To help PRI and SEMA members and the community of automotive enthusiasts participate in November's general election, SEMA is releasing a series of voter guides to serve as a resource to help members know where lawmakers and/or candidates stand on important issues to the industry. Voter guides provide straightforward information that voters can use to evaluate candidates for office based on key votes and legislation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. PRI and SEMA will also provide information on the democratic and republican candidates for president of the United States. Each guide will be accompanied by a video that gives a little more information about how we developed the voter guides as well as some information about the specific pieces of legislation.
View the voter guides and accompanying videos below:
Mike Harris, a longtime reporter for The Associated Press (AP), was named the recipient of the 2025 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence becoming the 13th winner of the award.
Harris joined the AP in 1969 and became lead motorsports reporter in 1980, a role he held until retirement in July 2009.
Harris is also the 1985 recipient of the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence (previously called the Henry T. McLemore Award). In 1987 and 1994 he won the Jim Hunter Writer of the Year Award given by the Eastern Motorsport Press Association.
The Squier-Hall Award is voted upon by a panel of NASCAR and NASCAR Hall of Fame executives, active and retired media members and former NASCAR competitors and industry leaders. Harris will be honored during NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities on February 7, 2025, and featured in an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Lubrication Specialties, manufacturer of Hot Shot's Secret lubricant brand for diesel performance, has formed a new distribution partnership with Mighty Auto Parts.
The partnership gives all Mighty franchisees in 44 states--a total of 15,000 automotive facilities and partnering specialty shops, tire shops and repair facilities--access to Hot Shot's Secret's entire product line, including oil, fuel and transmission additives, engine and gear oil, transmission and hydraulic fluids, antifreeze and spray lubricants.
MAVTV--the premier media platform for passion-fueled motorsports, powersports and automotive programming--has announced its official launch to all customers who stream DIRECTV satellite-free. MAVTV also remains available to DIRECTV satellite homes (Ch. 214), where it has enjoyed a successful run since initially joining the DIRECTV lineup more than a decade ago in 2013.
"By making our content available to both streaming and satellite customers, MAVTV strengthens its position as the ultimate destination for high-octane motorsports entertainment and exclusive original content. DIRECTV fans who love car culture, racing and gripping stories of grit and competition can now immerse themselves in diverse motorsports from around the globe," said CJ Olivares, president of MAVTV.
MAVTV is now available on DIRECTV across all supported streaming devices, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, as well as Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. To start watching, download the DIRECTV app or visit the DIRECTV website.
In related MAVTV news, the MAVTV original series "Racers Roundtable" launched last week. Hosted by championship-winning drivers Danny Sullivan and Tony Stewart, the show brings together a spectacular lineup of drivers, team owners, crew chiefs and other notable names from several different racing series.
In each of the first season's nine episodes, hosts Sullivan and Stewart sit down with their high-profile guests for candid conversations about their storied careers, intense rivalries, and moments that made history both on and off the track. The fall 2024 slate of episodes boasts guests like Mario Andretti, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Antron Brown, Lyn St. James, and more.
Fans can catch each new episode of "Racers Roundtable" on Wednesdays this fall on MAVTV, available via cable providers including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Spectrum, DirecTV, Verizon, U-verse and many more. Episodes will be available to catch up on later through the MAVTV GO app and the MAVTV SELECT streaming channel.
Ford Performance returns to the 2024 Rebelle Rally with a five-truck lineup, as it continues its partnership with the all-women's off-road competition as a second-year Silver Sponsor. The team is looking to build on a successful 2023 effort, which included a historic fourth consecutive X-CROSS win.
The Rebelle Rally off-road race spans more than 1,500 miles of unforgiving Nevada and California desert terrain starting October 10 through October 19. This event is the longest all-women's off-road navigation rally in the nation, and competitors must navigate using only maps and compasses—no phones or GPS allowed—and entries are primarily stock models, proving their capability in extreme real-world conditions.
Helping navigate for Ford's "Bronco Sport Sasquatch Package" team is SEMA Board Member and Hemmings Senior Vice President of Marketing and Events Kathryn Reinhardt. She will help teammate and three-time X-CROSS class winner Melissa Clark navigate the route across 10 days of off-road action. The team will utilize the Bronco's Sport Sasquatch Package, which offers increased ground clearance, larger tires and advanced off-road features.
Additional Ford teams in the 2024 Rebelle Rally include:
Bailey Campbell and Sedona Blinson – Ford Ranger Raptor
Shelby Hall and Rori Lewis – Ford Bronco Raptor
Laura Wanlass and Penny Dale – Ford Bronco Raptor
Karisa Haydon and Trista Smith – Ford Bronco Wildtrak
For more information or to follow along, visit rebellerally.com.
After a successful kick-off semester at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, NASCAR is expanding its Campus Lab Program to Winston-Salem State University.
