Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Andy McMillin’s FOX-equipped Trick Truck was the first to the checkered flag, winning with a 14-minute margin over the second-place finisher.

FOX Athletes Victorious at the Mint 400
The 2014 General Tire Mint 400 presented by Polaris featured 57 Trick Trucks and 38 Class 1 cars battling for desert domination in front of thousands of fans. Andy McMillin’s FOX-equipped Trick Truck was the first to the checkered flag, winning with a 14-minute margin over the second-place finisher. For his efforts, McMillin received a $10,000 payday for riding on FOX.

Billed as the “Great American Off-Road Race,” this year’s Mint drew interest from beyond the traditional desert racing market. Major news outlets, including USA Today and Jalopnik, covered the event, and motorcycle and rally champion Travis Pastrana and football star DeMarcus Ware were among the participants. Ware even put up $10,000 of his own money to the winner, matching the $10,000 purse offered by FOX. Pastrana, driving in his first-ever Trick Truck race, qualified 19th and was the third physical finisher and fourth place on corrected time in a FOX-equipped Trick Truck from Jones/Menzies Motorsports.

While the Trick Trucks received most of the limelight, there was plenty of great racing among the other classes as well. FOX athletes took top honors in nine classes at the Mint 400, including Jason Ruane placing first in the 6100 class and ninth overall at the Mint 400. There were 21 entries in the 6100 class, and 17 competitors in 7200, where Jeff Horsley was the winner.

Irwindale Event Center Announces Lease Extension Though 2015 Season
Irwindale Event Center's President/CEO Jim Cohan has announced that the facility's landlord has indicated that the center's operating lease would be extended through the 2015 season.

Hostile Trucks Joins TORC: The Off-Road Championship Presented by AMSOIL as Official Series Partner
TORC: The Off-Road Championship Presented by AMSOIL has announced that Hostile Trucks—manufacturer of off-road and lifted truck/SUV wheels and accessories—will be an Official Series Partner for the 2014 TORC season. As an Official Series Partner, Hostile will have significant brand visibility at all seven events across the United States, with NBC Sports providing television coverage and a behind-the-scenes docu-reality series.

Banning Motorsports Takes 1100 Class Win at the 2014 Mint 400
Banning Motorsports showed up at the General Tire Mint 400 presented by Polaris with their three cars and full crew to support the drivers on their race. In the 1100 class, Steve Melton lined up for the start in the 1178 car, handing off to son Hayden Melton on the second lap, where his General Tire-equipped buggy passed competitors who were on the side of the course changing tires. Hayden crossed the finish line with the fastest overall time in 1100 class, taking the win.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Andy McMillin’s FOX-equipped Trick Truck was the first to the checkered flag, winning with a 14-minute margin over the second-place finisher.

FOX Athletes Victorious at the Mint 400
The 2014 General Tire Mint 400 presented by Polaris featured 57 Trick Trucks and 38 Class 1 cars battling for desert domination in front of thousands of fans. Andy McMillin’s FOX-equipped Trick Truck was the first to the checkered flag, winning with a 14-minute margin over the second-place finisher. For his efforts, McMillin received a $10,000 payday for riding on FOX.

Billed as the “Great American Off-Road Race,” this year’s Mint drew interest from beyond the traditional desert racing market. Major news outlets, including USA Today and Jalopnik, covered the event, and motorcycle and rally champion Travis Pastrana and football star DeMarcus Ware were among the participants. Ware even put up $10,000 of his own money to the winner, matching the $10,000 purse offered by FOX. Pastrana, driving in his first-ever Trick Truck race, qualified 19th and was the third physical finisher and fourth place on corrected time in a FOX-equipped Trick Truck from Jones/Menzies Motorsports.

While the Trick Trucks received most of the limelight, there was plenty of great racing among the other classes as well. FOX athletes took top honors in nine classes at the Mint 400, including Jason Ruane placing first in the 6100 class and ninth overall at the Mint 400. There were 21 entries in the 6100 class, and 17 competitors in 7200, where Jeff Horsley was the winner.

Irwindale Event Center Announces Lease Extension Though 2015 Season
Irwindale Event Center's President/CEO Jim Cohan has announced that the facility's landlord has indicated that the center's operating lease would be extended through the 2015 season.

