Compiled by SEMA Editors

	The NMRA and NMCA converged on Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, for the sixth-annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals.

NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals Take Over Atlanta Dragway
The NMRA and NMCA converged on Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, for the sixth-annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by Miller Welders, April 10–13. The event featured the debut of a new class called Radial Wars, a car show and a manufacturers' midway. Sponsored by Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels, Radial Wars brought out some of the most powerful street cars in the country and recorded speeds up to 200 mph in the 1/8-mile. In the ATF Speed Street Outlaw field, Tony Alm beat front-runner Phil Hines in his turbocharged Mustang, and top qualifier John Urist clocked a 202.55 mph in the quarter-mile.

Tanner Foust

Tanner Foust Shakes Down Pro 2 Short-Course Truck
Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust took on a new challenge at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park last weekend, making his debut in a Pro 2 Unlimited truck in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. Foust joined the series for the Rockstar Energy Drink Southern California Shootout, Friday and Saturday. He plans to run a select campaign of events in the 2014 short-course season.

Foust competed in the Rockstar Energy Drink Pro 2 truck formerly driven by veteran off-roader Rob MacCachren, whose team handled the preparation. A crash forced a restart and Foust was starting to pick up speed by the mid-point in the contest when he had another mishap. Team mechanics repaired the truck overnight, but a blown motor during his strong qualifying run saw him forced to sit out of the main event.

Foust spent the early part of the week in Indianapolis testing his new rallycross car with Andretti Autosport. Two-time GRC champion Foust and the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team will start the 2014 season with the Top Gear Festival Barbados opening round May 18.

Foust will open the Red Bull Global Rallycross season in a Volkswagen Polo based on the chassis developed by Marklund Motorsport. The team is working on the brand-new Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle, a 560hp turbocharged rallycross car previewed earlier this year at Chicago Auto Show. The new car is expected to debut in competition later this year. The driver, who is also one of the hosts of "Top Gear USA," will also make appearance for the TV show during the Barbados event.

	Damon Gardner #4 and Mike Spencer #50 fight for the lead at the last Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car race at The PAS. Photo credit: Doug Allen.

USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Top Perris Auto Speedway Open-Wheel Quadruple Header This Saturday
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will top the list of performers this Saturday night in a sprint car quadruple header at Perris Auto Speedway (PAS). Joining the sprint car series on the Riverside County half-mile clay oval will be The PAS Senior & Young Gun Sprint and the California Lightning Sprint Cars.

The racing table is already set for another battle between defending series champion Damion Gardner and five-time series champ Mike Spencer. If Gardner wins the main event this Saturday, he will become the first driver in the 11-year history of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Series to have won the first four main events of the year in a row.

Spencer has out-qualified the field at two of the three races and has one heat race win. Even though he has finished second to Gardner in the last two races, Spencer was 16th at the season opener in Arizona. Thus, he is third in the championship standings coming into Saturday’s event. Nic Faas is second in the title chase and has placed third and fourth in the two races at The PAS. Matt Mitchell, who finished third at the April 12 race at The PAS, is fourth in the standings followed by USAC/CRA newcomer Gary Taylor.

By Zane Clark

Eric J. Conn	Amanda Strainis-Walker

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has increased enforcement to levels never seen before, from huge increases in the numbers of inspections and citations characterized as "willful" or "repeat" to more criminal referrals. These increased enforcement initiatives are especially targeted on automotive supply manufacturers in the southeast with the potential to expand to other manufacturers across the country. Once OSHA starts an inspection, they are engaging in more aggressive strategies during inspections, creating a minefield for employers, and making it more important than ever for employers to prepare for an OSHA inspection.

Eric J. Conn and Amanda Strainis-Walker, leaders of the national OSHA Practice Group at Epstein Becker Green, will provide an update on the current landscape of OSHA enforcement, review employers' and employees' rights during an OSHA inspection, provide detailed recommendations for actions employers can and should take now and during inspections and discuss strategies to help ensure the best possible outcome from an unexpected visit by OSHA.

This interactive program, to be held Thursday, May 8, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT), is designed for those seeking to reduce costs, maintain operational efficiencies and control union influence in workplace issues.

Topics to be covered will include:

• OSHA's current philosophy of enhanced enforcement
• New enforcement programs, including enterprise-wide enforcement, the Severe Violator Enforcement Program and a campaign of public shaming
• National, regional and local emphasis inspection programs
• Steps employers should take before OSHA begins an inspection
• Employers' and employees' workplace inspection rights
• Stages of OSHA inspections, with tips to manage each stage

This SEI webinar will provide member companies with the information you need, and you don’t even have to leave your desk or office to participate! And remember: SEI webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

By Zane Clark

Eric J. Conn	Amanda Strainis-Walker

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has increased enforcement to levels never seen before, from huge increases in the numbers of inspections and citations characterized as "willful" or "repeat" to more criminal referrals. These increased enforcement initiatives are especially targeted on automotive supply manufacturers in the southeast with the potential to expand to other manufacturers across the country. Once OSHA starts an inspection, they are engaging in more aggressive strategies during inspections, creating a minefield for employers, and making it more important than ever for employers to prepare for an OSHA inspection.

