Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Gumout Performance Additives is sponsoring Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR for 2014.

Gumout to Sponsor Vaughn Gittin Jr. in 2014
Gumout Performance Additives has announced the sponsorship of Formula Drift star and World Champion Drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR for 2014. Gittin Jr. is a champion in Formula Drift, as well as in the World Drift Series, with more than 25 podiums in the top tier of the sport.

Three-Time Defending GRC Championship Team Olsbergs MSE Welcomes Red Bull for 2014
Three-time Global Rallycross championship team Olsbergs MSE has announced that it is partnering with Red Bull for its 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross campaign. Joni Wiman will move into the top class of competition this year to pilot the 2014 Red Bull/Bluebeam OMSE Ford Fiesta ST. Ford returns to the team in 2014, extending its longstanding relationship with Olsbergs MSE. Bluebeam Software is returning to Olsbergs MSE in 2014, this year joining Red Bull in supporting Wiman behind the wheel. Champion rally driver Patrik Sandell will drive a second OMSE Ford Fiesta ST in the Red Bull Global Rallycross SuperCars category. The Swedish driver is returning for a second year to the series after a strong debut season in 2013 with Ford and Olsbergs MSE.

General Tire Agrees to Three-Year Extension With Team Lucas
General Tire and Team Lucas have extended their comprehensive sponsorship program for three seasons, taking them through 2016. This season will be General Tire's eighth straight as a member of Team Lucas. General Tire will be an event and television sponsor in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (where it also is the Official Tire), Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series, Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series and Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League. It also will have a major presence at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri.

	Hailie Deegan continued strong in 2014 with the first LOORS event held at Wild Pass Motorsports Park, March 22–23.

Second Generation of Deegan Motorsports Thrive Among Competition
After making history in 2013 as the first father and daughter to win Lucas Oil Off Road Series (LOORS) Championships in the same year, Hailie Deegan continued strong in 2014 with the first LOORS event held at Wild Pass Motorsports Park, March 22–23. In the J2 Kart division, Hailie qualified fifth in the single event for the LOORS opening weekend. In her #1 Dirt Princess/4 Wheel Parts/Lucas Oil/Makita machine, she overtook Timmy Moran for the win, giving her the early season points lead. In the Modified Kart division, Hailie qualified seventh in Round One, and finished in fourth place. In last sunday’s Round Two, she bettered her qualifying to eighth and finished in fifth. Her efforts at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park would put her third in Modified Kart points.

Hailie’s younger brother Haiden won the 2014 James Stewart Freestone Spring Championship in the 51cc Limited class, both in Moto 1 and Moto 2. Hailie will continue representing Deegan Motorsports with her father in the LOORS with the next stop at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, April 25–26.

By SEMA Editors

	Superchips and Transamerican Wholesale are giving away a fully customized brand-new ’14 Jeep JK two-door at the 2014 SEMA Show, November 6, in Las Vegas.

Superchips and Transamerican Wholesale are giving away a fully customized brand-new ’14 Jeep JK two-door at the 2014 SEMA Show, November 6, in Las Vegas.

How to Win

• Be a Transamerican Wholesale jobber
• Be an authorized Superchips dealer
• Each time you purchase a Superchips programmer you are automatically entered into a drawing each month to win
• Be present at the Superchips 2014 SEMA Show booth, November 6

Vote on What Parts to Install and Win

Jobbers have the opportunity to vote on the parts they most want to win for the build. Each month Superchips and Transamerican Wholesale post a new category with four manufacturer part options. At the end of the month, the parts with the most votes get installed on the Jeep to win. The nine qualifying drawings will occur electronically every month this year and again November 6, 2014, at the SEMA Show.

View the official contest rules and regulations.

By SEMA Editors

	Superchips and Transamerican Wholesale are giving away a fully customized brand-new ’14 Jeep JK two-door at the 2014 SEMA Show, November 6, in Las Vegas.