Starting in the spring semester of 2025, students at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina will also have the opportunity to join the program that targets highly motivated students interested in pursuing careers in the sports industry and provides hands-on experience through a specialized curriculum.
Winston-Salem State University is the only HBCU and only public university to offer a motorsports management degree program. Currently, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth is a full-time student at WSSU pursuing a degree in motorsports management. He made history earlier this year as the third Black driver to win a NASCAR national series race.
Students accepted to the NASCAR Campus Lab Program will get real-world experience developing a marketing activation while managing a set budget provided by NASCAR, compete in a case study competition, get a behind-the-scenes view of careers throughout the industry, be paired with a mentor from NASCAR’s Black employee resource group and receive resume and interview tips from human resources professionals.
Upon completion of the program, NASCAR will provide participating students with a scholarship prize, and at least one eligible student will earn a spot in the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program for the upcoming summer. NDIP was launched in 2000 and since then more than 500 college students have participated in the initiative.
The NASCAR Campus Lab Program is open to sophomores and juniors at Winston-Salem State University within the college of arts, sciences, business and education who have a demonstrated interest in working in the sports industry. Applications for the spring 2025 cohort opened on October 8 and close on November 1.
How the right cabinets, work benches, chairs, and other equipment can improve productivity in the race shop.
Tool carts, cabinets, creepers, work benches, lifts, and other organizational infrastructure play a vital role in a better motorsports operation.
“Organization, in both the literal and storage sense, is a key aspect of efficiency and productivity,” said Justin Hawkins of Tekton, Grand Rapids, Michigan. “A well-made cabinet and tool organizer can reduce clutter, giving professionals more time to work on the task at hand and save time when the job is done and the tools need to be stored.”
Organization goes ever further in today’s market, said Nate Birkenmeier of CTech Manufacturing, Weston, Wisconsin. “Nowadays, [organization] is integral to the business of motorsports as teams search to bring more branding opportunities to sponsors,” he said. “Time and effort spent sorting through plastic bins filled with spare parts or crawling around in the trailer looking for a specific tool is a complete waste.”
From efficiency to comfort to organization, this look at outfitting your race shop offers the latest ideas to help put your team on the winning path.
CUSTOM EFFICIENCY
The methodical approach of today’s professional race teams demands that crew members work in the shop similarly to how they work while under pressure at the race track, said Birkenmeier.
CTech promotes this approach in its relationship with NHRA Pro Stock team Elite Motorsports. When Elite recently overhauled its racing headquarters, it used custom cabinets and carts to help create a more consistent environment.
“Similar to the track setup, each engine and or race car has its own storage solutions dedicated to the job at hand,” Birkenmeier said, noting the example of a transmission cart with gear sets, forks, and appropriate tools.
Wehrli Custom Fabrication started making work benches after being dissatisfied with what was available when it expanded its shop in 2021–2022. “We have a few more accessories and designs in the works,” said Kris Carlson. “Keep an eye out for more details at this year’s PRI Show.”
“Part of what makes us so successful is that we practice each day like we are at the track,” Elite Motorsports driver Erica Enders said about the familiar at-track and shop setups.
CTech also played a role in setting up the new shop for the NASCAR team 23XI Racing. “I appreciate CTech’s ability to help design and manufacture professional storage solutions for our use in Airspeed while meeting quality standards and delivery dates that we set,” said the team’s Mike Wheeler.
Birkenmeier noted a new feature for some CTech cabinets: the HalfAss Caster wheel—a smaller version of its BadAss Caster—which rolls like a pneumatic tire but is compact and maneuverable like a caster.
Overall, he said it can be an “incredibly overwhelming task” to outfit a race shop, but there are options. “Sometimes teams present us with a space and ask us what we think they should do with it,” he said. “Other times, they send us a spreadsheet of all the tools and equipment they want to store, and our in-house team of experts and engineers figure out what to build around those items.”
Many of the all-aluminum shop benches and cabinets manufactured by TechnoCraft Cabinets in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, are custom made, said Brian Hope. “Everything that we make we build to order, so we have an advantage when a customer has a need like an odd-length wall,” he said.
Its benches and cabinets are sturdy, durable, and not susceptible to moisture or chemicals, Hope said. They come in various lengths, and TechnoCraft’s tool boxes, also manufactured at its Tennessee facility, can be added to almost any cabinet. “We build a lot of tool boxes to fit a lot of different needs.”
TechnoCraft can also personalize its work benches with durable printed wrap worktops.
Moduline Cabinets in Brockton, Massachusetts, also manufactures modular, custom aluminum cabinet systems. Its Pro Series cabinets are its most popular among racers and car enthusiasts, said Paul Gill.
