Named Pacific Division Director
NHRA officials announced the promotion of Mike Rice to senior director of competition and the addition of Matt DeYoung as division director of the Pacific Division (Division 7).
Rice, who started with NHRA in 2001, served as the division director of Division 7 for 16 years. In his new role as NHRA senior director of competition, Rice will lead tower operations at all NHRA national events, coordinate and maintain daily on-track schedules, and communicate with race teams. Rice will also be instrumental in guiding the division directors with his years of experience.
With Rice in his new role as NHRA senior director of competition, DeYoung will step into the Division 7, working with the NHRA member tracks in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Hawaii. Prior to his new role, DeYoung managed Tucson Dragway for five years.
The Pacific Division sees several Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events throughout the season as well as NHRA national events at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and the newly named In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Dr. Uli Weller, Günter Hiermaier to Serve as LIQUI MOLY Managing Directors
The long-standing commercial director of the company in Ulm, Dr. Uli Weller, will become the second managing director of the group of companies at the start of 2023. For LIQUI MOLY, this is a logical step and a guarantee for lasting stability and security. “My responsibility is to lead our company into a secure future. For me, a second managing director means perfect strategic support,” said Günter Hiermaier.
With this step, Dr. Weller will be promoted to an additional managing director of the LIQUI MOLY Group, which also includes the Meguin GmbH & Co. KG Mineraloelwerke in Saarlouis as well numerous LIQUI MOLY subsidiaries abroad. He will continue functioning as the commercial director.
Ingo Mauel
Ingo Mauel Named New Head of Bosch Motorsport
Bosch Engineering has announced Ingo Mauel has taken over management of Bosch Motorsports. He succeeds Dr. Klaus Boettcher, who will go into early retirement at the end of January following 23 years as the leader of Bosch Motorsport. Mauel has been with Bosch since 1996 and has worked in various management roles in electronics, software and systems development, among others. In 2015, he assumed leadership of the motorsport engineering department.
During his time as the face of Bosch Motorsport, Dr. Boettcher experienced countless victories and championships, including successes in the German Touring Car Masters (DTM), in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi, Bentley and Peugeot, in rally series and in the customer racing sector.
Matt Greci
Speedway Motorsports Promotes Matt Greci to Senior Vice President, General Manager at Nashville Superspeedway
Speedway Motorsports has announced that motorsports industry executive Matt Greci has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager at Nashville Superspeedway. He replaces Erik Moses, who leaves on December 2 to become executive director of the Fiesta Bowl.
No stranger to Speedway Motorsports, Greci relocated to Nashville shortly after the company acquired the 1.33-mile speedway as part of its purchase of Dover Motorsports in 2021. Prior to that, Greci spent nearly 16 years at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina), where he began his career as a sales department intern, then joined the speedway full-time as the track rental and suite coordinator for corporate sales. Greci moved to the events department in 2008, working his way from events manager to vice president of events.
During his tenure at Charlotte, Greci earned recognition as the CMS Employee of the Year in 2013. He also received the company’s highest honor, the Speedway Motorsports O. Bruton Smith Award, in 2018 while managing event production at zMAX Dragway, The Dirt Track and the superspeedway.
Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA News. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.
The following message is from SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola
Dear SEMA Member:
Nominations for the SEMA Board of Directors are
due on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
A strong SEMA Board means wise leadership and an association that serves its members well. As a member of the Association, we are currently seeking your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors.
The following seats are open for this year’s election:
Chairman-elect (one open seat)
Distributor/Retailer (one open seat)
Please take a moment and tell us whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for a board member position by completing and submitting a nomination form. To help the vetting process, please include brief information about the nominee’s qualifications, such as background, experience and achievements that would make that nominee an outstanding board candidate.
We urge you to take part in the nominations process—our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the Board, but we need you to help bring them to the attention of the Nominating Committee.
Thank you for your attention to this important request.
Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.
ProCharger is seeking a full-time technical performance representative with strong phone skills, automotive knowledge and understanding of high-performance motorsports.The primary responsibility of this position is to assist customers by answering their questions, taking orders and resolving technical issues promptly via the telephone and email.This position requires the ability and endurance to answer a high volume of calls while maintaining accuracy, good interpersonal skills and excellent telephone manners.