Hostile Trucks Joins TORC: The Off-Road Championship Presented by AMSOIL as Official Series Partner
TORC: The Off-Road Championship Presented by AMSOIL has announced that Hostile Trucks—manufacturer of off-road and lifted truck/SUV wheels and accessories—will be an Official Series Partner for the 2014 TORC season. As an Official Series Partner, Hostile will have significant brand visibility at all seven events across the United States, with NBC Sports providing television coverage and a behind-the-scenes docu-reality series.

Banning Motorsports Takes 1100 Class Win at the 2014 Mint 400
Banning Motorsports showed up at the General Tire Mint 400 presented by Polaris with their three cars and full crew to support the drivers on their race. In the 1100 class, Steve Melton lined up for the start in the 1178 car, handing off to son Hayden Melton on the second lap, where his General Tire-equipped buggy passed competitors who were on the side of the course changing tires. Hayden crossed the finish line with the fastest overall time in 1100 class, taking the win.

By Zane Clark

	Jim Graven

Are you ready for the selling season? Would you like to boost your profits and expand your market reach? Standards-compliant data is easily sharable, and the time to start is now! Led by Jim Graven, SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) director of membership, webinar participants will learn how the SDC program works through a presentation and live demonstration of their system. Then subscribe to the SDC to sell more parts!

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how the SDC helps suppliers and receivers sell more parts.
• Use the online user interface and take a tour of SDC features and functionality.
• Learn how to upload new products, update current products and validate product data to industry standards.
• Learn how to schedule downloads, review current member listings and manage data feeds.

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and the SDC team! Participate live or download the webinar when it’s convenient. And remember: SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

For more information contact Juliet Marshall at 909-978-6655.
 
Jim Graven came to the SDC in August 2012 with more than 15 years of experience in the specialty-parts aftermarket, taking responsibility for member services, recruitment and promotions.
 
His background includes extensive sales, marketing and project management experience at Reliable Automotive and Arrow Speed Warehouse, where he managed various customer-facing teams, events, media production and end-to-end project organization. In 1990, Graven earned a B.S. in finance from Georgia Southern University.
 
Graven's energetic and attentive style, coupled with a broad background in the industry, made him the ideal candidate to work closely with SDC members to optimize their experience. In addition, his flair for communication, organization and teaching make him ideally suited for welcoming new members into the SDC.

By Zane Clark

	Jim Graven

Are you ready for the selling season? Would you like to boost your profits and expand your market reach? Standards-compliant data is easily sharable, and the time to start is now! Led by Jim Graven, SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) director of membership, webinar participants will learn how the SDC program works through a presentation and live demonstration of their system. Then subscribe to the SDC to sell more parts!

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how the SDC helps suppliers and receivers sell more parts.
• Use the online user interface and take a tour of SDC features and functionality.
• Learn how to upload new products, update current products and validate product data to industry standards.
• Learn how to schedule downloads, review current member listings and manage data feeds.

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and the SDC team! Participate live or download the webinar when it’s convenient. And remember: SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

For more information contact Juliet Marshall at 909-978-6655.
 
Jim Graven came to the SDC in August 2012 with more than 15 years of experience in the specialty-parts aftermarket, taking responsibility for member services, recruitment and promotions.
 
His background includes extensive sales, marketing and project management experience at Reliable Automotive and Arrow Speed Warehouse, where he managed various customer-facing teams, events, media production and end-to-end project organization. In 1990, Graven earned a B.S. in finance from Georgia Southern University.
 
Graven's energetic and attentive style, coupled with a broad background in the industry, made him the ideal candidate to work closely with SDC members to optimize their experience. In addition, his flair for communication, organization and teaching make him ideally suited for welcoming new members into the SDC.

By Zane Clark

	Jim Graven

Are you ready for the selling season? Would you like to boost your profits and expand your market reach? Standards-compliant data is easily sharable, and the time to start is now! Led by Jim Graven, SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) director of membership, webinar participants will learn how the SDC program works through a presentation and live demonstration of their system. Then subscribe to the SDC to sell more parts!

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how the SDC helps suppliers and receivers sell more parts.
• Use the online user interface and take a tour of SDC features and functionality.
• Learn how to upload new products, update current products and validate product data to industry standards.
• Learn how to schedule downloads, review current member listings and manage data feeds.

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and the SDC team! Participate live or download the webinar when it’s convenient. And remember: SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

For more information contact Juliet Marshall at 909-978-6655.
 
Jim Graven came to the SDC in August 2012 with more than 15 years of experience in the specialty-parts aftermarket, taking responsibility for member services, recruitment and promotions.
 