Eric J. Conn and Amanda Strainis-Walker, leaders of the national OSHA Practice Group at Epstein Becker Green, will provide an update on the current landscape of OSHA enforcement, review employers' and employees' rights during an OSHA inspection, provide detailed recommendations for actions employers can and should take now and during inspections and discuss strategies to help ensure the best possible outcome from an unexpected visit by OSHA.

This interactive program, to be held Thursday, May 8, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT), is designed for those seeking to reduce costs, maintain operational efficiencies and control union influence in workplace issues.

Topics to be covered will include:

• OSHA's current philosophy of enhanced enforcement
• New enforcement programs, including enterprise-wide enforcement, the Severe Violator Enforcement Program and a campaign of public shaming
• National, regional and local emphasis inspection programs
• Steps employers should take before OSHA begins an inspection
• Employers' and employees' workplace inspection rights
• Stages of OSHA inspections, with tips to manage each stage

This SEI webinar will provide member companies with the information you need, and you don’t even have to leave your desk or office to participate! And remember: SEI webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

	Kirk Chen

• Form a basic understanding of the R&D tax credit
• How broad in scope the R&D tax credit actually is
• How this credit could potentially benefit you

This SEMA Education Institute (SEI) webinar will provide member companies with the information you need, and you don’t even have to leave your desk or office to participate! And remember: SEI webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

As a specialty business tax consultant, Kirk Chen focuses on consulting his clients with regards to the R&D tax credit. With more than five years of industry experience, he has performed hundreds of R&D tax credit studies for dozens of companies of all sizes throughout a variety of industries all across the United States. His extensive experience in both the technical and legal fields enables him to quickly comprehend his clients’ developmental processes with respect to the tax code, leading to maximizing their tax benefit.

	Kirk Chen

• Form a basic understanding of the R&D tax credit
• How broad in scope the R&D tax credit actually is
• How this credit could potentially benefit you

This SEMA Education Institute (SEI) webinar will provide member companies with the information you need, and you don’t even have to leave your desk or office to participate! And remember: SEI webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

As a specialty business tax consultant, Kirk Chen focuses on consulting his clients with regards to the R&D tax credit. With more than five years of industry experience, he has performed hundreds of R&D tax credit studies for dozens of companies of all sizes throughout a variety of industries all across the United States. His extensive experience in both the technical and legal fields enables him to quickly comprehend his clients’ developmental processes with respect to the tax code, leading to maximizing their tax benefit.

	Kirk Chen

• Form a basic understanding of the R&D tax credit
• How broad in scope the R&D tax credit actually is
• How this credit could potentially benefit you

This SEMA Education Institute (SEI) webinar will provide member companies with the information you need, and you don’t even have to leave your desk or office to participate! And remember: SEI webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

As a specialty business tax consultant, Kirk Chen focuses on consulting his clients with regards to the R&D tax credit. With more than five years of industry experience, he has performed hundreds of R&D tax credit studies for dozens of companies of all sizes throughout a variety of industries all across the United States. His extensive experience in both the technical and legal fields enables him to quickly comprehend his clients’ developmental processes with respect to the tax code, leading to maximizing their tax benefit.

GM is testing prototypes for its diesel-powered Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon alongside Volkswagen's Amarok pickup on the streets of Milford, Michigan.

The revived Colorado and Canyon will use GM's 2.8L Duramax Turbodiesel, which should give GM's new pickups a strong standing in the midsize truck market. These latest prototypes provide the best look at the Colorado diesel's venturi exhaust tip, which is likely to be the final production exhaust specification for the oil burners, which are due to join the Colorado's engine lineup in 2015.

The presence of the Amarok testing with GM's new, U.S.-spec midsize pickups is interesting. Such testing will help GM see how they compare with the Amarok for global markets, but VW has also been discussing the possibility entering the U.S. truck market in the future. It's highly unlikely that the current Amarok will see U.S. showrooms, as it is deemed too small for the North American market. VW's entry into the U.S. truck market will likely come with the next-generation Amarok model—expected to be upsized for the U.S. market—which would likely be an eventual competitor for the Colorado and Canyon.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

GM is testing prototypes for its diesel-powered Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon alongside Volkswagen's Amarok pickup on the streets of Milford, Michigan.

The revived Colorado and Canyon will use GM's 2.8L Duramax Turbodiesel, which should give GM's new pickups a strong standing in the midsize truck market. These latest prototypes provide the best look at the Colorado diesel's venturi exhaust tip, which is likely to be the final production exhaust specification for the oil burners, which are due to join the Colorado's engine lineup in 2015.

The presence of the Amarok testing with GM's new, U.S.-spec midsize pickups is interesting. Such testing will help GM see how they compare with the Amarok for global markets, but VW has also been discussing the possibility entering the U.S. truck market in the future. It's highly unlikely that the current Amarok will see U.S. showrooms, as it is deemed too small for the North American market. VW's entry into the U.S. truck market will likely come with the next-generation Amarok model—expected to be upsized for the U.S. market—which would likely be an eventual competitor for the Colorado and Canyon.

Photo credit: KGP Photography