Moduline also offers rolling tool boxes equipped with heavy-duty, shock-absorbing casters for ease of movement, whether across the shop or into the pits.
Minseok Kim discussed two of the many race shop tool and cabinet combinations from TONE Americas in Frankfort, Kentucky, a company that will make its first appearance at the PRI Show this year.
Kim said the TCXT9110, released in late 2023, a tool set using TONE’s largest cabinet, the WSE2017R, was created through discussions with race team mechanics who wanted frequently used products in easily accessible locations.
Vyper Industrial’s chairs, creepers, and carts are a staple in race shops, said Dayne Rusch. Their large casters help them glide over any surface and prevent tipping. Vyper’s chairs help increase productivity by improving posture and comfort during long sitting durations.
It exemplifies TONE’s expansion from serving vehicle manufacturing, which it has done for some 87 years, to a concentration on the racing industry, which Kim said is growing in Japan.
The TCXT9110 includes 381 items and has carbon-style trays that list product names or sizes, which reduces time spent searching for tools, he said.
Also popular in motorsports shops is the TCX990, which includes the WSH2012R cabinet. A wooden board is sold separately to transform the top into a work space. “The TCX990 is a heavy-duty roller cabinet set equipped with tools from TONE’s highest model storage tool series,” Kim said. The TCX990 also has labeled carbon-fiber trays and 381 items.
A unique product from Tekton is the L-BOXX Stacking Organization System, with modular stacking tool drawers that can ride on a dolly. “[It’s] meant to give tool users a mobile, highly customizable storage option,” said Hawkins.
Among the more popular combinations is a 248-piece tool set in six drawers that includes all of the basic hand tools a mechanic would need, he said.
Tekton cabinets and tool drawers come with optimized foam layouts made from a closed-cell polyethylene foam that doesn’t absorb liquids and helps retain shape, Hawkins said. All tool sizes are laser-marked in the foam, which has permanently bonded top (red) and bottom (black) layers, a contrast that quickly exposes a missing tool.
Tekton offers a variety of tool cabinets, with its 60-inch wide, 30-inch deep and 41.5-inch-high version the most popular, including the 11-drawer, 40/60 Split Bank cabinet. Each drawer in a Tekton cabinet has a carrying capacity rated up to 400 pounds, and the drawers can be opened at any point along the handle, Hawkins said.
CREEPERS OF COMFORT
Vyper Industrial’s chairs, creepers, and carts are a staple in race shops, said Dayne Rusch from the Green Bay, Wisconsin, manufacturer. He highlighted the use of 4-inch casters on Vyper chairs and creepers and 6-inch casters on carts to help them “glide” over any surface and prevent tipping. “Many products in the industry today use small casters that can’t roll over cracks, zip ties, or even loose debris on the floor.”
Vyper chairs are powdercoated and have supportive backrests; thick, comfortable seats; and laser-cut steel supports, Rusch said. Available in various models, the chairs have a modern, industrial look, and each chair can have different colors on the seats and legs. They help increase productivity by improving posture and comfort during long sitting durations, which Rusch said overall improves employee morale.
The Shop Crane by Gorbel turns heavy lifting into a one-person job and frees floor space compared to using an engine hoist, said Todd Wagner. “One of our customers gained 25–30% in production.”
Creepers, also powdercoated, feature an adjustable headrest, caster covers that prevent hair and clothing from getting caught, and suitcase-style handles for easy carrying. Users lie on a canopy-style, puncture proof, oil- and chemical-resistant fabric.
Vyper carts feature modular racking—users can attach accessories on the side—and a 1,250-pound weight capacity.
Rusch said customers who rebuild engines sometimes have a cart at every station. “This way, they can roll the engine from station to station.”
Weight is not an issue, Rusch noted. “The Vyper cart actually rolls better while there is weight on it.”
LIFT IN PRODUCTION
A new “height” of organization can be achieved in a race shop with a vehicle lift. Advantage Lifts in Hanover, Pennsylvania, offers its AL-SC10, the most common model purchased by race shops that want a two-post lift for maintenance and repair. “A lift provides a boost in productivity due to the ease of doing simple maintenance and the ability to do larger-scale jobs with much less stress than if they are being done while lying on your back,” said Aaron Harpine. “Your shop will be better organized with a lift, as it allows you to go as far as stacking two cars over one another in a single bay.”
Advantage Lifts has two-post lifts, which use two cylinders, with 10,000- and 12,000-pound ratings, and four-post lifts, using just one cylinder, holding 9,000 and 11,000 pounds.
“We can often fit a lift in almost any garage due to the various options we offer,” Harpine said. “Our four-post lift is offered in a double-wide configuration that allows you to put two cars up and two cars underneath in a two-car garage.”
He said Advantage Lifts plans to release a double-wide, three-high stacker that puts six cars in a two-car spot, provided the facility has ceilings nearly 20 feet high.
