By Lindsay Bianco
 The Industry Cup Challenge pits company versus company in a SEMA Pinewwod Drag Race benefitting charity. |
The SEMA Pinewood Drag Race's annual Industry Cup Challenge takes charitable giving to the next level.
Sponsoring companies are divided into five divisions, where they race with high-quality, child-built pinewood cars. Each division crowns a winning company, which then goes on to represent that division in an all-out industry race to No. 1.
Everyone is a true winner as the charities continue to help those in need, the disadvantaged children have fun building toy cars, and the industry engages the community in an overwhelmingly positive way.
The industry challengers each have a limited number of entrants in the following divisions:
- Warehouse Distributors
- Manufacturers
- Media Groups
- Rep Agencies
- Service Providers
The champion can display the impressive trophy for a year with its company name boldly engraved among the winners. It must then be returned, in a Stanley Cup-style tradition, as it will be up for grabs again at the next Pinewood Drags, when the company will have a chance to defend the title.
The donation cost is $1,000 per sponsoring company. The standard pinewood build rules apply to all competing vehicles. Vehicles are randomly assigned and the race is officiated by SEMA Cares volunteers.
2017 Industry Cup Challenge Winners
1st Place: Allied Exhaust (WD), 2.462 sec.
2nd Place: LGE-CTS (Service), 2.466 sec.
3rd Place: RTM (Media), 2.474 sec.
4th Place: Mothers (Manufacturer), 2.482 sec.
5th Place: Bob Cook Sales (Manufacturers’ Reps), 2.484 sec.