Cognito Motorsports Inc. is hiring an outside sales rep responsible for new dealer acquisition, top-line sales production, relationship management and customer retention. The successful candidate will be an effective hunter and relationship builder capable of consistently adding new resellers to our existing book of business. Strong connections in the passenger truck and UTV upfitting dealer markets is preferred. At least 2–3 years of experience with executing on the full sales cycle for an established automotive aftermarket brand/distributor is required.
Edelbrock Group is hiring a creative and design manager to oversee a team of creatives, collaborate with others inside and outside of marketing for project specifics, improve the quality of current design/graphics work and ensure all finished creative work is accurate, on brand and on time for the entire team. To be successful in this role, you must be a well-rounded creative expert who is skilled in all of aspects traditional and digital marketing design. You must have experience executing a diverse mix of creative projects from conception to production in a multi-brand environment.
Luke McMillin and Rob MacCachren teamed to rise above the rest in a field of 276 starters to win the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck title in the season-ending BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. The international event was the season-finale of the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship.
Starting second physically on the road in the elapsed time race and splitting the driving in McMillin’s Big Blue M racing machine all-wheel-drive 4 Wheel Parts/BFGoodrich Tires No. 83 Chevy 1500, the duo worked their way to the front of the pack and finished the 828.25-mile race around the Northern Part of Mexico’s Baja peninsula in a penalty-free time of 16:37:46 with an average speed of 49.81 mph.
One of several ”super teams” competing in this race primarily because of the length of the course, Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee MacCachren stabled his aging two-wheel-drive thoroughbred when invited to join the Big Blue M race team again for this historic race and be McMillin’s second driver in the McMillin’s No. 83 McMilling Racing AWD Chevy 1500 built by Mason Motorsports.
Using McMillin’s No. 83 SCORE Trophy Truck, McMillin entered the race as the SCORE Trophy Truck overall point leader for 2022 and second in the SCORE Overall points. A third-generation desert racer, McMillin and MacCachren started second behind another ”super team” of Bryce Menzies and Luke McMillin’s cousin Andy McMillin. Last year, the McMillin family allowed MacCachren to be driver of record while driving in Luke’s truck and the pair won that race as well and MacCachren earned the SCORE Trophy Truck season point-championship.
This year, MacCachren started and stayed the course, with Luke McMillin taking over the wheel at race mile 394, they then battled Luke’s older brother Dan McMillin and Josh Daniel, passing Josh when he had a flat tire, never looking back the rest of the way to the checkered flag. Dan McMillin and Daniel finished second to give the McMillin Racing family their first one-two overall finish in a SCORE race.
With his victory, Luke McMillin also earned a U.S. $25,000 contingency bonus from long-time SCORE sponsor and race title sponsor BFGoodrich Tires, offered to the winner of this year’s race. The victory also marked the 33rd overall victory in this race for vehicles equipped with BFGoodrich Tires.
Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League to Be Discontinued in 2023
Lucas Oil Products has decided to discontinue its ownership and operation of the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League following the conclusion of the 2022 season. Established in 2006, the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League has operated as one of the premier pulling organizations in the country, with 14 member state groups and 1,400 competitors across several different divisions. The Champions Tour and Silver Series comprised 13 classes of pulling action. The series officially wrapped at the 2022 Champions Tour Banquet held at the Hyatt Regency in Louisville, Kentucky, November 19. For more information, visit propulling.com or contact lucasoil@godriven360.com.
NASCAR Announces Launch of Brazil Sprint Race Series
NASCAR has announced the creation of the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, the sanctioning body’s fourth international series and first in South America. The series, which will begin competition in 2023, is a partnership between NASCAR and the GT Sprint Race series in Brazil.
GT Sprint Race was founded in 2012 by Thiago Marques, a former standout stock car driver in Brazil, with the goal of balancing high levels of competition, performance and safety. The 2022 schedule included 18 sprint races over nine weekends at road courses across Brazil, including Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) in São Paulo. The 2023 schedule will be released at a future date.
NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race joins the NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada) and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series as the fourth international series racing under the NASCAR banner. In 2023, NASCAR racing will take place in 12 different countries on three continents. For more information, visit nascar.com.
Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels has promoted Heather Tausch to senior director of marketing. She was formerly director of product management. In this new role, Tausch will lead Mickey Thompson’s product and marketing teams and oversee the strategy and execution of all product development and marketing activities to form holistic consumer-targeted go-to-market plans, a company release stated.
Since Tausch joined the company in 2020, Mickey Thompson has won four SEMA Best New Product awards over two consecutive years. She has extensive experience in various aftermarket segments, including MOMO Motorsports and Peak’s BlueDEF. Additionally, Tausch serves as both a select committee member of the SEMA Wheel & Tire Council (WTC) and as Mickey Thompson’s liaison as a PRI Founding Member.
Hemmings Names Evan Perkins Director, Digital Content
Hemmings has appointed Evan Perkins as director, digital content. Perkins has more than 10 years of experience in the automotive publishing industry, including roles as editor-in-chief of HOT ROD magazine, editor of Super Chevy magazine and editor of Fastest Street Car magazine. In addition, Perkins produced tech-driven SEO content for top-of-page search results for Race Winning Brands, and Holley as a content marketing manager.
Holley Names Brian Appelgate Interim COO
Holley has announced Brian Appelgate as the interim COO. He has advised Holley since 2018 as the head of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). As interim COO, Appelgate will be focused on driving near-term improvement in the end-to-end supply chain, manufacturing and engineering functional areas. As a performance automotive industry veteran, Appelgate has experience in branded enthusiast consumer products, manufacturing and distribution in private, private equity and public market environments. He has served on multiple boards in the industry and is a former SEMA chairman. Prior to advising Holley, he was president and CEO of Driven Performance Brands.
NGK Spark Plugs Adds Two to Its Leadership Team
NGK Spark Plugs has announced the appointment of two individuals to its leadership team. Megan McDonald, an NGK associate for more than 23 years, has been promoted to general manager of corporate planning. In this newly created role, she will be responsible for the execution of NGK’s critical business initiatives from planning through implementation, expediting NGK’s decision-making process, creating transparency and optimizing its risk management.
Alex Sanchez Salazar has joined the company as general manager of internal audit. In his new role, Salazar will be responsible for providing consult, audit and advisory services to effectively identify and address significant risks to the company across all business units. Sanchez Salazar joins NGK Spark Plugs with more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing finance and compliance.
eBay has banned the sale of automotive tuning devices that defeat the factory emissions systems. The announcement was likely primarily due to policy and regulations implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA can charge eBay up to $4,819 for each non-compliant part sold through its site, according to published reports. Any product that may “bypass, defeat or render inoperative emissions-control systems” is not allowed either on its own or when combined with other hardware or software.
Prohibited components include, but are not limited to:
Tuners, services, software or devices that modify the performance of vehicles, such as cars, trucks and off-road vehicles.
Aftermarket standalone (non-OEM) electronic control unit (ECU), including full electronic fuel injection (EFI) conversion kits.
Powertrain or exhaust parts intended for “race only” or “off-road only.”
Active fuel management/dynamic fuel management or auto start-stop disablers.
Blocking plates for emissions-control systems.
Products that remove factory catalytic converters (CAT) or diesel particulate filters (DPF), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).
Throttle-response controllers.
Exhaust servo eliminators.
Devices intended to bypass or reduce flow to oxygen sensors.
For more information, visit the eBay Emissions Control Defeat Devices Policy here.
Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA News. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.
The first-gen VW Tiguan was introduced in 2007 and received a facelift in 2011. Similarly, the current, second-gen was launched in 2015 based on the MQB platform, with a facelift in 2020 with design changes and the addition of the eHybrid PHEV variant, plus a China-only coupe bodystyle. This means that a third-gen Tiguan should be introduced in 2024, which would allow it to be offered in ICE-powered, hybrid forms and a BEV variant. Spies in Austria caught the new model in an ICE-powered production guise.
Volkswagen has been focused on the ever-expanding ID. range of MEB-based electric vehicles, but it will likely keep updating the core models including the likes of the Polo, Golf, T-Roc and Tiguan for as long as possible. VW expects only 25% of its global sales to come from EVs by 2026, combined with the popularity of the aforementioned nameplates, so they will likely live for at least one more generation before the range becomes EV-only in the 2030s.