Rather than lifting an entire car, you may need only to move a cylinder head—or three—across the shop. That’s where the Shop Crane by Gorbel, an overhead bridge crane system, comes in.
“One of our customers, Motion Dynamics, noted in their case study that they gained 25–30% in production as their operators can now pick up three cylinder heads at a time with the Shop Crane, which was a huge time saver,” said Todd Wagner.
Shop Crane turns heavy lifting into a one-person job and frees floor space compared to using an engine hoist, he said.
The Victor, New York, company’s biggest seller is its 1,000-pound capacity crane with a 12-by-15-foot bay size at either 10-foot or 12-foot system height. (Shop Crane bay widths and heights each range from 8 to 20 feet.)
Common applications include lifting dressed engines into and out of vehicles, moving engine blocks to various machining centers, or lifting and lowering car bodies onto chassis, Wagner said.
The Shop Crane also improves safety, including the reduction of repetitive lifting injuries that can affect the bottom line with lost time and worker’s compensation claims, he said.
Wagner recommends pairing the Shop Crane with the Gorbel GS Electric Chain Hoist. It has suspension plates that provide a precise fit for work station cranes, and the two together create a complete, reliable, and safe lifting solution.
“We can fit a lift in almost any garage due to the various options we offer,” said Aaron Harpine of Advantage Lifts. “Our four-post lift is offered in a double-wide configuration that allows you to put two cars up and two cars underneath in a two-car garage.”
THE VALUE OF TIME
Those in the market for cabinets, work benches, and other equipment to outfit their race shops should assess their own organizational needs, and then consider mobility, modularity, customization, employee comfort, safety, and morale.
Hope from TechnoCraft not only manufactures equipment to help race teams stay organized and productive, but he also encourages such organization among his employees. “And, yes, that makes more money for me. Absolutely. But it also reduces their fatigue,” he said. “On a day like today when it’s 94 degrees outside, if you can cut down your movement, and you can cut down your steps not having to wander the shop looking for a part or a tool…that difference is huge at the end of the day.”
Any time you’re organized, it puts you ahead of anyone else. And when that comes to preparing for a race, Hope said, “it puts me ahead of my competition.”
Or, as Birkenmeier from CTech put it, “In business, time is money. In racing, time is the difference between winning and losing.”
Toyota has unveiled a full-size clay model of the Gen3 GR Supra Supercar at Mount Panorama, ahead of the brand's move into Supercars from 2026.
In an historic day for Toyota and Supercars, the stunning clay model of the race car's body was revealed in pit lane at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
Dubbed the 'Supracar', the GR Supra is based on the classic rear-drive coupe proportions of the most celebrated model in Toyota's illustrious sports-car heritage.
It comes after the blockbuster reveal of Toyota's plans to enter the sport in 2026, with Walkinshaw Andretti United selected as the homologation team.
For more information, visit the Supercars announcement here.
Brembo, the Italian brake systems and components manufacturer, has acquired Öhlins Racing, the Swedish manufacturer of high-performance suspension components in the original equipment, motorsport and aftermarket segments, from parent company Tenneco.
At $405 million, it is the largest acquisition in Brembo's history and will be paid with available funds.
Founded in 1976, Öhlins Racing is based in Upplands Väsby, Sweden, outside Stockholm, and has a strong international footprint. Öhlins employs approximately 500 people across two production facilities located in Sweden and Thailand, two research and development centers in Sweden and Thailand, and four distribution and testing branches in the United States, Germany, Thailand and Sweden.
The brand offers a range of products, including shock absorbers, front forks, steering dampers, software and algorithms, and accessories for the OEM and aftermarket segments. The company also has a presence in several major motorsport championships, supplying MotoGP, Formula 1, World Superbike, NASCAR and others.
"Öhlins is a strong fit for Brembo. It is a world-renowned brand, with a solid business and an unrivaled reputation, both on the racetrack and the road," said Matteo Tiraboschi, Brembo Executive Chairman. "We welcome Öhlins to our Group as a great opportunity to expand our offerings for the automotive market. With this addition, we take another step forward in our strategy to provide integrated intelligent solutions to our customers, leveraging synergies across key technologies in the vehicle's corner."
Haas F1 Team has entered into a technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing, the motorsport division of Toyota Motor Corporation.
Under the new multi-year agreement, both parties will share expertise and knowledge, as well as resources, according to the announcement, with Toyota Gazoo Racing providing design, technical and manufacturing services, while the Haas F1 Team will offer technical expertise and commercial benefits in return.
Starting with the United States Grand Prix, October 18-20, Toyota Gazoo Racing branding will be present on the VF-24s entered by Haas F1 Team and driven by Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
The team will also continue its partnership with Ferrari, which was extended earlier this year.
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