Attention motorsports parts manufacturers: Exhibitor registrations for the 2009 Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) Media Trade Conference are now being accepted. To sign up for this year’s conference—set for January 20–22, 2009, at the Embassy Suites LAX South—use the downloadable...

Meguiar's President and CEO Barry Meguiar acted as emcee for the 2008 SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser.

The inaugural SEMA Pinewood Drag Races opened with practice and tuning runs during the afternoon hours of the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser. With Internet Symposium seminars taking place in surrounding rooms, Pinewood racers spent several hours tuning and tweaking in search of tenths...

Adam Bruce of Streetfire.net presented a seminar dedicated to marketing business messages through online video.

The NHRA announced last week that its television ratings on ESPN2 were up 30 percent and household impressions are up 34% compared to the 2007 season. The number reflects Sunday race-day coverage through the first half of the 2008 season—Pomona to Norwalk—compared against the first half of the 2007...

Sources tell photographer Brenda Priddy that Ford continues to make good progress testing its upcoming 6.7L V8 diesel engine, designed and built in-house. The new engine, codenamed Scorpion, will replace the Navistar-sourced 6.4L V8 Power Stroke diesel engine in Ford's heavy-duty pickups by 2011.

Want to get the most from your retail storefront? SEMA News regularly offers jobber/retailers a free critique of its retail establishment as part of its “Retail Review” column. The column regularly illustrates how simple changes to a store’s layout can lead to increased sales and improved customer...

Vehicle personalization and collaborative efforts between automakers, tiered suppliers and specialty equipment manufacturers present opportunities for growth and survival in today’s ever-changing market. The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and SEMA will offer a session entitled, “Profitable...

A comprehensive bill to combat global counterfeiting was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate. The “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008” has strong bipartisan support and is similar to a SEMA-supported bill that already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Several of...

The federal minimum wage increased to $6.55 on July 24. This is the second $.70 increase in the last year. In 2007, President Bush signed into law a SEMA-supported measure that balanced a minimum wage hike with $4.8 billion in small-business tax breaks. The wage rose from $5.15 to $5.85 in July 2007...