The pretty small-time window before the ICE ban in Europe and other markets means that we will be sticking with updated versions of current platforms since the automakers are investing heavily in EV-dedicated architectures. Volkswagen—alongside rival brands—will probably offer a fully electric version of the Tiguan even if this means they will have to electrify the evolution of the MQB Evo platform that could also be utilized by other brands of the VW Group, making it worth the investment. While the entry-level trims will likely be offered with mild-hybrid powertrains for a lower cost, the majority of the sales volume will likely consist of plug-in hybrids that will still cost less than the possible full-blown EV variants.
In terms of looks, the next Tiguan will inherit several design features from the ID. range of electric models, like the China-bound Lamando L fastback did quite recently. Those will include the full-width LED headlights and taillights, textured cover for the intakes and a more rounded approach in the surfacing. The new Tiguan will get a sportier and more aerodynamic shape with dynamic proportions and exterior dimensions similar to the current model.
Inside, big changes are expected with an even more tech-focused dashboard featuring a fully digital cockpit and an advanced head-up display, plus the latest ADAS and safety features from VW Group’s parts bin.
The production version of the C-SUV could be unveiled in 2024, before a rumoured market launch in 2025.
SEMA Show management has announced that the 2023 Exhibitor Space Rental Agreement (ESRA) is now live.
The deadline to submit ESRAs and deposits is Monday April 3, 2023. SEMA Show Priority Space Selection is scheduled for Monday, May 1–May 17, 2023. Companies that reserve space by the deadline are eligible for the year’s early space selection, where exhibitors select their booth location at the Show.
The 2023 SEMA Show will take place October 31–November 3, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For complete Show information, visit www.SEMAShow.com.
Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.
AAM Competition LLC is hiring an experienced production development engineer. Candidates must have the ability to conceptualize, design and fabricate new aftermarket exhaust systems, intake systems, turbo kits and products using CAD software and shop equipment. The ability to tig weld thin-wall stainless and aluminum is essential.
Canepa is seeking a motorsports technician who is quality-minded, hardworking and dedicated to providing the highest level of service in the industry. Applicants must have a broad knowledge base of all mechanical aspects of a vehicle, from suspension and brakes to engine and transmission, and be highly versatile with superior skills and produce work of the highest quality. Candidates should have exceptional diagnostic ability, along with race preparation experience.
Mile Marker Industries Inc. is hiring an industrial designer to assist in restyling/reconfiguring its current product. This candidate will also assist in styling and designing future products that are in process and being brought to market soon. A perfect fit for this role would be someone who is artistic, creative and conceptual, but also has a basic understanding of manufacturing processes and mechanical design. This position will work with the engineers to create high-quality products that feature both aesthetics and performance.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is governed by a Board of Directors who volunteer their time to provide leadership and guidance to the organization. Board members are nominated and elected by the association’s membership at large. They represent the organization’s key membership categories: manufacturers, distributors/retailers, manufacturers’ reps and services. Directors serve a three-year term, while the chairman serves for two years immediately after completing a two-year term as chairman-elect. The current Board was inaugurated at the SEMA Awards Gala held on July 29, 2022.
SPEEDTubeTV is actively seeking new content creators and talent to feature in new programming. Whether you’re a prolific producer, a bespoke builder, a raucous racer or discerning designer, SPEEDTubeTV wants you for upcoming shows, and they are open to meeting with prospects at this year’s Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, December 8–10.
ORACLE Lighting Gains Four Awards During 2022 SEMA Show
Dr. Uli Weller, Günter Hiermaier to Serve as LIQUI MOLY Managing Directors
One of several ”super teams” competing in this race primarily because of the length of the course, Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee MacCachren stabled his aging two-wheel-drive thoroughbred when invited to join the Big Blue M race team again for this historic race and be McMillin’s second driver in the McMillin’s No. 83 McMilling Racing AWD Chevy 1500 built by Mason Motorsports.
Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League to Be Discontinued in 2023
Mickey Thompson Names Heather Tausch Senior Director, Marketing