Superchips and Transamerican Wholesale are giving away a fully customized brand-new ’14 Jeep JK two-door at the 2014 SEMA Show, November 6, in Las Vegas.

How to Win

• Be a Transamerican Wholesale jobber
• Be an authorized Superchips dealer
• Each time you purchase a Superchips programmer you are automatically entered into a drawing each month to win
• Be present at the Superchips 2014 SEMA Show booth, November 6

Vote on What Parts to Install and Win

Jobbers have the opportunity to vote on the parts they most want to win for the build. Each month Superchips and Transamerican Wholesale post a new category with four manufacturer part options. At the end of the month, the parts with the most votes get installed on the Jeep to win. The nine qualifying drawings will occur electronically every month this year and again November 6, 2014, at the SEMA Show.

View the official contest rules and regulations.

By Della Domingo

	Filmed at the 2013 SEMA Show, the Velocity Network's “Mothers Presents SEMA Las Vegas” featured first-time exhibitors Fusion Brakes.

Thousands watched “Mothers Presents SEMA Las Vegas,” a special one-hour show that aired March 7 on the Velocity Network. Filmed at the 2013 SEMA Show, the television special featured, among other things, first-time exhibitor Fusion Brakes. Producers visited with Fusion Brakes months before the SEMA Show, and followed the carbon ceramic brake manufacturers as it prepared and made its way to Las Vegas for the annual trade show.

Viewers watched as Fusion Brakes experienced a few hiccups along the way, adjusted its plans and ultimately succeeded in getting its name and product out to thousands of qualified buyers.

Here is some behind-the-scenes advice from the company’s CEO, Cliff Leonard:

• The vehicle was the biggest asset the company had in attracting people to its booth. “Having a nice car definitely helps turn a lot of heads, so if you have the funds to do so, I would recommend to at least do a 10x20 to squeeze a car in,” said Leonard.

• Even with a booth vehicle, two tables and four chairs, the company had six people working the booth. Their strategy: “I wanted to make sure we created a smooth way to funnel the right visitors in the right direction. Upfront, the first people you would speak to are sales. If it was marketing related, we had two marketing guys to speak with. After that, any serious buyers would speak with the executives and decision makers at the booth.”

• Despite the success that the company has had at the 2013 SEMA Show, officials claim that they felt pretty unprepared before the Show. “This year (2014), we've started planning several more months in advance. Fusion is definitely planning on throwing in more advertisements and we will likely have a lot more meetings now that we have some good traction.”

• Leonard had the advantage of having gone to the SEMA Show for eight years before exhibiting with his own company. His thoughts for other newbies, “Exhibiting at the SEMA Show for the first time can be very stressful. My advice is to follow the SEMA Deadline Checklist and definitely contact your rep with any questions, as they can be pretty helpful in showing you the ropes. It’s important that you rent a lead-retrieval system for the booth. The lead-retrieval makes life so much easier on exchanging information and following up with pre-qualified leads you make. In addition, this is the largest automotive trade show in the world. With that said, buy your hotel rooms far in advance to avoid limitations and price hikes. Finally, I would lay out your booth before you get there. It helps to see how everything will fit as there are a lot of regulations with what you can and can't do.”

Note: “Mothers Presents SEMA Las Vegas” is scheduled to re-air on the Velocity Network May 3 and May 16. Check your local listings for times.

By Della Domingo

	Filmed at the 2013 SEMA Show, the Velocity Network's “Mothers Presents SEMA Las Vegas” featured first-time exhibitors Fusion Brakes.

Thousands watched “Mothers Presents SEMA Las Vegas,” a special one-hour show that aired March 7 on the Velocity Network. Filmed at the 2013 SEMA Show, the television special featured, among other things, first-time exhibitor Fusion Brakes. Producers visited with Fusion Brakes months before the SEMA Show, and followed the carbon ceramic brake manufacturers as it prepared and made its way to Las Vegas for the annual trade show.

Viewers watched as Fusion Brakes experienced a few hiccups along the way, adjusted its plans and ultimately succeeded in getting its name and product out to thousands of qualified buyers.

