From standout college and pro football player to NASCAR's West Coast pointman, Les Richter inspired many with his gentle manner and lasting achievements.

SEMA’s Consumer Demand Index for the month of May is up 25% over the same month last year. With a value of 40 for May, the index experienced a decrease of 8 points or 17% from April.

Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Neal Parker was killed Friday during a high-speed accident at the NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey; American Le Mans Series-sanctioned Petit Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring will be part of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest Intercontinental Le Mans Cup next year; Audi sweeps the top three positions during the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race; and NASCAR has mandates a change to the front of the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars for the 2011 season.

NHRA news: Larry Dixon collects his sixth Top Fuel win of the season and Bob Tasca earns his first win of the season in Funny Car at the 41st annual NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park; NHRA signs Lucas Oil as the presenting sponsor of the NHRA Unleashed events that will take place across the country; and upcoming events announced by the NHRA.

Convincing your colleagues that the rewards of selling to overseas market are worth the risks can be tough. But it paid off for SEMA member SCT LLC. SCT aims to add a new international market to its list when it attends the SEMA CIAPE China Business Development Conference in Beijing in late September.

Through the efforts of Select Committee members, SEMA councils help deliver a variety of new programs and benefits to different market segments.

Brand strength, committed workforce and growth potential draws investor interest.