Thurston was a true pioneer of products for off-road vehicles, the original designer of four-wheel drive hubs for Jeeps. Warn Industries is best known today for its assortment of heavy-duty winches, while the development of locking hubs earned the company original-equipment contracts with Willys, Kaiser-Jeep and International Harvester in 1960. A year earlier, in 1959, Thurston had expanded his company’s off-road accessory offerings by adapting a logging tool—the electric winch—into a recovery device for recreational four-wheelers. In 1981, Ford announced that the Ranger 4x4 pickup would feature Warn M250 manual locking hubs.

Thrush Mufflers was lucky to have Stan Hiltz on its staff. The maker of Cherry Bombs and other performance mufflers, Thrush was not a favorite among law-enforcement agencies whose mission was to control vehicle noise. Stan was an effective administrator, devoted to his mission, marketing mufflers his customers wanted.

A member of countless committees, an early president of SEMA and a member of its Board of Directors, Els has no equal when it comes to undivided service to SEMA and the industry it seeks to protect. Els founded Eelco, a racing products company; he later owned Ansen Enterprises. He also had an impressive history of racing and setting records on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Els was actively involved in the SEMA Scholarship Fund, was voted SEMA Person of the Year for 1976, and in 1990 was knighted by the order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights.

They called him “Ford’s off-road guy.” It was Bill who prototyped and tested truck components for Ford. He set up trucks for off-road competition and drove them; Bill once supervised a large Ford test lab in Southern California. Aside from making his name in racing and building fast sedans and off-road vehicles, he was also involved in midget racing and racing on the dry lakes. Additionally, he raced in the SCCA (and won a championship in 1952 with a Mercury flathead-powered Kurtis 500S) and crewed for cars at Indy.

Linda is “The First Lady of Auto Racing,” one of the most famous personalities in all of motorsports. She began her career as a beauty queen in 1961; the following year she was named Miss Pontiac, followed by Miss Atlanta Raceway and Hurst Golden Shifter Girl. Linda also held the position of vice president of public relations for Hurst. She is repeatedly recognized for her volunteer service to industry causes. As a founding member of the SEMA SBN Council, she received its Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1988, SEMA honored her achievements with a special citation during the Salute to the American Automotive Performance & Motorsports Industry program in Washington, D.C. She was elected to the Drag Racing Hall of Fame and was named a SEMA Person of the Year. Linda also received her competition driver’s license from the SCCA.

If it weren’t for Jim’s dedication, drivers in racing wouldn’t be “wrapped” in the safety of foolproof fire-protection garments. Deist is a leader in the science of protective fabrics for driving suits, gloves and footwear, and Jim is an expert in the design of chutes used for slowing down dragsters. Jim is credited with designing and implementing the first "drag chute" for safely stopping cars at speed, and is said to be responsible for the earliest firesuits and masks that kept race car drivers safe. As a founding member of SEMA, Jim helped to establish the "Meets SFI Specs" programs. His accomplishments have placed him in the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame, CHRR Hall of Fame and Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame, and he is a Bonneville 200 MPH Club honoree, among other accolades.

A love of cars—fast cars—and a desire to improve their performance and appearance inspired George Foote to open and operate Karbelt Speed & Custom, one of Canada’s most popular—and reportedly first—speed equipment emporiums. George also had the foresight to expand the products available to include spark plugs, chrome parts, and offerings from Hurst, Mallory, Offenhauser and Isky, which were among the first product lines. George was awarded the PWA Pioneer Award.

“They said I couldn’t do it,” remarked D. William (Bill) Smith of Speedway Motors. “But I did.” Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, Speedway is the largest supplier of engine parts, chassis, suspension and body panels for all types of race cars. Known to most as Speedy Bill, he started Speedway in 1952, for manufacturing, on-site retail and high-volume mail-order; it has been called America’s oldest speedshop. Bill’s private collection of refurbished antique racing engines and other collectibles remains one of the nation’s most impressive, and he enjoyed many successes as a race car builder and driver. He served on the SEMA Board of Directors from 1977 to 1978. He was the recipient of the PWA Pioneer Award in 1986, while the National Street Rod Association named him Man of the Year in 1991, and the City of Lincoln presented Speedway Motors with its Cornerstone Award in 1993 in recognition of its phenomenal growth and provision of stable jobs in the city. Hot Rod magazine inducted Bill into its Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2000, he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, and served as the Grand Marshall of the Goodguys Street Rod Nationals in 2001.

Before the sudden death of Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson and his wife Trudy in 1988, in a double murder that wasn’t solved until 2007, Mickey was one of auto racing’s most popular stars. He was a car builder, racing driver and event promoter—he covered all facets of his favorite hobby and career, auto racing, with unprecedented success.

Mickey designed the first “slingshot” dragster and was the first to go 150 mph in the quarter-mile at Bonneville. In 1960, Mickey would break Brit John Cobb’s one-way record with a 406-mph run. He was also a legend in the off-road community, as a champion racer. He later formed sanctioning bodies SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG), and in 1963 launched Mickey Thompson Performance Tires. He was also a writer, publishing "Challenger: Mickey Thompson's Own Story of His Life of Speed." He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and is ranked No. 11 on the NHRA list of Top 50 Drivers. Among his innovations are S/S Cheater Slicks and raised white letter tires.

Before Dick went into business, trying to find off-road gear or tires for a four-wheel-drive truck or Jeep was a formidable challenge.  Dick opened a large store, which was later expanded to a small chain of retail outlets. He initially sold tires and wheels, but eventually expanded to all aspects of off-roading: jacks, tents, auxiliary lights and even survival books. The Dick Cepek line of lighting became extremely popular. Within just four years, his products began being sold in foreign countries; South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Italy became home to Cepek products. Dick went to the Baja peninsula in 1966 with friend Ed Pearlman to drive the 1,000-mile trail. This was considered the first "Baja 1000.” Dick and Ed came in second place. Cepek products later became stamped with the phrase "Baja-Proven.”