Tag Archives: Performance Racing Industry Show

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Quarter Mile Foundation collects 25 interviews of drag racing/performance industry figures at PRI Show, Detroit

Contact: Traci Hrudka
Quarter Mile Foundation
Phone: 440.888.0088

hrudka@sbcglobal.net (or)

Steve Cole, WRITEWords

Phone: 330.725.5462

scole@4writewords.com

Parma Heights, Ohio (January 25, 2015) – The Quarter Mile Foundation, in conjunction with the management of the Performance Racing Industry Show (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Ken Lingenfelter (The Lingenfelter Collection, Brighton, Mich.), were able to record the recollections of 25 drag racing and performance aftermarket industry people.

The Indiana Convention Center was the site for 20 interviews done between December 10 and 12, and five Detroit-area interviews were done at The Lingenfelter Collection in Brighton, which houses over 150 iconic vehicles.

Interviewed at the Performance Racing Industry Show (PRI Show) were: Ronnie Ball (Contingency Connection, former IHRA employee), Marvin Benoit (Quick Fuel Technologies), Preston Davis (“Tennessee Bo-Weevil” Top Fuel/Funny Car and nostalgia dragster driver), Chip Ellis (Pro Stock Motorcycle rider), Bob Glidden (10-time Pro Stock NHRA World Champion), Charlie Henry (retired Marketing Manager, Chrysler Corporation MOPAR Performance/Direct Connection), Ron Hope (“Rat Trap” Fuel Altered racer), Dave Hough (“Nanook” Fuel Altered racer), Dave Kirkland/Scott Lumbert (“Spirit of Texas” Top Fuel Hydro drag boat), Paul Lee (McLeod Clutches), Steve Lewis (PRI magazine/show founder), Jim Luikens (sportsman racer, performance automotive marketing specialist), Bill Martens (General Motors Performance Parts), Louise (“Land Speed Louise”) Noeth (automotive historian/journalist), Dave Sebring (former Top Alcohol Funny Car racer, manufacturer), Larry Shepard (retired Technical Manager, Chrysler Corporation MOPAR Performance/Direct Connection), Chris Thomson (K&N Filters/Airaid, former SEMA Board Member), Vic Wood (Aeromotive, SEMA Board Member), Jeep Worthan (Autometer – retired, former SEMA Board Member).

And for two days in the Detroit area (December 14, 15), the Foundation interviewed five additional people at the highly acclaimed Lingenfelter Collection facility. The interviews were done against the backdrop of some of the automotive industry’s most interesting and desirable cars.

The interviewees were: Joe Hilger (retired Vice President for DaimlerChrysler Global Service/MOPAR and “Father of the modern Hemi”), Fritz Kayl (Automotive engineer/founder Katech Inc.), Ken Lingenfelter (co-founder of Lingenfelter Performance), Jim Oberhofer (Vice President – Operations, Kalitta Motorsports, crew chief – Doug Kalitta MAC Tools Top Fuel team), and Jon Oberhofer (Kalitta Motorsports crew chief – Del Worsham 2015 NHRA World Champion DHL Funny Car team).

Additionally, Linda Vaughn contributed more depth to her previous interview’s insights at the PRI Show.

Quarter Mile Foundation Chairman, Traci Hrudka, commented: “The generosity of the Performance Racing Industry Show management, and at of Ken Lingenfelter, gave us platforms to expand the Foundation’s inventory of interviews, and gaining some important new perspectives regarding the growth of the sport and the performance aftermarket.

“We were particularly pleased to gain some insight into how the automakers have utilized drag racing and their participation within the performance aftermarket structure to extend their engineering and marketing reaches.”

With the addition of these 25 new interviewees, plus the seven interviews done in Great Britain in November, the Foundation now has 265 interviews of different individuals from the sport and the performance aftermarket.

 

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The Quarter Mile Foundation is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit foundation, which is producing PROJECT 1320, a for-television documentary film series about the history of drag racing and the parallel growth of the performance automotive aftermarket.

Quarter Mile Foundation to raffle John Force guitar at PRI Show

Force Guitar 1 (1)The Quarter Mile Foundation will be raffling a John Force-themed acoustic guitar — VERY Limited Edition (1 of 1) at its booth at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, December 11 – 13. The Quarter Mile Foundation is located in the Yellow Hall in Booth 2867, very near the walkway to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and Union Station.

Tickets are priced at one dollar each, and will be available at the booth for show attendees and exhibitors during the show hours – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Thursday and Friday) and 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Saturday. The winning ticket will be drawn at 3:00 PM at the booth on Saturday afternoon. The winner DOES NOT have to be present at the drawing.

The Foundation and BSG Wraps of Fort Worth, Tex. (www.bsgwraps.com) again have collaborated to develop the John Force-themed wrap for this guitar, following the highly popular reception generated by the guitars created for the SEMA Show.

For those not attending and would like to enter, click the donate button on the website, enter the dollar amount of tickets you would like to purchase at $1.00/ticket, and make a note it is for the PRI SHOW Guitar Raffle. You only have until Tuesday night (12/10, 11:59 PM Eastern) to enter.

The PRI Trade Show is held at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, Ind., and is one of the premier motorsports trade shows in the world, occupying the entire 566,000 square foot building.

(Note: The PRI Trade Show is not open to the public, and is open only to those directly involved with the motorsports industry.)

Guitar Raffle Big Hit at 2014 SEMA Show

The Foundation raffled off two acoustic guitars which featured graphics wraps from BSG Wraps, Fort Worth, Tex. (www.bsgwraps.com), at the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas on November 4-7, 2014. Ticket sales were brisk for the two guitars, one featuring a collage of some of drag racing’s early personalities (Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Linda Vaughn, Don Garlits, Mickey Thompson, etc.), and the other a Don Pruhomme collage. Making the interest strong was the fact the wrap covering the guitars would not be repeated — VERY limited editions.

The two winners were drawn at the Foundation’s booth on Friday afternoon. The winner of the Prudhomme guitar was Adam Smith, owner of Black Plate Restorations, Acton, Calif., and the winner of the mixed collage guitar was Marvin Benoit, President of Quick Fuel Technology, Bowling Green, Ky.

The Foundation appreciates the enthusiastic support received at the SEMA Show. We are looking forward to the Performance Racing Industry Show, December 11-13 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

There will be another pair of guitars raffled at the Foundation’s PRI Show at booth 2867 in the Yellow Hall. We look forward to seeing you there!

Marvin Benoit (L) and Traci Hrudka (R) share a smile after the guitar raffle drawing.

Marvin Benoit (L) and Traci Hrudka (R) share a smile after the guitar raffle drawing.