His background includes extensive sales, marketing and project management experience at Reliable Automotive and Arrow Speed Warehouse, where he managed various customer-facing teams, events, media production and end-to-end project organization. In 1990, Graven earned a B.S. in finance from Georgia Southern University.
 
Graven's energetic and attentive style, coupled with a broad background in the industry, made him the ideal candidate to work closely with SDC members to optimize their experience. In addition, his flair for communication, organization and teaching make him ideally suited for welcoming new members into the SDC.

By AJ Carney

	Join U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), SEMA leadership and local members for the SEMA Town Hall Meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Friday, April 4, from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker will be a featured speaker during next week's Town Hall Meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. SEMA invites members and prospective members to gather at Coker Tire Co. Inc., Friday, April 4, from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., to network with local industry leaders and SEMA staff.

SEMA's Town Hall Meetings provide both members and prospective members with the opportunity to learn about the association's current programs and objectives, while networking with automotive aftermarket professionals from the same geographic region. These personal interactions give members a chance to share common business challenges and opportunities. As SEMA staff interacts with attendees, they also gain valuable feedback, which helps identify how current benefits can enhance members' business operations to better meet their needs.

Chattanooga Town Hall Meeting Panel

• Corky Coker – Coker Tire Co. Inc.
• Doug Evans – Source Interlink Media
• Scooter Brothers – COMP Performance Group
• Wade Kawasaki – Coker Tire Co. Inc.

Special Guest Speaker

• Bob Corker – U.S. Senator (R-TN)

SEMA has led Town Hall Meetings in several cities across the United States.

For more information or to register, visit SEMA's website, or contact Andrea “AJ” Carney at 909-978-6697 or andreac@sema.org.

By AJ Carney

	Join U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), SEMA leadership and local members for the SEMA Town Hall Meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Friday, April 4, from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker will be a featured speaker during next week's Town Hall Meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. SEMA invites members and prospective members to gather at Coker Tire Co. Inc., Friday, April 4, from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., to network with local industry leaders and SEMA staff.

SEMA's Town Hall Meetings provide both members and prospective members with the opportunity to learn about the association's current programs and objectives, while networking with automotive aftermarket professionals from the same geographic region. These personal interactions give members a chance to share common business challenges and opportunities. As SEMA staff interacts with attendees, they also gain valuable feedback, which helps identify how current benefits can enhance members' business operations to better meet their needs.

Chattanooga Town Hall Meeting Panel

• Corky Coker – Coker Tire Co. Inc.
• Doug Evans – Source Interlink Media
• Scooter Brothers – COMP Performance Group
• Wade Kawasaki – Coker Tire Co. Inc.

Special Guest Speaker

• Bob Corker – U.S. Senator (R-TN)

SEMA has led Town Hall Meetings in several cities across the United States.

For more information or to register, visit SEMA's website, or contact Andrea “AJ” Carney at 909-978-6697 or andreac@sema.org.

By Carr Winn

SEMA News is looking to highlight top-tier talent in the automotive aftermarket industry who are under the age of 35 through its 35 Under 35 program. We need your input. If you know of a leader who is under 35—whether they are in manufacturing and design, marketing, retail, events and media or distribution—we would like to hear from you.

The following is a short profile on one of last year's 35 Under 35 winners—Brandon Bernardo. At 27, Bernardo is already the Vice President of Roll-N-Lock.

Brandon Bernardo, 27

Vice President—Roll-N-Lock Corp.

As a self-described “third-generation manufacturer” influenced by his father, Brandon Bernardo figures he’s been in the specialty-equipment field pretty much since birth. As vice president of Roll-N-Lock, he has helped to position the truck-accessory manufacturer for rapid growth through a healthy pipeline of new products and innovations. “The strong recovery in truck sales that began in 2009 has been, and continues to be, a very encouraging sign for the future of our industry,” he said. “Despite high unemployment and formidable economic headwinds, American and global consumers continue to purchase pickup trucks. The utilitarian nature of these trucks has proven to be valuable in both good times and bad, ensuring the pickup’s market position for the foreseeable future.” Bernardo sees economic globalization as a major challenge to the industry. “It seems increasingly difficult to forecast where the next global crisis will arise,” he said. “As a result, firms in our segment need to be prepared for anything and everything.” Whatever the economic trends, however, Bernardo believes that aftermarket businesses can remain competitive by running conservative operations and continuing to focus on providing value and quality to customers. In his briefcase: An iPhone, a legal pad, pencils and energy bars.