Here is some behind-the-scenes advice from the company’s CEO, Cliff Leonard:

• The vehicle was the biggest asset the company had in attracting people to its booth. “Having a nice car definitely helps turn a lot of heads, so if you have the funds to do so, I would recommend to at least do a 10x20 to squeeze a car in,” said Leonard.

• Even with a booth vehicle, two tables and four chairs, the company had six people working the booth. Their strategy: “I wanted to make sure we created a smooth way to funnel the right visitors in the right direction. Upfront, the first people you would speak to are sales. If it was marketing related, we had two marketing guys to speak with. After that, any serious buyers would speak with the executives and decision makers at the booth.”

• Despite the success that the company has had at the 2013 SEMA Show, officials claim that they felt pretty unprepared before the Show. “This year (2014), we've started planning several more months in advance. Fusion is definitely planning on throwing in more advertisements and we will likely have a lot more meetings now that we have some good traction.”

• Leonard had the advantage of having gone to the SEMA Show for eight years before exhibiting with his own company. His thoughts for other newbies, “Exhibiting at the SEMA Show for the first time can be very stressful. My advice is to follow the SEMA Deadline Checklist and definitely contact your rep with any questions, as they can be pretty helpful in showing you the ropes. It’s important that you rent a lead-retrieval system for the booth. The lead-retrieval makes life so much easier on exchanging information and following up with pre-qualified leads you make. In addition, this is the largest automotive trade show in the world. With that said, buy your hotel rooms far in advance to avoid limitations and price hikes. Finally, I would lay out your booth before you get there. It helps to see how everything will fit as there are a lot of regulations with what you can and can't do.”

Note: “Mothers Presents SEMA Las Vegas” is scheduled to re-air on the Velocity Network May 3 and May 16. Check your local listings for times.

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—Chris Morris. At 34, Morris is already a regional sales manager at Undercover.

Chris Morris, 34

Regional Sales Manager—Undercover Inc.

Chris Morris developed his interest in the automotive world from watching car shows and races on TV with his father, and that interest was further developed under the tutelage of Dave Wells, president of Undercover, as well as the company’s national sales manager, Sally Goldberg. “Dave took a chance on me years ago and has always believed in me and given me the tools to succeed, and Sally taught me so much along the way that I wouldn’t be where I am today without her,” Morris said. “Since I started working at Undercover a little over eight years ago, we have added many products to our line, and we are proud of the fact that all of them are made right here in the U.S.A. I believe that not being complacent and staying on top of the trends in the market are very important. Undercover has released a hard-folding cover called the Flex, and its sleek, low-profile design has become a huge success for us.” In his briefcase: “I can’t live without my iPhone, iPad, laptop, Map Point software, GPS, and pen and paper. The most important tool of all is my relationships with my customers. They are the ones who drive our business, and if I don’t take care of them, someone else will.”

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—Chris Morris. At 34, Morris is already a regional sales manager at Undercover.

Chris Morris, 34

Regional Sales Manager—Undercover Inc.

Chris Morris developed his interest in the automotive world from watching car shows and races on TV with his father, and that interest was further developed under the tutelage of Dave Wells, president of Undercover, as well as the company’s national sales manager, Sally Goldberg. “Dave took a chance on me years ago and has always believed in me and given me the tools to succeed, and Sally taught me so much along the way that I wouldn’t be where I am today without her,” Morris said. “Since I started working at Undercover a little over eight years ago, we have added many products to our line, and we are proud of the fact that all of them are made right here in the U.S.A. I believe that not being complacent and staying on top of the trends in the market are very important. Undercover has released a hard-folding cover called the Flex, and its sleek, low-profile design has become a huge success for us.” In his briefcase: “I can’t live without my iPhone, iPad, laptop, Map Point software, GPS, and pen and paper. The most important tool of all is my relationships with my customers. They are the ones who drive our business, and if I don’t take care of them, someone else will.”